FIFA U20 World Cup: Mafisere’s error proves costly as Colombia dump out Nigeria

Nigeria’s Falconets have crashed out of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in their quarter-final clash at the Stadion LKS in Łódź on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Moses Aduku’s side were undone by a late goal after a largely cagey contest, ending Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals and continuing their search for a first title at the competition.

Kafayat Mafisere, who had been one of Nigeria’s standout performers during the tournament, was involved in the costly moment as Colombia found the breakthrough late in the game.

Falconets Dominate, But World Cup Run is Halted

Coach Moses Aduku and his girls had given Nigerian fans something to believe in after defeating England 3-0 in the round of 16. So they were expected to produce some brilliance against Colombia, who beat hosts Poland in their own round of 16 game.

Nigeria dominated the early proceedings and were the better side. They had 64% of the ball and recorded seven goal attempts, two of which, were on target. But they were unable to break the deadlock. But with what they showed early on, they looked on course to claim the win.

They started the second half in similar fashion, but they still failed to get their breakthrough. Janet Akekoromowei's presence in the final third was a big problem for the Colombian backline, but none of her three shots found the net.

Unfortunately for Nigeria there were reduced to 10 in the 74th minute, after a poor tackle by Kafayat Mafisere earned her a red card. That swung the momentum in Colombia's favour, as they started seeing more of the ball and creating more chances.

It looked like the game was headed for a draw, but Colombia stole a winner very late. Valerin Loboa received a through pass from midfield from her teammate and placed a low shot past Christiana Uzoma to make it 1-0 after 92 minutes.

Unfortunately, the Falconets could not muster a comeback as it was too late in the game. It eventually, ended 1-0 in Colombia's favour, ensuring that Aduku were effectively knocked out of the competition.

More to follow…