Nigeria’s Falconets defeated England 3-0 in Bielsko-Biała to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the ninth time, keeping Africa’s hopes alive in Poland.
Rafiu ignited the contest in the eighth minute, cutting inside from the left flank, beating two defenders, and slotting the ball past goalkeeper Katie Cox.
England pushed for an equalizer and dominated possession for long stretches, but goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma repelled every threat. She first denied Princess Ademiluyi with a fingertip save, then produced the moment of the match: stopping Rachel Maltby’s penalty and pushing the rebound onto the crossbar and away.
Nigeria carried that momentum into the second half. Two minutes after the restart, Akekoromowei doubled the lead, striking a left-footed volley into the net. England searched for a way back, but Nigeria’s defense held firm and created the sharper chances. Mamudu sealed the result in the 73rd minute, completing a comprehensive 3-0 win.
The victory caps a dramatic turnaround for coach Moses Aduku’s side. Nigeria opened the tournament with a 2-0 loss to Spain, then settled for a goalless draw against China, leaving the team needing a big result to survive Group F.
The Falconets delivered, thrashing New Caledonia 10-1 in their final group match — Ramotalahi Kareem and Winner Onajite David each scored hat-tricks, Rebecca Adegbemile struck twice, and Akekoromowei and Rafiu added goals to finish second in the group and advance.
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Nigeria will now face the winner of the Poland-Colombia Round of 16 tie in Lodz on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals.
A Long History on the Big Stage
The Falconets have now reached the quarter-finals nine times since the tournament began in 2002:
Thailand 2004 — Nigeria fell in the quarter-finals in its first appearance at this stage.
Russia 2006 — The team again exited at the quarter-final round.
Chile 2008— Nigeria was eliminated in the quarter-finals for a third straight edition.
Germany 2010 —– The Falconets broke through, reaching the final before losing to Germany and claiming silver.
Japan 2012— Nigeria advanced to the semi-finals and finished fourth after missing out on the bronze medal.
Canada 2014— The team returned to the final, again finishing runners-up to Germany.
France 2018— Nigeria lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals despite a spirited second-half fightback.
Costa Rica 2022— The Falconets topped their group unbeaten before falling to the Netherlands in the last eight.
Poland 2026 — Nigeria has now reached the quarter-finals again after recovering from a rocky group stage.
Nigeria remains the most successful African side in the competition’s history, with two runner-up finishes (2010 and 2014) and nine total quarter-final appearances a record the Falconets extended once more with Thursday’s win over England.
