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According to a report by Flashscore on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Nigeria's Flamingos have qualified for the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup after recording a narrow 1-0 victory over Venezuela in their quarter-final clash in Morocco.
Captain Azeezat Oduntan emerged as the match-winner after converting a penalty in the 89th minute. Her late strike secured Nigeria's place in the last four and kept their hopes of winning the tournament alive.
The Flamingos began the encounter with an attacking approach, aiming to establish their dominance from the opening minutes. However, they found it difficult to turn their early chances into goals against a resolute Venezuelan defence led by goalkeeper and captain Valeria Rebanales.
Tosin Rafiu, Mary Dunstan and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi were among the Nigerian players who attempted to break the deadlock, while Oluebube Umejiaku also posed a threat as the West African side searched for an early goal.
Venezuela also demonstrated their attacking capabilities, with Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui creating opportunities to trouble Nigeria's defence as both teams fought to take the lead.
Nigeria's Favour Nkwocha received the first yellow card of the match in the 24th minute. Despite the efforts of both sides to find the opening goal, the first half ended goalless.
After the restart, the Flamingos continued to push forward in search of a breakthrough, while Venezuela maintained their defensive organisation and worked hard to contain the Nigerian attack.
Nigeria increased the pressure as the match progressed, but their South American opponents remained difficult to break down. Nevertheless, the Flamingos finally found a way through in the closing stages of the encounter.
In the 89th minute, with regulation time almost over, captain Oduntan stepped up to take a crucial penalty and calmly converted it to give Nigeria a 1-0 advantage.
Her late goal ultimately settled the contest, as the Nigerian youngsters held on to their lead until the final whistle, ending Venezuela's hopes of progressing further in the competition.
The victory guarantees Nigeria a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and brings the Flamingos one step closer to lifting the trophy in Morocco.