Nigeria’s Flamingos have booked their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Venezuela 1-0 in a tense quarter-final encounter on Sunday night.

Azeezatt Oduntan scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to send the Nigerian team into the last four, keeping their hopes of winning the tournament alive.

The quarter-final clash was a closely fought contest, with the Flamingos creating several goalscoring opportunities but struggling to find a way past Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales, who delivered an impressive performance between the posts.

Nigeria enjoyed much of the attacking play in the first half and continued to put pressure on their opponents. However, Rebanales produced a couple of important saves to ensure Venezuela went into the break without conceding.

The Flamingos maintained their search for an opening goal as the encounter progressed, but the Venezuelan defence remained difficult to break down.

Midfielder Favour Nkwocha was also cautioned during the contest as Nigeria continued to push forward in search of a breakthrough.

Head coach Hakeem Busari subsequently made his first substitution of the evening, bringing on Precious Oscar to replace Oluwakemi Adegbuyi as he attempted to change the attacking dynamics of his team.

Despite the tactical adjustment, the deadlock remained unbroken as both sides continued to battle for control of the encounter.

The defining moment arrived in the 88th minute when the referee initially awarded Nigeria a penalty. However, the match official was later invited to the pitchside monitor to review the incident using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

After checking the footage, the referee upheld the original decision, confirming that the Flamingos would have an opportunity to take the lead from the spot.

Oluebube Umejiaku, Nigeria’s leading goalscorer, was responsible for winning the crucial penalty, setting up Oduntan to deliver the decisive moment.

The Nigerian player stepped forward and calmly converted the spot-kick in the 89th minute, finally beating Rebanales and giving her side a 1-0 advantage with just minutes remaining.

The late goal proved enough to separate both teams, as Nigeria held on to their lead until the final whistle to secure qualification for the semi-finals.

Following the victory, the Flamingos will now turn their attention to a last-four meeting with Brazil, who also progressed after defeating China 2-1 in their quarter-final fixture.

Nigeria will face the South American side for a place in the final as they continue their campaign at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.