Nigeria’s Flamingos have booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in their quarter-final encounter on Sunday.

According to a report by Vanguard on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Azeezat Oduntan scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to send Nigeria through to the last four.

The encounter was fiercely contested, with both sides struggling to find the breakthrough. However, Nigeria enjoyed greater attacking pressure in the first half and created several opportunities to trouble Venezuela’s defence.

Despite the Flamingos’ efforts, Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales produced a series of important saves to keep her team in the contest. Her performance ensured that both sides went into the break without a goal.

Nigeria continued to push for an opener after the restart, with midfielder Favor Nkwocha receiving a yellow card as the intensity of the contest increased.

Head coach Hakeem Busari subsequently made his first change, bringing on Precious Oscar for Oluwakemi Adegbuyi in an attempt to inject fresh energy into the Nigerian attack.

The decisive moment arrived late in the match when the referee awarded Nigeria a penalty in the 88th minute. The decision was reviewed by VAR, with the official consulting the pitch-side monitor before confirming the spot-kick.

With only a minute remaining in regulation time, Oduntan stepped forward and calmly converted the penalty to give the Flamingos a crucial 1-0 lead.

Nigeria’s leading scorer, Oluebube Umejiaku, played an important role in the victory after winning the penalty that Oduntan converted.

The result sends the Flamingos into the semi-finals, where they will face Brazil. The South American side secured its place in the last four after coming from behind to defeat China 2-1 in their quarter-final match.

Nigeria will now turn its attention to the Brazil encounter as the team continues its pursuit of a place in the tournament final.