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FALCONETS TARGET FIRST SEMI-FINAL IN 12 YEARS AS NIGERIA FACE COLOMBIA
Nigeria’s Falconets will today face Colombia in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Łódź, Poland, with a place in the last four at stake.
The Falconets enter the decisive encounter with renewed confidence after their impressive 3–0 victory over England in the Round of 16. Tosin Rafiu, Janet Akekoromowei and Mary Mamudu were on target as Nigeria produced one of their strongest performances of the tournament.
The quarter-final represents another important chapter in the history of the Nigerian U-20 women’s team. The Falconets have twice finished as runners-up at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, but their most recent semi-final appearance came in 2014. They are therefore aiming to return to the last four for the first time in 12 years.
HISTORY FAVOURS NIGERIA
Nigeria have a memorable previous meeting with Colombia at this stage of the competition.
At the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the Falconets defeated Colombia 1–0 in the semi-final, with Ebere Orji scoring early in the match.
That victory helped Nigeria reach their first-ever FIFA women’s youth World Cup final.
UZOMA AGAIN EXPECTED TO BE KEY
Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma will once again be an important figure for Nigeria.
Uzoma produced an outstanding display against England, making six significant saves in the first half and stopping a penalty to help the Falconets protect their advantage.
Her performance provided another reminder of the defensive strength Nigeria will need against a Colombian side that eliminated tournament hosts Poland with a 1–0 victory.
ADUKU WARNS AGAINST COMPLACENCY
Head Coach Moses Aduku has urged his players to forget the England victory and concentrate fully on Colombia.
The coach stressed that the quarter-final will present a different challenge and that his players must remain focused, compete for every ball and take their opportunity to make history.
The Falconets trained confidently ahead of the encounter, while the NFF also settled outstanding daily allowances for players and officials before the crucial fixture.
NFF Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme also encouraged the players to continue believing in themselves and challenged them to push for the ultimate prize.
NIGERIA VS COLOMBIA
FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP – QUARTER-FINAL
Date: Sunday, 20th September 2026
Venue: Stadion Miejski ŁKS, Łódź, Poland
Kick-off: 6:30pm Nigerian time
Nigeria now stand just one victory away from the semi-finals.
The Falconets will be hoping that their experience, confidence and determination can carry them past Colombia and closer to a first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.
By OLAWALE HAMZAT TOP STRIKER
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