Azeezat Oduntan converted an 89th-minute penalty to give Nigeria's Flamingos a 1-0 win over Venezuela in the U-17 Women's World Cup quarter-final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat on Sunday 1 November, a captain's goal from a defender on a night when the forwards could not beat Valeria Rebanales. Brazil are next, on Wednesday 4 November at 7pm Lagos time.
Rebanales keeps Nigeria out until the 89th minute
Venezuela's goalkeeper and captain kept Nigeria waiting for most of the night.
Nigeria lined up in a 4-1-2-3 with Jane Ijirigho in goal. They had the better chances. Rebanales tipped Tosin Rafiu's shot over the bar in the 19th minute. She denied Mary Dunstan in the 35th. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi went close too. Ariana Ojeda and Migleydys Bolsegui tested the Nigerian back four at the other end, Precious Oscar was replaced in the 57th minute, and the breakthrough only came when Oluebube Umejiaku was fouled in the box and the referee pointed to the spot and the decision survived a VAR review. Oduntan, who wears the number 3 shirt, stepped up and scored.
Venezuela had beaten Germany 1-0 in the round of 16.
Busari admits the mistakes
Head coach Akeem Busari did not dress it up. “We wanted to keep the ball and play our game, but we made some mistakes,” he told Complete Sports. “Still, we kept pushing until the very end.” Reaching the semi-finals, he added, was “a dream come true for me and a great achievement”.
It is Nigeria's second semi-final at this level after the bronze medal in India in 2022.
Nigeria's route to the semi-final
Poland beat Nigeria 2-1 on the opening day, 17 October. The table below, compiled from the FIFA match centre on 3 November 2026, lists every Nigeria match in Morocco with its pitch.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Score | Pitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October | Group B | Poland | 1-2 L | Pitch 4 |
| 20 October | Group B | Puerto Rico | 2-0 W | Pitch 4 |
| 23 October | Group B | DPR Korea | 3-1 W | Pitch 1 |
| 29 October | Round of 16 | Mexico | 2-1 W | Pitch 2 |
| 1 November | Quarter-final | Venezuela | 1-0 W | Pitch 4 |
Group B finished with three teams on six points. DPR Korea, Nigeria and Poland each won twice and lost once, and Nigeria took second on goal difference, +3 against +9 for the holders and 0 for Poland, so the 3-1 win over DPR Korea on 23 October was what lifted them above Poland. As we reported after the Poland defeat, the margin for error had gone after one match. Mexico were then beaten 2-1 in the round of 16, as we reported.
Brazil on Wednesday, the final on Saturday
Brazil beat China PR 2-1 in their quarter-final.
Brazil v Nigeria kicks off at 7pm Lagos time on Wednesday 4 November on Pitch 3 in Rabat, three hours after Japan meet DPR Korea on Pitch 2. The final is on Saturday 7 November at 7.30pm Lagos time, the bronze-medal match at 4pm.
Our view
Nigeria have scored nine goals in five matches in Morocco, but the last of them came from the penalty spot with a minute of normal time left, and the attack that put three past DPR Korea scored twice against Mexico and once against Venezuela. Brazil are unlikely to sit as deep as the Venezuela side from our quarter-final preview.
The case for Nigeria rests on the defence. Only Poland have scored more than once against this team, and four goals conceded in five matches is the record of a side that can live with Brazil. The forwards need to settle Wednesday before the 89th minute.
This article was most recently revised and updated 19 seconds ago
