Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, are on the brink of qualifying for the U-20 Women’s World Cup after beating Burundi 1-0 in the first leg encounter of their final qualifying round in Dar es Salaam on Sunday afternoon, The PUNCH reports.
Janet Akekoromowei scored from the penalty spot in the first half added time to give the 2022 World Cup quarter-finalists the win as the Burundians were reduced to 10 women following a red card to defender Ariella Umuarerwa.
On a Sunday where the country’s senior men’s national team, Super Eagles, had failed to get their quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations on a bright start following a 1-1 draw with underdogs Equatorial Guinea, the Falconets gave Nigerians something to cheer about with the win in Tanzania.
The Falconets, ever-present at the finals since the competition was launched in Canada in 2002, reached the quarter-finals at the last edition in Costa Rica, and will hope to brush aside the Burundian challenge and pick another World Cup ticket.
Both teams will clash again at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Saturday, in the final leg of the qualification series, with the winners on aggregate qualifying as one of Africa’s four representatives at this year’s U-20 Women’s World Cup finals in Colombia.
In another fourth-round tie, Morocco also placed one foot in the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Ethiopia. They must protect that lead when they travel to Addis Ababa next weekend.
Earlier on Saturday, Ghana U-20 women secured a 2-0 win over Senegal away from home.
On Friday, Cameroon soared to a thrilling 4-2 victory over Egypt and will look to complete the job at home in the second leg.
