Nigeria’s Flamingos are into the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after captain Azeezat Oduntan scored a late penalty to beat Venezuela 1-0 in their quarter-final in Morocco on Sunday.
The win sets up a last-four meeting with Brazil on Wednesday, November 4, and puts Nigeria within one match of a first-ever final at the tournament.
How the match was won
The game, played at Morocco’s Mohammed VI football facilities in Salé, near Rabat, according to Daily Trust and Blueprint, stayed goalless for almost 90 minutes.
Nigeria had the better of the early exchanges. Tosin Rafiu, Mary Dunstan, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Oluebube Umejiaku all tested the Venezuelan defence, but goalkeeper and captain Valeria Rebanales kept her side level. Favour Nkwocha picked up the only yellow card of the first half in the 24th minute, Pulse Sports reported.
Venezuela were dangerous on the counter-attack. Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui created chances, and Daily Trust said Nigerian goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho made four important saves to keep the score at 0-0.
The breakthrough came late. Umejiaku was brought down in the box, and referee Hyeonjeong Oh pointed to the spot. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review, and Oduntan calmly converted in the 89th minute to send the Nigerian bench into celebration.
Busari’s side on a winning run
The Flamingos, coached by Akeem Busari, have grown stronger as the tournament has gone on. They opened their Group B campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico and a 3-1 victory over DPR Korea.
In the round of 16 they beat Mexico 2-1, with Umejiaku and Dunstan on the scoresheet. Sunday’s win over Venezuela was their fourth in a row, and Blueprint noted that four wins in regulation time is a national record for a single edition of the competition.
Umejiaku has been one of the stand-out players of the tournament for Nigeria, scoring against Poland, DPR Korea and Mexico before winning the decisive penalty against Venezuela.
Venezuela’s run ends
Venezuela had come through a tough path to the quarter-finals. They finished third in Group D after losing to France and Japan and beating Zambia 3-2, then shocked Germany 1-0 in the round of 16. Their best result at the tournament remains fourth place in 2014.
Brazil next
Brazil reached the semi-final by beating China 2-1, with Helena scoring twice after China had taken the lead just before half-time.
This will be only Nigeria’s second semi-final at the U-17 Women’s World Cup. Their first came in India in 2022, when the Flamingos lost in the last four but went on to win the bronze medal. A win over Brazil on Wednesday would take them to the final for the first time and further boost Nigeria’s growing reputation in women’s youth football.
Brazil will start as one of the favourites, but Nigeria’s mix of pace on the wings and a goalkeeper in form gives Busari’s team reason to believe. The coach will hope his players recover quickly, with only two days between the quarter-final and the semi-final.
The other semi-final will decide Nigeria’s possible opponent in the final, or in the third-place match should the Flamingos fall short against Brazil. Whatever happens on Wednesday, reaching the last four for the second time in three editions is a sign that Nigeria’s youth women’s programme is producing a steady flow of talent, many of whom could graduate to the Falconets and, in time, the Super Falcons.
The result also caps a good weekend for Nigerian football fans and adds to calls for more investment in the women’s game at home, where clubs and youth programmes still struggle with funding.
Sources: Channels Television, Daily Trust, Blueprint, Pulse Sports, Complete Sports.
