Nigeria books World Cup semifinal ticket as Flamingos edge Venezuela

Nigeria's Flamingos have booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after edging Venezuela 1-0 in Sunday's quarter-final in Morocco.

Captain Azeezat Oduntan scored a dramatic late penalty to send the Nigerian youngsters into the final four.

The Flamingos approached the contest with attacking intent, creating several opportunities in their search for an early breakthrough. However, Venezuela goalkeeper and captain Valeria Rebanales proved difficult to beat as Nigeria struggled to turn their promising attacks into goals.

Tosin Rafiu, Mary Dunstan and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi all threatened the Venezuelan defence, while Oluebube Umejiaku also came close during the opening exchanges. Venezuela remained dangerous at the other end, with Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui creating opportunities as both sides looked to take control of the quarter-final.

Nigeria's Favour Nkwocha received the only yellow card of the first half in the 24th minute, but neither team could find a breakthrough before the interval. The pattern continued after the restart, with Nigeria pushing forward while Venezuela maintained their defensive discipline.

Just when the contest appeared to be heading towards extra time, the Flamingos were handed a decisive opportunity in the 89th minute. Captain Oduntan stepped up to convert from the penalty spot, finally breaking Venezuela's resistance.

Oduntan's late strike proved enough to separate the teams, with Nigeria holding on during the closing moments to secure a 1-0 victory.

The result sends the Flamingos into the semi-finals, extending their impressive run at the tournament and keeping their hopes of lifting the trophy alive.

After creating several chances without finding the net, the Nigerian youngsters showed patience to secure their reward in the closing stages.

With Venezuela eliminated, Nigeria can now turn its attention to the semi-final, where another victory would take the team one step closer to becoming world champions.