FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup : Nigeria’s Flamingos edge Venezuela to set up semi-final clash with Brazil

Nigeria’s Flamingos have secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after beating Venezuela 1-0, thanks to a dramatic late penalty from Azeezatt Oduntan.

The Nigerian youngsters secured their quarter-final victory on Sunday night after a tense encounter in which they struggled to turn their attacking dominance into goals.

Oduntan eventually broke Venezuela’s resistance in the closing stages, sending Hakeem Busari’s side into the final four.

The result keeps Nigeria’s hopes of winning the competition alive, but they must now overcome Brazil if they are to reach the final.

The Flamingos controlled much of the contest against Venezuela and created several opportunities to take the lead.

However, their attempts were repeatedly frustrated by goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales, who produced a series of important saves to prevent Nigeria from finding the breakthrough.

Despite the pressure from the African side, Venezuela remained organised defensively and managed to keep the score level for most of the match.

Oduntan’s late penalty sends Nigeria into the semi-finals

With the match approaching its conclusion, Nigeria continued searching for a goal that would prevent the quarter-final from becoming even more complicated.

Head coach Hakeem Busari made a substitution, bringing on Precious Oscar for Oluwakemi Adegbuyi as the Flamingos looked to strengthen their attacking options and increase the pressure on their opponents.

The decisive moment arrived in the 88th minute when the referee awarded Nigeria a penalty following a review of the incident on the VAR monitor.

Oluebube Umejiaku was responsible for winning the spot-kick, giving the Flamingos an opportunity to take control of the contest at a crucial stage.

Oduntan stepped forward to take the responsibility and made no mistake, converting the penalty in the 89th minute to give Nigeria a priceless 1-0 advantage.

Her late effort finally broke Venezuela’s resistance and put the Flamingos within touching distance of the semi-finals.

Nigeria then managed to protect their lead until the final whistle, confirming their progression to the last four after a difficult quarter-final battle.

The victory was particularly important for Busari’s team, who had spent much of the match searching for a way through Venezuela’s defensive organisation.

Brazil await the Flamingos in the semi-finals

Nigeria’s reward for overcoming Venezuela is a semi-final meeting with Brazil, who also secured their place in the final four following a 2-1 victory over China.

The South American side booked their qualification with a narrow win in their quarter-final encounter, setting up an intriguing meeting with the Nigerian youngsters.

Both teams will now turn their attention to the semi-final, with a place in the final at stake.

For Nigeria, the victory over Venezuela represents another important step in their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The Flamingos will head into the next round knowing that they must produce another strong performance against a Brazilian side that has also demonstrated its ability to progress through difficult knockout matches.

Oduntan’s late penalty proved decisive against Venezuela, and Nigeria will hope their determination and attacking quality can carry them beyond Brazil as they continue their pursuit of the tournament’s biggest prize.