{
  "id": 8142440,
  "title": "Young Lionesses underrated Falconets – Aduku",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/young-lionesses-underrated-falconets-aduku",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T01:40:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/young-lionesses-underrated-falconets-aduku/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria's U-20 women's team coach, Moses Aduku, believes that England underestimated his team prior to their 3-0 defeat by the Falconets in the round of 16 match at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland. The Falconets, who advanced as runners-up in Group F, went on to reach the knockout stage, while England topped Group F.\n\nEarly in the match, Nigeria's Tosin Rafiu scored the opening goal, followed by contributions from Ramotalahi Kareem and Precious Oscar. England responded through Lily Dent, Princess Ademiluyi, and Rachel Maltby, but Nigeria's defense held strong. A VAR review in the 33rd minute momentarily threatened to turn the tide in England's favor, but goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma saved Rachel Maltby's penalty to maintain Nigeria's lead.\n\nUzoma continued to make crucial saves, and Nigeria extended their lead with Janet Akekoromowei's goal in the 47th minute. Mary Mamudu came on in the 61st minute and helped secure the victory with a goal in the 73rd minute. Aduku expressed his appreciation for the result but cautioned his players not to get too caught up in the moment. He emphasized that the World Cup had only just begun and urged the team to focus on the upcoming match.\n\nThe Falconets will face Colombia in the quarter-finals on Sunday, with the match set to take place at the Władysław Król Municipal Stadium in Łódź, with kick-off at 2pm Nigeria time.",
  "summary": "Nigeria’s Falconets thrashed England 3-0 in the U-20 Women’s World Cup round of 16, with coach Moses Aduku saying the Young Lionesses underrated his team. Read More: https://punchng.com/young-lionesses-underrated-falconets-aduku/",
  "key_points": [
    "Nigeria's U-20 women's team lost 3-0 to England in the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.",
    "Nigeria's coach Moses Aduku believes England underrated his team before the match.",
    "Nigeria advanced to the knockout stage while England topped Group F."
  ],
  "editors_take": "England's underestimation of Nigeria's team contributed to their defeat, highlighting the need for opponents to reassess their approach against the Falconets in the ongoing World Cup.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Young Lionesses underrated Falconets – Aduku",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/young-lionesses-underrated-falconets-aduku-8143889",
        "published": "2026-09-18T01:48:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}