Azeezat Oduntan’s late penalty sent Nigeria’s Flamingos into the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after they defeated Venezuela 1-0 in their quarter-final clash in Sale, Morocco, on Sunday.
The captain converted from the spot in the 89th minute to secure Nigeria’s place in the last four of the competition for only the second time in their history.
The Flamingos had struggled to break down a stubborn Venezuelan side for most of the encounter. Venezuela had earlier impressed in the tournament by eliminating Germany in the second round.
Despite Nigeria’s free-scoring reputation, Akeem Busari’s side found chances difficult to come by as their opponents kept them at bay.
However, the breakthrough arrived late when Oluebube Umejiaku was brought down inside Venezuela’s penalty area by Migleydys Bolsegui.
The referee awarded a penalty in the 89th minute, handing Nigeria a crucial opportunity to settle the contest.
Oduntan stepped up and calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give the Flamingos the lead and ultimately secure their progression to the semi-final.
The victory takes Nigeria into the competition’s final four for the second time. Their previous appearance at this stage came in 2022, when they went on to claim the bronze medal.
The Flamingos will now face Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final as they seek to reach the final and improve on their previous achievement.
Brazil also secured their place in the last four after scoring a late goal to defeat China in their quarter-final encounter.
Leave a Reply