One of Nigeria's stars, Ramotalahi Kareem, scored a hat-trick and was named Player of the Match in the Falconets’ 10-1 victory against New Caledonia. She says the team is ready to take on England after moving to the Round of 16 in the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland on Sunday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
After getting only one point from their first two games, the Falconets fought back strongly with a 10-1 win over New Caledonia in their last Group F match.
Kareem and Tosin Rafiu played key roles as Nigeria scored 10 goals to reach the knockout stage, finishing as runners-up in Group F.
Spain topped the group by winning all their matches, beating China 3-1. Despite the loss, China advanced as one of the best third-placed teams and will face Italy in the Round of 16.
Moses Aduku’s Falconets took control from the start. Rafiu skillfully maneuvered past three defenders to win a penalty, which Kareem converted smoothly.
Headers from Rebecca Adegbemile and Janet Akekoromowei increased Nigeria's lead. Kareem then scored her second goal following another great play by Rafiu.
In the second half, Kareem completed her hat-trick before Onajite David also scored three goals. Adegbemile added another goal to her tally, while Rafiu hit a stunning shot from outside the box.
New Caledonia managed to score a consolation goal when Kourevi netted a fantastic long-range shot, marking her first goal of the finals.
"We hope to achieve great things now that we’ve passed the group stage. I’m really pleased with my hat-trick. My job is to score goals and helping the team today made me happy. We’re ready for the match against England. We’ll prepare as well as we can for the Round of 16 against a strong side," Kareem said after the match.
Nigeria finished the group stage with four points from three matches, having lost 2-0 to Spain and drawn 0-0 with China PR.
This big win greatly boosted the Falconets’ goal difference and secured their second-place finish in Group F.
The Falconets will face Group E winners England in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
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