Flamingos Lose to Colombia in Semifinals
By: Gyang Dakwo
Nigeria is out of the seventh FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India after they lost to Colombia through a penalty shootout on Wednesday at Goa in their semi-final clash.
Going into this semi-final clash, the morale of the Nigerian players was boosted by the presence of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Gusau, who landed in India on Tuesday morning.
The Flamingos started the match impressively against Colombia, but the South Americans took charge of the game just after 10 minutes.
Nigerian goalkeeper Faith Omilana made good saves to deny Colombia’s girls from scoring in the first half, with the first 45 minutes ending goalless.
The Flamingos defended well in the second half, as the Colombians tried every trick to get the breakthrough. The second half also ended goalless.
In the penalty shootout, Nigeria had the chance to win, but Omamuzo Edafe missed a decisive kick and Colombia went on to win 6-5.
The Flamingos will now face the losers of the second semi-final match in Saturday’s third-place match.