Get Guardian on GoogleNigeria’s hope of playing in another semifinal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup ended yesterday at the Poland 2026 edition with Colombia scoring a late winner to end the Falconets’ dreams.
The Falconets had the game at the Stadion ŁKS in Lodz firmly in their grips until the 76th minute when Kafayat Mafisere bagged a red card for a serious foul on a Colombian player.
The numerical superiority swung the game in Colombia’s favour as they ventured out of their defence in search of a possible winner.
That winner came in the added minutes of the second half when Valerin Loboa latched onto a through ball from midfield to put the Colombians ahead.
Her initial effort bounced off the onrushing Nigeria goalie Christiana Uzoma but the ball fell again into her path and she prodded home for the only goal of the match.
The Falconets threw numbers upfront to get back in the game, but the Colombians stood their ground to secure the much needed victory.
Colombia will now keep a date with either defending champions North Korea or Canada in the semifinals.
