Puerto Rico’s under-17 women’s coach Andres Mirabelli said he was frustrated by his team’s display after a 2-0 loss to Nigeria in Group B of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat on Tuesday evening.
The defeat was Puerto Rico’s second in succession at the tournament, following a 6-0 opening-match loss to reigning champions DPR Korea. Nigeria’s Flamingos claimed the closely fought contest through goals from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Precious Oscar.
Mirabelli said another sluggish first-half performance had left his players with too much to recover, as they struggled to manage both the tournament pressure and the higher standard of their opponents.
“I’m unhappy with our first-half performance. Again, we lost time, as we did in the previous game. It is disappointing because the pressure of the World Cup and the gap in quality are affecting us,” Mirabelli said.
Puerto Rico remain at the foot of Group B without a point after two matches. The side has conceded eight times and has yet to score in the competition.
Mirabelli’s team will seek a more encouraging finish to its group-stage campaign when it meets Poland in its final match on Friday night.
