How Nigeria Reached Semifinal Of FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria have secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after recording a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in their quarter-final encounter in Morocco on Sunday night.
Captain, Azeezat Oduntan emerged as Nigeria’s heroine, converting a late penalty in the 89th minute to send the West Africans into the last four of the competition.
The victory marks the second time Nigeria have reached the semi-finals of the tournament, having previously achieved the feat in 2022 in India, where they finished third to claim the bronze medal.
It was a closely contested encounter at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, with both sides struggling to find a way past their defensive organisation.
The Flamingos started brightly and created several opportunities in the opening half, but goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales kept Venezuela in the contest with a series of important interventions.
Tosin Rafiu, Mary Dunstan and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi all threatened the Venezuelan defence as Nigeria searched for an early breakthrough, while Oluebube Umejiaku also tested the opposition’s backline.
Venezuela, who eliminated Germany in the Round of 16, also showed glimpses of their attacking threat, with Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui attempting to trouble the Nigerian defence.
Despite Nigeria’s efforts to take control of proceedings, neither team could find the back of the net before the half-time break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with the Flamingos pushing forward in search of the decisive goal while Venezuela remained disciplined at the back.
With the contest seemingly heading towards extra time, Nigeria finally found the breakthrough in the closing stages when Oluebube Umejiaku was brought down inside the penalty area.
Referee Oh Hyeon-jeong pointed to the spot, and Oduntan stepped forward to calmly convert the resulting penalty in the 89th minute, sparking celebrations among the Nigerian players.
The late strike proved decisive as Akeem Busari’s side held on to their slender advantage to seal a memorable victory.
The result is also the Flamingos fourth victory in regulation time at the tournament, setting a new national record for the most wins by the country at a single edition of the competition.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to the semi-finals, where they are scheduled to face Brazil on Wednesday, November 4, as they continue their pursuit of a maiden FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
