Nigeria’s Falconets, have been eliminated from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia following a 2-1 loss to Japan on Friday morning.
The match was played at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota.
A goal in each half by Miyu Matsunaga in the 33rd minute and Maya Hijikata in the 66th minute was enough to see the Japanese team through to the quarter finals, despite a late fightback by the Nigerians.
Olushola Shobowale’s goal in the 91st minute was stark consolation for the Falconets who had won two matches in the group stages, and were hoping to surpass their quarter-final showing in the 2022 tournament.
Nigeria has featured in every edition of the FIFA U20 World Cup since the competition began in 2002.
The Falconets were runners-up in the 2010 and 2014 editions, losing both finals to Germany.
Japan will now play Spain in an epic quarter-final encounter, that would be a re-match of the 2022 final.
Africa’s other hopeful, Cameroon, have also exited the tournament after a 3-1 defeat to Brazil in their Round of 16 match played on Wednesday.
