Kindness Ifeanyi scored the only goal as Nigeria’s Falconets defeated their Senegalese counterparts 1-0 in the first leg of Africa’s third-round qualifying fixture for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Despite creating numerous chances in Saturday’s clash, the first half of the encounter ended goalless at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
However, the Falconets finally managed to break the deadlock six minutes into the second half when substitute Ifeanyi headed home a corner kick taken by Tumininu Adeshina to give Nigeria the lead.
The two-time World Cup silver medalists were unable to score even after coming close on multiple occasions, but the team fiercely protected the lead to secure a crucial win heading into the second leg of the fixture in Senegal on February 14, 2025.
The winner of the two-legged tie will book a place in the final qualifying round, facing either Malawi or Guinea-Bissau for one of Africa’s tickets to the World Cup in Poland later this year.
