Nigeria’s U-20 Women’s Team Take A Big Step Forward For African Soccer
We were penalty kicks away from the first African team reaching the semi-finals at the World Cup earlier this month. Today, Nigeria’s U-20 Women’s World Cup team defeated the United States on penalty kicks in the quarter-finals of the fifth edition of that competition, and became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of any FIFA women’s competition.
It also marks the first time the United States has failed to reach the semi-finals of the U-20 Women’s World Cup; despite an outstanding tournament from forward Sydney Leroux, the US team seemed to lack a spark and looked vulnerable at the back in its games.
But the big achievement here is for African women’s football. Ghana were the other African team in the tournament, and acquitted themselves well — they tied 1-1 with the US in their first game, showing an impressive combination of power and skill, the US having to work extremely hard to equalise in the second half. Though Ghana then lost 4-2 to a strong South Korea team, they beat Switzerland 2-0 in their last game to finish third in the group.
Nigeria, meanwhile, tied with both England and Mexico, and beat Japan 2-1 to reach the quarter-final stage, where they will face Colombia and have a very good chance of reaching the semi final stage (incidentally, Colombia became the second South American country to reach the semi-finals of the U-20 Women’s World Cup). Given the mess that is the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and their management of both men’s and women’s national teams, reaching the semi-finals is all the more impressive for the “Super Falconets” in that context, with a notable lack of financial and administrative support from the NFF.
Still, to the NFF’s credit, the senior Nigeria team has long been the strongest in Africa, one of a handful of countries to reach all five Women’s World Cup tournaments, and dominant in African continental competition. Next summer in Germany, we might well see an African women’s team become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a senior FIFA World Cup tournament.
wow, several days ago the World Cup was held in South Africa. And now the woman’s soccer got a big step again. Everything will get a surprise. I believe.
I like to see that Africa is thriving in the football world. There is so much negative press out there regarding other areas of Africa and other less-wealthy nations in the world.
The great thing about football is that it’s global, anyone (any country) can come out and win, even if it is a surprise outcome. Football speaks one language. Take 22 people from completely different places, throw them out on the football pitch, and the game can be played because they all, figuritively speaking, know what it is, how to play, and know the rules.
Bully for Nigeria, who have had a solid women’s team for a while now and are gonna be a force in the coming decades. But why does all this history-making crap for Africa have to come at our expense?
What was commotion about at the end of the game vs. USA. Looked like Sunday of Nigeria had a stick in her hand & was after someone.
Thank you.
Nigeria got lucky though, winning in penalty kicks is always tricky. The U.S. u-20s has not been lucky in pks. The U.S. finished 4th in Russia four years ago due to two pk losses in the semis and the finals. The coaches need to be fired for both the u20s and u17s; not finishing with a medal in FIFA competition is a failure for any U.S. women’s team. The women’s u17s failed to qualify because TNT hosts the event and the U.S. went out on pks finishing 3rd in CONCACAF when only two teams go. It is frustrating to see that an inferior team from CONCACAF will participate in the women’s u-17s but that is way it is.
am for u alwayss