Nigeria finished second behind Germany in Group B.© Twitter
Nigeria beat the US 4-3 in penalties, making it only the second African country to qualify for the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup on Friday. The two sides were tied at 1-1 in regular time of the quarterfinals at DY Patil Stadium, which was delayed for nearly two hours due to adverse weather conditions. The match, which was to begin at 4:30 PM, started at 6:20 PM IST. In an even game, Nigerian Omamuzo Edafe’s 27th minute goal was canceled out by Amalia Villarreal’s 40th minute strike for the Americans.
In the penalty shootout, Edidiong Etim, Edet Offiong, Miracle Usani and Omamuzo Edafe scored for Nigeria while Folorunsho missed the goal.
For the US, which topped Group A to reach the quarter-finals, Emeri Adames, Taylor Suarez and Mia Bhuta scored, while Emri and Jackson missed from the penalty spot.
It was heartbreaking for the Americans, who finished second in 2008. The Concacaf champions were considered a side that would go deep into the tournament. This was only the second time, the first time in 2008, that the US has moved past the group stage.
The Americans played the tournament for the fifth time, including the third time in a row.
Nigeria, on the other hand, reached the first semi-final in their sixth attempt. The African champions had previously lost three times in the quarter-finals – in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
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Ghana was the only African country to reach the semi-finals – in 2012 – before Nigeria achieved the feat on Friday.
Nigeria finished second behind Germany in Group B.
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