Senegal U-20 Women Fall to Nigeria Falconets in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Senegal

Senegal’s U-20 women’s national team came up just short against a battle-hardened Nigeria in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, suffering a 3-1 aggregate defeat over two legs, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The Falconets secured a 2-1 victory away in Senegal on Saturday, comfortably sealing their progression.

This result keeps Nigeria’s perfect record intact—they have now qualified for every edition of the tournament since it began in 2002.

Coach Thiam Acknowledges Nigeria’s Edge

Speaking after the match, Senegal’s head coach, Mbayang Thiam, admitted that the outcome was largely expected given Nigeria’s pedigree in both youth and senior competitions.

“It’s true, it wasn’t easy. We even expected that,” Thiam said at the post-match press conference. “The Nigerian team isn’t a weak team.

They’re a team used to competitions, both at the youth and senior levels.”

She highlighted that experience and composure were decisive factors in both matches, especially during key moments where the Senegalese side faltered.

Set-Piece Woes Cost Senegal

Thiam pointed out that Senegal’s vulnerability on set pieces was a major reason for their defeat.

Across the two legs, the team conceded three goals from corners and free kicks.

“We conceded three goals from set pieces,” Thiam explained.

“You could say there’s a problem with those.

We worked on that a lot after returning from Nigeria. After the first goal, the girls were a bit down.

That’s sometimes understandable, but we’ll correct it and keep working.”

Despite this, Thiam praised her players’ physical efforts, emphasizing that they gave everything on the pitch but ultimately lacked the composure and maturity of the Nigerian side.

“Physically, the girls really gave it their all.

But the Nigerian team is more mature,” she said.

Learning Experience for the Young Lions

Even in defeat, Thiam sees a silver lining for her squad.

She believes the experience will be a building block for the young players, teaching them about resilience, preparation, and maturity at the international level.

“The girls cried because they knew it was within their grasp.

It was possible. But the Nigerian team is perhaps more prepared than we are.

That’s sport. You have to take steps to gain experience and maturity. We’ll turn these regrets into something else so the girls don’t cry at the end of a match.”

What’s Next for Nigeria and Senegal

With this victory, Nigeria will advance to face Malawi in the next round.

The winner of that tie will secure a place at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

For Senegal, the focus now turns to reflection and development.

Thiam will look to improve set-piece defending, build composure under pressure, and continue exposing her young players to international competition to prepare them for future tournaments.

Summary

Senegal’s U-20 women’s team was defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Nigeria’s Falconets in FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, with Nigeria winning 2-1 away in Senegal.

Coach Mbayang Thiam cited Nigeria’s experience, maturity, and strength on set pieces as decisive factors.

Despite the loss, Thiam praised her players’ effort and views the matches as an invaluable learning experience.

Nigeria advances to face Malawi in the next round, while Senegal focuses on development and preparing for future international challenges.