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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

Falconets lose 2-0 to Spain in U-20 Women’s World Cup opener

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Spain defeated Nigeria 2-0 in the Group F opener at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
  • Marisa García scored in the 13th minute and Alba Cerrato added Spain’s second goal in the 73rd.
  • Nigeria will face China on Wednesday, Sept. 10, with its remaining group matches crucial to its hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

Nigeria’s Falconets began their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain, leaving little room for error in their remaining Group F matches.

Spain struck early at Stadion Sosnowiec when Marisa García scored in the 13th minute. Nigeria tried to respond but struggled to create clear chances against a well-organised Spanish defence.

Cup final

· Moses AdukuNigeria’s coach used the phrase before the match to stress the importance of the Group F opener.

Spain kept control after halftime and extended its lead in the 73rd minute through Alba Cerrato. The result came despite Nigeria’s extensive preparation before arriving in Poland.

The Falconets will next play China on Wednesday, Sept. 10, before facing New Caledonia. Coach Moses Aduku had called the Spain match a “Cup final” before kickoff and said his team wanted to win. Nigeria, which finished runner-up in the tournament in 2010 and 2014, now needs points from its remaining games to keep its knockout-stage hopes alive. Spain won the competition in 2022 and finished second in 2018.

We are looking forward to the match against Spain with high expectations. We are ready and set to go. Spain is a good side, no doubt, but we will approach the game like a Cup final because we want to win.

· Moses AdukuThe Nigeria coach described his team’s approach before the opening match.
About this summary

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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