Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has rewarded Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, with $15,000 following their 4–0 victory over Rwanda in the second leg of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers on Saturday.
The match, played at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, saw the Falconets confirm their superiority with a 5–0 aggregate win, having previously edged the first leg 1–0 in Kigali.
The victory secures Nigeria’s passage to the third round, where they will face Senegal, who lead Algeria 2–0 on aggregate.
The decisive third-round fixtures are scheduled between February 6 and 14, 2026.
Early fireworks in Ibadan
In front of an excited home crowd still celebrating the coronation of Rashidi Ladoja as the new Olubadan, the Falconets wasted no time imposing their rhythm with fast, fluid attacking football.
The breakthrough came in the 13th minute, when Janet Akekoromewei dazzled on the right flank and squared the ball for Precious Oscar, who coolly side-footed home to make it 1–0.
Barely three minutes later, the hosts struck again in spectacular fashion. Tumininu Adesina bent a corner kick straight into the net, leaving the Rwandan goalkeeper stranded and sending the crowd into raptures.
Ruthless second-half display
The Falconets resumed the second half with the same intensity. On the hour mark, Janet Akekoromewei capped a brilliant individual performance with a thunderous strike from distance to make it 3–0, despite the goalkeeper’s desperate attempt to save.
In stoppage time, substitute Taiwo Afolabi found space in the box and calmly slotted home the fourth goal, sealing a commanding performance.
There was also a moment of frustration in the 65th minute when Tessy Ojiyovwi thought she had scored, only for the assistant referee to raise the flag for offside.
Match Summary
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13′ — Precious Oscar (assist: Janet Akekoromewei)
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20′ — Tumininu Adesina (direct corner)
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60′ — Janet Akekoromewei (long-range strike)
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90+’ — Alaba Olabiyi (deflection from Taiwo Afolabi’s shot)
Nigeria’s dominant display was also daunted by relentless pressing and creativity on the wings. Esther Inyang and Ojiyovwi came close to scoring before Janet’s third.
Eyes on Poland 2026
The Falconets will now turn their attention to the third-round showdown against Senegal, a fixture expected to be fiercely contested.
The winner will advance to the final qualification round for one of Africa’s four tickets to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, to be hosted in Poland.
Next Fixture
2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers Third Round (vs Senegal)
Date:- February 6–14, 2026
Venue:- TBD
