Nigeria’s Flamingos have made it to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. They won against Venezuela 1-0 in a tough quarter-final match held in Morocco on Sunday.
Captain Azeezat Oduntan scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute. This goal sent the Nigerian team into the last four for the second time in their history.
The goal came after Oluebube Umejiaku was fouled in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot, and Oduntan stepped up to score, giving the Flamingos a dramatic late lead.
This win marks Nigeria’s return to the semi-finals for the first time since they finished third in the 2022 edition in India.
The match was tightly contested. Nigeria created many chances but had a hard time getting past Venezuela’s goalkeeper and captain, Valeria Rebanales.
Tosin Rafiu nearly scored in the 19th minute, but Rebanales was quick to tip her shot over the bar. The Venezuelan keeper was busy again in the 35th minute, stopping a shot from Mary Dunstan.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi also tried to score before half-time, but neither team could find the net, and they went into the break at 0-0.
Venezuela had their chances too. Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui tested Nigeria’s defense but could not score.
The second half continued with both teams fighting hard. The Flamingos pushed for a goal against a Venezuelan side that had already shown its strength by beating Germany in the round of 16.
Nigeria finally broke the deadlock with Oduntan’s late penalty. This ended Venezuela’s hopes and secured Nigeria’s spot in the semi-finals.
The Flamingos have had a great run in Morocco. After losing their first group match 2-1 to Poland, Akeem Busari’s team bounced back with wins over Puerto Rico and defending champions DPR Korea to move on from Group B.
They then defeated Mexico 2-1 in the round of 16 before overcoming Venezuela to reach the semi-finals.
Nigeria’s victory keeps their dream alive of winning the tournament for the first time.
In other news, Ghana, the other African team in the quarter-finals, was knocked out on Sunday. Japan beat them 1-0 to move forward.
The Flamingos will now focus on the semi-finals as they aim for the title.
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