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The Nigerian Under-20 Falconets did their best on Thursday afternoon to knock England’s Young Lionesses into the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup taking place in Poland.
Playing in Bielsko-Biala for the first time since the start of the championship, the two-time World Cup silver medalists showed their intent from the opening whistle and were rewarded in the 8th minute when Tosin Rafiu broke the deadlock with a composed finish to put Nigeria ahead 1-0. The goal came after initial pressure from the Nigerians, with Ramotalahi Kareem and Precious Oscar also testing the English defence.
England tried to respond through Lily Dent, Princess Ademiluyi and Rachel Maltby, but the Nigerian defense held firm. A video referee review of a 33rd-minute penalty briefly threatened to change the momentum, but Nigerian goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma made a great save to deny Maltby from six yards.
Uzoma was an important player on the day, making six big saves in a first period in which the Nigerian defense seemed to struggle to contain the great Ademiluyi.
The Falconets remained calm and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
The second half started perfectly for Nigeria. Just two minutes after the restart, Janet Akekoromowei doubled the lead in the 47th minute with a clinical shot, putting England under immense pressure.
The Lionesses made a tactical change, bringing on Vivienne Lia for Lily Dent, but struggled to create clear-cut chances against a well-organised Nigerian midfield. Coach Moses Aduku’s substitutions proved decisive in the final stages of the match. Mary Mamudu, introduced in the 61st minute for Ramotalahi Kareem, made an immediate impact. In the 73rd minute, he took advantage of an assist from Precious Oscar to score Nigeria’s third goal, effectively sealing the match.
England introduced fresh legs with Chloe Hylton, Layla Drury, Eleanor Klinger and Jessie Gale, but their efforts were thwarted by a composed and inspired Falconets side. Nigeria continued to control the closing stages, with late introductions from Victory Lucky, Winner Onajite David and Folajomi Olabiyi helping to maintain the intensity.
England pushed for a consolation through Eleanor Klinger and Layla Drury but were repeatedly caught offside by Nigeria’s disciplined defense and denied.
The Falconets will face the winner of the round of 16 clash between Poland and Colombia on Sunday. That quarterfinal duel is scheduled at the Władyław Król municipal stadium in Łódź, starting at 2:00 p.m., Nigerian time.
After the final whistle, Aduku said: “We are very happy with this victory. The girls had a very motivating conference call with the acting general secretary of the NFF on Wednesday night and they promised to do their best today. I am happy that they did it. We will return to Łódź and look for victory against Poland or Colombia on Sunday.”
NFF Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme said: “This victory is a great feat by the Falconets. We are delighted with the dominant performance and will continue to encourage and motivate the girls until they go all the way to clinch the trophy.”
