End Of The Road For The Nigeria's Falconets In The 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup In Costa Rica.

The Nigeria Super Falconets have crashed out of the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica after failing to defeat the Oranje of Netherlands in the Last-8.

Two first-half goals from Zera Hulswit and Ziva Caroline Henry handed Christopher Danjuma’s Falconets their first defeat in the tournament, and became the last African side to exit the tournament.

Having emerged winners of Group C with a 100% record, defeating European champions France, South Korea and Canada, the Falconets were high on confidence coming into their clash against another European opponents. 

The Netherlands finished second in Group D with six points having defeated Ghana 4-1 in their last group stage game. 

Nigerian Falconets made a lively start to start to the action packed quarter-final clash played at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela on Sunday night as they tried to assert their dominance from the beginning of the game.

It was the Dutch that opened scoring after 11 minutes into the game. Against the run of play, as forward Zera Hulswit controlled the ball from a cross before hitting a dipping half-volley into the top corner of the Nigerian goal to give the Netherlands a shocking lead.

With the Nigerian team in attack in search of an equaliser, Ziva Caroline Henry doubled the lead 2-0 for the European side in the 33 minutes after another cross from the right-wing found Nigeria captain Tosin Demehin in the box, only for her to miskick the ball which fell to Ziva Henry who saw her effort wriggle past the Falconets goalkeeper Omini Oyono just before the break.

The Falconets took responsibility and dominated the game throughout the second-half, but the Chris Danjuma-tutored side  weren't lethal enough to fashion out a goal against the well-organised Dutch team. 

Despite the several changes mad by the Falconets boss, they could not find a breakthrough past a well  Netherlands defense, lacking the cutting edge at the final third. Most of the players were busy taking long range shots which didn’t work in their favour. 

Oshobukola Omowumi thought she had won a late penalty for the Flaconets for Esther Onyenezide to convert, but after a lengthy VAR review, the centre referee overturned her penalty decision.

 

The game ended 2-0 in favor of he Netherlands who scored from their only two shots on goal. They are through to the semi-finals for the first time in their history and would play Spain on Thursday night.

This is the fifth time the Falconets will be losing at this stage. They were beaten in the last eight in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2018.