Falconets Defeat England 3-0 to Book U-20 Quarter-Final Spot
By Irikefe Oghenetega Victor
Nigeria’s Falconets progressed to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after a convincing 3-0 victory over England in their Round of 16 encounter on Thursday.
Moses Aduku’s side delivered another impressive attacking display, with goals from Tosin Rafiu, Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei and Mary Mamudu securing Nigeria’s second win of the tournament. The result took the Falconets’ tally to 13 goals in four matches.
Nigeria made an ideal start when Tosin Rafiu opened the scoring in the eighth minute. England were later awarded a penalty after a VAR review, but goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma produced a vital save from Rachel Maltby’s spot-kick to keep the Falconets ahead at half-time.
Akekoromowei extended the lead just two minutes into the second half with her first goal of the knockout stage. Substitute Mary Mamudu then completed the scoring in the 73rd minute, finishing off a move involving Precious Oscar after replacing Ramotalahi Kareem.
Both teams created a similar number of chances, with England recording 12 attempts and Nigeria 13. However, the Falconets were far more clinical in front of goal and also dominated the set-piece count.
Nigeria will now face either hosts Poland or Colombia in the quarter-finals on September 20 at 6:30 pm WAT in Łódź. The Falconets will aim to build on this strong performance as they continue their bid for a deep run at the tournament.
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