U17 World Cup: Nigeria overcomes heartbreak in the semifinals and defeats Germany to claim bronze

Following a 3-3 tie in the third-place match, Nigeria defeated Germany on Sunday in India to capture bronze in the U-17 World Cup.

Nigeria dominated the opening period.
Germany scored three goals and came back to tie the game 3-3.
Due to Loreen Bender’s 90th-minute equalizer, the game had to be decided on penalties.

WHAT OCCURRED? Nigeria won following a 3-2 triumph on the spot-kicks after allowing Germany to rally from a 3-0 deficit.

Nigeria’s penalties were scored by Blessing Sunday, Edidiong Etim, and Opeyemi Ajakaye; Tumininu Adeshina’s attempt was saved.

Germany’s two penalties were scored by Jella Veit and Mathilde Janzen, while Paulina Platner and Bender missed their shots. Paulina Bartz’s penalty was stopped by Faith Omilana, ensuring the third-place result for the African team.

The Flamingos, on the other hand, started off with more ambition and came close to scoring in the fourth minute.

Nigeria’s first shot on goal was blocked by German goalkeeper Eve Boettcher as Amina Bello tried to score from a great distance.

The European team did manage to score in the fifth minute, but the goal was disallowed. It was canceled after a VAR review because it was determined that Flamingos goalie Omilana had been fouled.

With a goal from Ajakaye, the African nation was able to score first in the 20th minute. They nearly extended their advantage two minutes later, but Bello missed an easy opportunity to score.

Comfort Folorunsho was replaced by Sunday in the 43rd minute by head coach Bankole Olowookere before the first half’s eight further minutes of regulation time.

After the break, the Africans came back revitalized and scored their second goal in the 48th minute when Bello scored with a perfectly timed header.

German struggled to stop their aggressive opponents, and in the 63rd minute they again gave up. Chidera Okenwa was substituted by Edidiong in the 59th minute.

In the 73rd minute, Jella Veit scored with a backheeled shot in a packed area to prevent Nigeria from keeping a spotless record.

Bartz scored Germany’s second goal in the 84th minute. The goal was first ruled to have been offside, but a VAR review reversed the ruling.

Germany had the upper hand in the latter portions of the second half and tied the game against the sluggish Nigerian girls in the final seconds. Bender’s overhead kick sailed fiercely beyond Omilana after an original exquisite shot struck the goal post.

However, the Germans’ late comeback was not enough to halt Nigeria, who won the gripping battle in Mumbai.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: After losing to Colombia in the semifinals, Nigeria was left to compete for bronze.

After defeating the Flamingos in a second shootout, Colombia advanced and will play Spain in the championship.

After the senior men were denied entry to the Qatar 2022 World Cup finals, the youth players’ success has started to boost Nigerian national pride.