By Gabriel Ameh
Nigeria’s Falconets have been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia U-20.
The decisive moment came deep into added time when Valerin Loboa scored in the 90+2nd minute to hand Colombia a dramatic victory.
The Falconets had created more attacking opportunities during the encounter, registering 14 attempts compared with Colombia’s five.
However, Nigeria’s numerical disadvantage after Kafayat Mafisere was shown a red card in the 77th minute proved another setback as the Falconets battled to keep Colombia at bay.
Despite their greater attacking output, the Falconets were unable to find the breakthrough before Colombia delivered the late blow.
Loboa’s stoppage-time strike ended Nigeria’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, sending Colombia through at the Falconets’ expense.
Full-time: Nigeria 0-1 Colombia
⚽ 90+2’ — Valerin Loboa
🟥 77’ — Kafayat Mafisere
