Tanzania’s U20 girls held Nigeria’s Falconets to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup African qualifying series third-round fixture at the Azam Sports Complex in Dar Salaam.
The opening half saw both teams grappling for dominance but failing to break the deadlock. Nigeria then took the lead three minutes before the hour mark thanks to substitute Chioma Olise who fired a superb shot in the box, after good work from the right flank. However, Tanzania’s response was swift and decisive. Asnath Ubamba leveled the playing field 13 minutes later with a precision free kick that left Nigeria’s goalkeeper Anderlin Mgebchi helpless.
Despite both teams fiercely battling for supremacy on the artificial turf towards the end of the encounter, the score line held steady at 1-1. The Falconets now face a return to Nigeria with high expectations, gearing up for a decisive clash with the Tanzanians in the second leg on Sunday, 19th November.
The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup final competition will take place in Colombia next year, with 24 finalists instead of the 16 that competed in Costa Rica. This indicates that the Falconets will have one more round to go following their match against Tanzania in order to qualify for the big house party in Colombia in September 2024.
The aggregate winner of the tie between Tanzania and Nigeria will meet the victor of the clash between Congo DR and Burundi in the fourth round. The falconets reached the third round of the World Cup qualifying after Mauritius withdrew in the previous round.
