Nigeria secured their place in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 after a dominant 4-0 victory against Venezuela in their final group stage match.

A 1-0 victory against Korea Republic gave the Falconets their first points, and they would have secured their spot in the next round but lost to Germany 3-1 in their second group game on Wednesday night.

The win propelled the Falconets to second place in their group, behind Germany.

Players of Nigeria huddle. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

First Half Dominance

The match kicked off at Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali with Venezuela controlling early possession, but Nigeria quickly settled into the game.

By the 16th minute, Amina Bello opened the scoring for the Falconets after being set up by Chiamaka Okwuchukwu.

Chiamaka Okwuchukwu celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup match between Venezuela and Nigeria at the Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Nigeria continued their aggressive play, and Okwuchukwu added a second goal with a header in the 28th minute, extending the lead to 2-0.

Faith Omilana, making her debut in goal, made a crucial save to keep the scoreline intact before half-time.

Sabastine Gets in on the Act

Nigeria’s Flourish Sabastine tapped in a third goal in added time, giving the Falconets a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

Joy Seals It

In stoppage time, substitute Joy Igbokwe added a fourth goal with a long-range screamer, sealing the 4-0 victory.

Joy Igbokwe (L) celebrates with teammates defender Comfort Folorunsho (C) and defender Chiamaka Okwuchukwu. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

With this win, Nigeria comfortably moved on to the knockout stage.

The Falconets’ next challenge will be the Round of 16 as they wait to find out the round opponent.