Flamingos Edge Venezuela To Reach U-17 World Cup Semi-Finals

Nigeria’s Flamingos have edged Venezuela with a late Azeezat Oduntan penalty to reach the semi-finals of the ongoing 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following a hard-fought 1-0 quarter-final victory on Sunday night.

Captain Azeezat Oduntan emerged as Nigeria’s match-winner by converting a late penalty in the 89th minute to send the Flamingos into the last four of the tournament in Morocco.

The encounter, played at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, saw Nigeria struggle to break down a resilient Venezuelan side despite creating several promising goalscoring opportunities.

The Flamingos started with attacking intent, with Tosin Rafiu, Mary Dunstan, and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi among those who tested Venezuela’s defensive organization.

Oluebube Umejiaku also threatened as Nigeria searched for an early breakthrough.

However, Venezuela remained competitive and produced opportunities of their own through Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui to ensure that the contest remained finely balanced.

Neither side managed to find the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes, with both teams heading into the interval on level terms.

Nigeria continued to push for an opening goal after the restart, but Venezuela’s defensive resistance made it difficult for Akeem Busari’s side to find a way through.

With the quarter-final heading towards a goalless conclusion, the Flamingos finally found their breakthrough in the 89th minute when Oduntan stepped up to convert from the penalty spot.

The late strike proved decisive as Nigeria held on to secure a 1-0 victory and confirm their place in the semi-finals.

The victory represents another significant milestone for the Flamingos, who have now reached the semi-final stage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the second time in their history, having previously achieved the feat in 2022 when they finished third in India.

Nigeria’s impressive campaign in Morocco has seen them recover from an opening 2-1 defeat to Poland to record victories over Puerto Rico, defending champions North Korea, Mexico, and now Venezuela.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to the semi-finals as they continue their quest for a historic first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

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