Nigeria’s Falconets strengthened their bid for another appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with a composed 2-1 victory over Senegal women’s national under-20 football team, sealing a 3-1 aggregate triumph and advancing to the final qualifying round.
The result confirmed Nigeria’s enduring dominance at this level, while simultaneously ending the qualification hopes of regional rivals including South Africa women’s national football team and Egypt women’s national football team.
At the Annexe du Stade du Sénégal in Rufisque, the Falconets delivered a disciplined display to protect their slender first-leg advantage earned in Abeokuta. Kindness Ifeanyi once again proved decisive, powering home a first-half header from a corner to extend Nigeria’s aggregate lead.
After the interval, Precious Oscar doubled the advantage with another well-taken header, effectively putting the contest beyond reach despite a late response from the hosts.
The victory preserves Nigeria’s remarkable record as the only African nation to qualify for every edition of the U-20 Women’s World Cup since its inception in 2002. With momentum firmly on their side, the Falconets now turn their attention to the decisive final qualifying stage.
Elsewhere, the qualification picture took shape with dramatic results across the continent. Malawi recorded the most emphatic performance of the round, thrashing Guinea-Bissau 5-1 after drawing the first leg.
Uganda edged Zambia 1-0 away from home, while Ghana secured a narrow 1-0 win over South Africa to continue their campaign. Tanzania showed resilience by overturning a first-leg deficit before eliminating Kenya on penalties.
Ivory Coast advanced despite a 1-0 defeat to DR Congo, relying on their earlier two-goal cushion.
The final round will see Nigeria face Malawi, Ghana meet Uganda, Cameroon take on Tanzania and Benin battle Ivory Coast. The four aggregate winners will secure Africa’s tickets to the tournament in Poland, set to kick off on September 5.
