The Nigerian U20 girls secured a stellar 3-0 victory against England as the Falconets reach the quarterfinals of the ongoing tournament in Poland
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 switch momentum, but Nigeria’s goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma made a big save to deny Maltby from six yards.
Uzoma was an important performer on the day, making six big saves in a first period where the Nigeria backline struggled to contain the big Ademiluyi.
The Falconets held their nerve to go into half-time leading 1-0.
Falconets Reach The Quarterfinals With Second Half Performance
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.
Aduku said: “We are very happy with this victory. The girls had a very motivating conference call with the NFF Acting General Secretary on Wednesday night, and they promised to go all out today. I am happy they did that. We will go back to Łódź and aim for victory against either Poland or Colombia on Sunday.”
The Falconets will take on the winner of the Round of 16 clash between Poland and Colombia on Sunday.
That quarter-final duel takes place at the Władyław Król Municipal Stadium in Łódź, starting at 2 pm Nigeria time.
