Nigeria’s Falconets will battle Colombia on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as both teams continue their pursuit of the tournament trophy.

The quarter-final clash will take place at Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź in Łódź, Poland, with Nigeria hoping to maintain its impressive record in the competition.

The encounter will be Nigeria’s ninth appearance in the quarter-finals, moving the Falconets level with the United States for the second-highest number of last-eight appearances. Germany remain ahead with 10.

The Nigerian side booked their quarter-final ticket in style, defeating England 3-0 in the Round of 16.

Rafiu opened the scoring with an outstanding solo effort, cutting in from the left before beating several defenders and unleashing a powerful strike that left England goalkeeper Katie Cox with little chance.

Goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma also played a decisive role in the victory. She produced an excellent save to deny Princess Ademiluyi and later stopped Rachel Maltby’s penalty, pushing the effort onto the crossbar.

Akekoromowei doubled Nigeria’s advantage with a composed left-footed volley before Mamudu added a third to complete a convincing win.

The victory capped a strong recovery for coach Moses Aduku’s team after they failed to win their opening two group matches. The Falconets eventually found their form with a 10-1 demolition of New Caledonia before eliminating England in the knockout stage.

Aduku has nevertheless cautioned his players against dwelling on their victory over England, insisting that their attention must now shift to Colombia.

“After the game against England, I told the players, this game is gone. Let’s have a short celebration because we have the next game to play, so let’s focus on the next one,” Aduku said.

Nigeria will be aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2014, when the team featured former Falconets star Asisat Oshoala.

COLOMBIA SEEK SEMI-FINAL RETURN

Colombia present another difficult challenge, having consistently progressed to the quarter-final stage in their four appearances at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The South Americans secured their latest place in the last eight after edging hosts Poland 1-0 in the Round of 16.

Although Poland dominated portions of the match, Colombia remained disciplined and held on to secure the victory and keep their title hopes alive.

Colombia midfielder Juana Ortegon said her team would approach the game against Nigeria with confidence while maintaining its ambition of winning the tournament.

“We will play match by match. We are very happy to be in the quarter-finals, so we will think about Nigeria first, but this team will always compete to win. Our dream is to win the world title, but we’re going match by match,” Ortegon said.

Colombia will also be seeking to overcome the disappointment of their previous quarter-final appearance, when they were eliminated by the Netherlands on penalties following a 2-2 draw two years ago.

The South Americans are now chasing a return to the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years.

With Nigeria entering the encounter after two commanding victories and Colombia relying on their tournament experience and resilience, Sunday’s meeting is expected to provide a keenly contested battle for a place in the last four.

The winner will advance to the semi-finals, while the losing team will exit the competition.

MATCH DETAILS

Nigeria vs Colombia
 Quarter-final, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
 Kick-off: 2:00 pm
 Venue: Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź, Łódź, Poland