Nigeria’s U-20 women’s football team, the Falconets, suffered a 1-3 defeat to Germany in their second Group D match at the ongoing 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. The match, played on Thursday at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota, saw the Nigerian side struggle against the pace and tactical prowess of the German team.
Germany opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Sehitler Alara capitalized on a defensive error by the Falconets to put her team ahead. Despite their best efforts, the Nigerian team found it difficult to assert control in the first half and went into the break trailing.
The Falconets emerged stronger in the second half and equalized in the 50th minute through Chiamaka Okwuchukwu. However, their joy was short-lived as Sofie Zdebel restored Germany’s lead in the 61st minute with a well-taken goal.
Nigeria’s push for an equalizer was further thwarted when a potential second goal was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Their hopes were finally extinguished when Sarah Ernst netted Germany’s third goal, sealing the victory for the three-time champions.
With this result, Germany tops Group D with six points from two games, while Nigeria sits second with three points, having previously won their opening match against South Korea.
The Falconets now face a crucial final group match against Venezuela on Saturday, where a win will be essential to secure a place in the knockout stages. Meanwhile, Germany will take on South Korea in their final group game.
The Nigerian team will be hoping for a strong performance to keep their World Cup dreams alive, but the path to qualification has become more challenging following the loss to Germany.
