Nigeria's U-20 women's team, the Falconets, have booked their spot in the knockout stage of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup after a resounding 4-0 victory over Venezuela in Cali on Saturday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Falconets head coach Chris Danjuma praised his players for their impressive performance, which saw Aminat Bello, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, and Flourish Sabastine score in the first half, with substitute Joe Igbokwe adding a fourth goal late on.
"It's a fantastic feeling, and we don't want to just win but also to play good football," Danjuma said.
"We have a lot of talents that we want the world to see, and this is an opportunity to see those talents because 90% of them are from the local league, they are not professionals coming from anywhere in Europe."
The win marked the tenth time the Falconets have reached the knockout stage in the competition's history. Nigeria finished second in Group D and will face either Japan or Austria in the Round of 16.
Danjuma's side will look to continue their impressive run in the tournament, with the coach eager to showcase the talents of his predominantly locally-based squad.
By Olujimi Dare Ogun