Nigeria fails to make World Cup final as Flamingos lose to Colombia

Nigeria fails to make World Cup final as Flamingos lose to Colombia

  • Nigeria's fairytale run in India came to an end after the u-17 team suffered their second defeat in the tournament

Colombia have made it to the final of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup after defeating Nigeria on penalties at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa.

Both teams played out a goalless draw in normal time before the South Americans edged the deciding shootout 6-5.

It could have turned out differently for the Flamingos, though.

The Nigerian girls bossed the possession in the opening minutes and pressed their opponents when out of possession. But for all their efforts, they were reduced to potshots from a distance.

The best chances of the half fell to the Colombians, though, with their quality in the final third coming to the fore on more than one occasion.

The Flamingos, however, had the crossbar and their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the scores levelled at halftime.

More energetic displays but spurred chances littered the game of both teams in the second half as none could find the cutting edge to score the winner.

But it was the Colombians who kept their nerves to net six of their penalties against Nigeria's five.

It was the first time the Colombians would beat Nigeria at this level, having suffered two defeats in previous encounters.

The South Americans will meet the winner of the second semifinal clash between Germany and Spain in the final.

Nigeria will aim for the bronze medal against the other losing semifinalists.

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