Nigeria’s Flamingos have moved into the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Venezuela in their quarter-final clash on Sunday in Morocco.

Captain Azeezat Oduntan proved the difference in the keenly contested encounter, courtesy of an 89th-minute penalty kick to send Nigeria into the last four for the second time in the competition’s history.

The Flamingos had the better of the attacking exchanges for much of the contest but found Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales difficult to beat. Meanwhile, the South Americans looked to threaten on the counter, with goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho called upon to keep Nigeria in the game more than once.

Venezuela had upset Germany to reach the last eight, but found Nigeria a difficult opponent to break down. The Flamingos, who had beaten Mexico 2-1 in their previous outing, controlled much of the contest in search of the decisive goal. 

That moment finally came in the closing minutes when Oluebube Umejiaku was brought down inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. A subsequent VAR review did not overturn the decision, leaving Oduntan to take responsibility.

The Nigerian captain made no mistake, sending Rebanales the wrong way to give her side the lead with just a minute of regulation time remaining.

The result extends Nigeria’s winning run in the tournament to four matches, having maintained a perfect record through the group stage and knockout rounds. It also marks their return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2022.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to Brazil, who secured their own semi-final place with a 2-1 victory over China. The two sides are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, November 4, with a place in the final at stake.