Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Senegal to take a narrow but crucial advantage in the first leg of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup African qualifiers, as Cameroon delivered the standout performance of the round with a dominant win.
In a tightly contested encounter, Nigeria broke the deadlock early in the second half when Kindness Chinaza Ifeanyi powered home a header from a well-delivered corner in the 50th minute. The Falconets had earlier seen a goal ruled out after a bright start, while Senegal remained compact and disciplined throughout the opening half.
Nigeria continued to pose a threat from set-pieces and controlled key phases of the match but were unable to extend their lead, leaving the tie delicately balanced ahead of the return leg. The slim margin means Senegal remain firmly in contention as both sides prepare for a decisive second meeting, with qualification for the global showpiece still on the line.
Elsewhere across the continent, Cameroon produced the most emphatic display of the round, thrashing Botswana 5–0 to seize firm control of their tie. Goals from Effa Essomba, Beverly Nimpa, Rachou Assako, Aurore Tsimi and Andree Ngo Bilong underlined the Central Africans’ attacking dominance and placed them in a commanding position ahead of the second leg.
Kenya also earned a slender 1–0 victory over Tanzania thanks to a late strike from Elizabeth Mideva, while Uganda and Zambia played out a 1–1 draw in an evenly matched contest. Guinea-Bissau and Malawi were also locked at 1–1, leaving those ties wide open.
With the second-leg fixtures scheduled to begin from February 13, the race for Africa’s places at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup remains finely poised. For Nigeria, the challenge now is to protect their narrow advantage and complete the job as the Falconets continue their quest for another appearance on the world stage.
