Late Colombia goal ends the Falconets' World Cup
Nigeria's U-20 women beat England 3-0 and scored 13 goals in Poland, but a 92nd-minute winner and a red card cut their run short.
By SitesNG Sports Desk · · 2 min read
The Falconets were two minutes from extra time. In the quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup at the LKS Stadium in Lodz, Poland, on Sunday 20 September, Colombia's Valerin Loboa scored in the 92nd minute to win 1-0 and end Nigeria's campaign.
Nigeria had more of the ball and hit the crossbar through Janet Akekoromowei in the 19th minute. The game turned in the 77th minute, when Kafayat Mafisere was shown a straight red card for a foul, and ten-player Nigeria could not hold out.
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A tournament to remember
Coach Moses Aduku's side started slowly, losing 2-0 to Spain and drawing 0-0 with China, before exploding into life with a 10-1 win over New Caledonia, in which Ramotalahi Kareem and Winner Onajite David both scored hat-tricks. That sent Nigeria through in second place in Group F.
The highlight came in the round of 16 on 17 September, when the Falconets beat England 3-0 in Bielsko-Biala. Tosin Rafiu scored early, Akekoromowei volleyed in just after half-time and Mamudu added a third. Captain and goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma saved a first-half penalty.
“The future is very bright.”
Moses Aduku, Falconets coach, after the quarter-final
| Date | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep | Spain v Nigeria | 2-0 |
| 10 Sep | China v Nigeria | 0-0 |
| 13 Sep | Nigeria v New Caledonia | 10-1 |
| 17 Sep | Nigeria v England (round of 16) | 3-0 |
| 20 Sep | Colombia v Nigeria (quarter-final) | 1-0 |
Nigeria's World Cup pedigree
Nigeria are one of Africa's most successful teams at this level. The Falconets reached the final in 2010 and 2014, losing to Germany both times, and have been regular quarter-finalists since. Goals from Ramotalahi Kareem, Winner Onajite David, Rebecca Adegbemile, Tosin Rafiu and Janet Akekoromowei show there is plenty of attacking talent coming through.
Straight into the senior team
The tournament has already paid off: Uzoma, Akekoromowei, Tumininu Adeshina and Favour Nkwocha were called into the Super Falcons squad for the Olympic qualifier against Comoros. Nigeria have twice been runners-up at this World Cup; this generation will hope to go further. Learn more about the Falconets.
Reporting by the SitesNG Sports Desk, based on reports from BusinessDay, Channels TV, AllNigeriaSoccer, Blueprint, Legit.ng, Complete Sports. Published 20 September 2026 in the African Sports News weekly edition of 30 September 2026.
