Nigeria’s U-20 girls, Falconets, fired from all cylinders on Thursday afternoon to side-step England’s Young Lionesses into the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals in Poland.
Playing in Bielsko-Biala for the first time since the commencement of the championship, the two-time World Cup silver-medallists showed 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 1-0 ahead. The goal came after early 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 Nigeria’s backline stood firm. A Video Assistant Referee review for a penalty in the 33rd minute briefly threatened to change the momentum, but Nigeria’s goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma made a big save to deny Maltby from six yards.
Uzoma was an important performer of the day, making six big saves in a first period that the Nigeria back-line appeared to struggle to contain the big Ademiluyi and the Falconets held their nerve to go into half-time in the ascendancy, and leading 1-0.
The second half started in perfect fashion for Nigeria. Just two minutes after the restart, Janet Akekoromowei doubled the lead in the 47th minute with a clinical strike, putting England under immense pressure.
The Lionesses made a tactical switch, bringing on Vivienne Lia for Lily Dent, but struggled to create clear-cut chances against a well-organized Nigerian midfield. Coach Moses Aduku’s substitutions proved decisive in the latter stages of the game. Mary Mamudu, introduced in the 61st minute for Ramotalahi Kareem, made an immediate impact.
In the 73rd minute, she latched onto an assist from Precious Oscar to slot home Nigeria’s third goal, effectively sealing the contest.
The Falconets will on Sunday take on the winner of the Round of 16 clash between Poland and Colombia, with the quarter-final duel slated for the Władyław Król Municipal Stadium in Łódź, starting from 2pm Nigeria time.
