FIFA U17WWC: Flamingos Knock Out Venezuela, Book Brazil Semi-Final Showdown
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have booked a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Venezuela 1-0 on Sunday night.
A late penalty from Azeezatt Oduntan secured the hard-fought victory, sending Nigeria into the last four of the competition.
The Flamingos dominated much of the encounter and created several scoring opportunities but struggled to find a way past Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales, who made important saves to keep her team in the game.
Despite Nigeria’s attacking pressure, both sides remained level for most of the contest.
Head Coach Hakeem Busari introduced Precious Oscar for Oluwakemi Adegbuyi as Nigeria continued their search for a breakthrough.
The decisive moment came in the 88th minute when the referee awarded Nigeria a penalty after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor.
Oluebube Umejiaku won the spot-kick, and Oduntan stepped up to convert in the 89th minute, giving the Flamingos a crucial lead.
Nigeria held on to secure the win and advance to the semi-finals, where they will face Brazil.
Brazil booked their place in the last four after recording a 2-1 victory over China in their quarter-final match.
