Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have progressed to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following a narrow 1-0 win over Venezuela on Sunday night.
Azeezatt Oduntan scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to keep Nigeria’s title hopes alive.
The quarter-final encounter was a closely contested affair, with the Flamingos creating several chances but struggling to beat Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales, who made a series of important saves.
Nigeria maintained attacking pressure throughout the game, but the breakthrough proved difficult to find.
Head Coach Hakeem Busari later introduced Precious Oscar for Oluwakemi Adegbuyi as he sought to change the course of the contest.
The decisive moment arrived in the 88th minute when Nigeria were awarded a penalty. The referee reviewed the incident on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) monitor before confirming the decision.
Oluebube Umejiaku won the penalty, allowing Oduntan to step forward and calmly send the ball into the net a minute later.
The victory takes Nigeria into the last four, where they will meet Brazil for a place in the final.
Brazil reached the semi-finals after overcoming China 2-1 in their quarter-final fixture.
