Moses Aduku, the coach for Nigeria's U-20 women’s team, believes England paid for underestimating the Falconets. His team won 3-0 against the Young Lionesses in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland on Thursday.
The Falconets moved to the knockout stage as runners-up in Group F. They delivered one of their best performances of the tournament, knocking out England at the Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała.
From the start, Nigeria showed their intent, putting England under pressure. They got their first reward in the eighth minute.
Tosin Rafiu scored first with a calm finish, giving Nigeria a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Nigeria kept pushing, with Ramotalahi Kareem and Precious Oscar both testing England's defense as the Falconets aimed to increase their lead.
As the game progressed, England found their rhythm. Lily Dent, Princess Ademiluyi, and Rachel Maltby tried to respond, but Nigeria's defense held firm.
In the 33rd minute, England had a chance to equalize after a VAR review for a potential penalty. Maltby took the spot-kick, but Christiana Uzoma made a vital save to keep Nigeria ahead.
Uzoma was impressive in the first half. She made several key saves as the Falconets resisted England’s attacks and went into halftime with their lead.
Nigeria came out stronger in the second half. Just two minutes in, Janet Akekoromowei scored in the 47th minute, doubling the Falconets’ lead and putting England under more pressure.
Aduku made a change, bringing in Mary Mamudu for Kareem in the 61st minute. This substitution worked well as Mamudu scored in the 73rd minute. She found the ball after a deflection from Precious Oscar and calmly finished.
This win sent the Falconets into the quarter-finals. Aduku felt England had not fully appreciated Nigeria's ability.
“The English team is a very good side and I think they underrated us. They never believed that we could play up to this level,” Aduku told FIFA Media after the match.
“But I said after the group stage that the World Cup is just starting. After the game, I told the players, ‘This game is gone. Let’s have a short celebration because we have the next game to play, so let’s focus on the next one.’”
While Nigeria has a lot to celebrate, Akekoromowei says the Falconets are focused on their main goal.
The striker, named Player of the Match for her great performance and goal, said the team came to Poland with dreams that go beyond the quarter-finals.
“The reason why we are here is to take the Cup home. We are going to give our all,” Akekoromowei said.
“Our coach pushes us and we push ourselves on and off the pitch. We stay focused and determined.”
Aduku sees this win as proof of his squad's potential. He urges the players to keep working hard as they aim for the next level.
“That is the mentality I put in them,” Aduku explained. “I think the girls are doing well. We need to do more,” he said.
Next, the Falconets will play against Colombia in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Colombia reached the last eight by defeating hosts Poland 1-0 in the final Round of 16 match on Thursday.
Nigeria will not have time to celebrate their win over England, as another big challenge awaits. The quarter-final is set for the Władysław Król Municipal Stadium in Łódź, with kick-off at 2 p.m. Nigerian time.
For Aduku and his players, the message is clear: England is behind them, and they are still chasing the World Cup trophy.
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