FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets beat England 3-0 to reach quarter-finals
The Falconets of Nigeria beat England 3-0 to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
The Falconets faced England‘s Young Lionesses on Thursday, 17th September, at the Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, in the Round of 16 for a quarterfinal berth.
This win marks Nigeria’s second win of the tournament following their 10-1 win against New Caledonia in their final group stage match.
Tosin Rafiu opening goal
The Falconets wasted no time in asserting dominance as they opened the scoring to take an early lead in the 7th minute through Tosin Rafiu.
Rafiu found the back of the net as she attacked down the left wing, weaved her way inside and out the England defence, and rifled the ball past goalkeeper Katie Cox to score her second goal of the tournament.
According to FIFA.com, Rafiu’s goal stands as a contender for Goal of the Tournament.
Uzoma goalkeeper penalty save
Nigeria goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma then kept her side in the game with a brilliant block save against England forward Princess Ademiluyi in the 26th minute.
Uzoma went on to save a penalty in the first half after England earned an opportunity to equalize following a VAR review.
The Falconets went into half-time with a 1-0 lead.
Upon returning from half-time, the Falconets doubled their lead with a well-taken left-footed volley goal from Janet Akekoromowei.
Janet Akekoromowei has been named the Player of the match.
Coach Aduku introduced Mary Mamudu in the 61st minute as a substitute.
Mamudu sealed the win and put the game completely out of reach in the 73rd minute, rounding off a dominant team display to make it 3-0.
Precious Oscar provided the assist for Nigeria’s third goal.
Nigeria ended the match without conceding a goal, marking it the team’s and goalkeeper Uzoma’s second clean sheet of the tournament.
Falconets post-match reactions
In a post-match interview with FIFA, Falconets head Coach Moses Aduku said, “The English team is a very good side, and I think they underrated us; they never believed that we could play up to this level.
“But I said after the group stage that the World Cup is just starting. [After the game] I told the players, this game is gone, let’s have a short celebration because we have the next game to play so let’s focus on the next [one].”
Falconets quarterfinals record
Nigeria have reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the 9th time.
The Falconets have reached the quarterfinals again since 2022.
What next for the Falconets?
With this victory and qualification, Nigeria stands tall as Africa’s sole remaining representative in the tournament.
The Falconets will travel to the Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź for their high-stakes quarterfinal fixture on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 6:30 PM WAT. They will face the winner of the highly anticipated Round of 16 clash between Colombia and host nation Poland.
After overcoming England 3-0, the Falconets will now look to continue their impressive run and secure a place in the semi-finals.