Nigeria’s Flamingos are through to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. They secured a 1-0 win against Venezuela in a tense quarter-final match in Morocco on Sunday.
Captain Azeezat Oduntan scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute. This goal took the Nigerian girls to the last four for just 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 take the penalty, scoring to give the Flamingos a thrilling late lead.
This victory marks Nigeria’s first return to the semi-finals since their historic third-place finish at the 2022 tournament in India.
The match was hard-fought, with Nigeria making several chances but having trouble getting past Venezuela’s goalkeeper and captain, Valeria Rebanales.
In the 19th minute, Tosin Rafiu almost scored, but Rebanales made a great save, tipping her shot over the crossbar. The Venezuelan keeper was busy again in the 35th minute, stopping a shot from Mary Dunstan.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi also threatened before the break, but neither team could score, and they went into halftime 0-0.
Venezuela had their chances too, with Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui putting pressure on Nigeria’s defense.
The second half was just as competitive, with the Flamingos looking for a goal against a Venezuelan team that had already shown their strength by knocking out Germany in the round of 16.
Nigeria finally broke through with Oduntan’s late penalty, ending Venezuela’s hopes and securing a spot in the tournament’s final four.
This win continues the Flamingos’ strong performance in Morocco. After losing their opening group match 2-1 to Poland, Akeem Busari’s team bounced back, beating 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 of winning the competition alive for the first time.
Meanwhile, Ghana, the other African team in the quarter-finals, was eliminated on Sunday, losing 1-0 to Japan.
The Flamingos will now focus on the semi-finals as they aim to take another step towards the title.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇