A rough start for Nigeria. In their first match of Group F at the 2026 Women’s U20 World Cup in Poland, the Falconets lost 2-0 to Spain on Monday at the Arena Sosnowiec Stadium.

pain Seals the Deal in Two Stages

The Spanish team was the stronger side. They took the lead very early on. In the 13th minute, Marisa Garcia capitalized on her first opportunity to open the scoring. Trailing at halftime, the Falconets tried to mount a comeback in the second half. Playing with more initiative, they created a few chances in the final third but lacked finishing touch. Spain then sealed the victory in the 73rd minute with a goal by Alba Cerrato, making it 2-0—a score that would stand.

Next Up: China on Thursday

This is not the start Nigeria had hoped for. They’ll need to bounce back quickly: their next match is on Thursday, September 10, at 5:00 p.m. against China. The Chinese, for their part, kicked off their tournament with a convincing 5-0 victory over New Caledonia. With two more matches to play in Group F, the Falconets will need to step up to stay in contention and finally get their World Cup campaign off the ground.

Nafongo TRAORE |

News Editorfr, ar, en

Nafongon Moussa TRAORE, Burkinabè de 25 ans, est passionné de football, est rédacteur pour Foot Africa et commentateur pour BurkiFoot.

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