Nigeria’s Falconets have booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after recording a resounding 10-1 victory over tournament debutants New Caledonia in their final Group F fixture on Saturday.
Moses Aduku’s side entered the encounter with just one point from their opening two matches, but the emphatic victory proved enough to secure their passage into the knockout stage as Nigeria finished second in Group F with four points.
The Falconets made their intentions clear from the outset and were awarded a penalty in the 17th minute. Ramotalahi Kareem took responsibility from the spot and calmly converted to hand Nigeria a 1-0 advantage.
Nigeria maintained the pressure and doubled their lead just two minutes later, with Rebecca Adegbemile finding the back of the net. Janet Akekoromowei then added a third in the 23rd minute before Kareem struck again four minutes later to complete her brace and put the Falconets 4-0 ahead.
More Read
The Nigerian side continued their dominance in the second half, with Winner Onajite David getting on the scoresheet to extend the advantage to 5-0. Kareem completed her hat-trick in the 64th minute, taking Nigeria’s tally to six.
The goals continued to flow as the Falconets added three more in a ruthless four-minute spell. Tosin Rafiu scored in the 71st minute before Adegbemile grabbed her second three minutes later, with Winner David finding the net again moments after to make it 9-0.
New Caledonia eventually found a consolation in the 89th minute through Joceline Kourevi, who scored the Pacific Island nation’s first-ever goal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup to reduce the deficit to 9-1.
Nigeria, however, had the final say as Winner David completed her hat-trick in stoppage time to cap a remarkable 10-1 victory for the Falconets.
The result lifts Nigeria to four points from three matches, level with China, who lost 3-1 to Spain in their final group game. Although China drew with the Falconets in their meeting, Nigeria finished ahead of the Asian side on goal difference.
With their progression confirmed, the Falconets have become the only African team remaining at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and will now turn their attention to the Round of 16.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
