Nigeria Qualify For 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets, have booked a place at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals after a 1-0 win over Burundi at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Saturday.

Opeyemi Ajakaye scored the only goal of the encounter to break the back bone of the stubborn Burundians.

The Falconets had won the first leg 1-0 in Dar es Salaam six days ago.

As was the case in the first leg in Dar es Salaam, the Nigerian girls created opportunity after opportunity, but failed to put them away to make their vast superiority count.

As early as the 2nd minute, Opeyemi Ajakaye, who was top scorer for the FIFA U17 World Cup bronze-winning Flamingos two years ago, volleyed wide when it appeared easier to score.

In the quarter-hour, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu swung the ball into the visitors’ box from the wing, but the team’s leading scorer Janet Akekoromowei failed to convert the opportunity.

It was Okwuchukwu’s turn to miss in the 34th minute, when she could not convert a pull-out by Ajakaye.

Eight minutes after the restart, Ajakaye went on a solo run into the visitors’ eighteen-yard box, only to end with a weak shot that was easily collected by goalkeeper Amissa Inarukundo.

The deadlock was broken in the 78th minute by Ajakaye, who made hay with an assist by Akekoromowei.

Ajakaye then scored the second goal during added time to put the Falconets through to the final tournament in Colombia later this year.

Nigeria have been an ever-present side at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, since it was launched as an U-19 tournament in Canada 22 years ago, finishing as runners-up in 2010 and 2014, and reaching the semi-finals in Japan in 2012.