The Nigeria Super Falconets aim to restore their reputation and secure the points needed to advance to the next phase of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as they face Venezuela in their third Group D match at Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia, on Saturday night.
Christopher Danjuma’s squad, who began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over South Korea, are coming off a 3-1 defeat to Germany in their second match on Wednesday. Heading into today’s clash against their South American opponents, which kicks off at 21:00, the Falconets know that a win or a draw will secure their passage to the round of 16.
For Nigeria, who have participated in every edition of the competition since its inception in 2002, the equation is straightforward—a draw or win will see them progress as one of the top two teams in the group alongside Germany, who secured their spot with Wednesday’s victory over Nigeria.
Venezuela, on the other hand, must win to keep their qualification hopes alive, though they’ll still need to rely on favorable results from other matches.
The South Americans have yet to win a match in the U-20 Women’s World Cup, with four losses and one draw in their five tournament games. In contrast, Nigeria has lost only one of their previous five encounters with South American teams, winning three and drawing one.
In the group’s other game, Germany will face South Korea at 15:00 at Estadio de Techo in Bogota. After squandering several chances in a scoreless draw with Venezuela in their last match, South Korea’s direct qualification fate is no longer in their hands. To finish in the top two, they need Venezuela to defeat Nigeria while they themselves must overcome the difficult task of beating Germany.
With their progression to the second stage already secured, Katrin Peter’s German side can afford to approach the match with a more relaxed mindset. However, South Korea will be hoping to exploit any complacency from the three-time champions as they aim to reach the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014.
Germany has won both previous U-20 Women’s World Cup matches against South Korea, triumphing 5-1 in the 2010 semi-final and 2-0 in the 2016 group stage.
