England Under-20 women’s head coach Lydia Bedford has admitted that her Young Lionesses struggled to cope with Nigeria’s physical and direct approach after the Falconets secured a commanding 3-0 victory in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
Nigeria delivered one of its strongest performances of the tournament on Thursday in Bielsko-Biała, ending England’s campaign and advancing to the quarter-finals. Tosin Rafiu, Janet Akekoromowei and Mary Mamudu scored for the Falconets in a result that exposed England’s difficulties against Nigeria’s aggressive attacking style.
Bedford acknowledged after the match that Nigeria’s forwards presented a challenge her team found difficult to handle.
“Nigeria’s forwards were very effective in being direct and physical, and I think that was something that perhaps we struggled to compete with at times,” Bedford said.
The Falconets made their intentions clear from the opening minutes. Rafiu broke the deadlock in the eighth minute after creating space inside the England defence before producing a composed finish.
England subsequently created opportunities to level the contest and appeared to have a major opportunity when a VAR review resulted in a penalty.
However, Rachel Maltby’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Nigeria goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma, who pushed the ball onto the crossbar.
Uzoma continued to play a decisive role, making several important interventions as England attempted to regain control before half-time.
Nigeria then increased the pressure immediately after the interval. Akekoromowei doubled the Falconets’ advantage in the 47th minute with a well-executed left-footed strike.
England continued to search for a way back into the game, but Nigeria remained dangerous on the counterattack.
Mamudu eventually completed the scoring in the 73rd minute after Akekoromowei won possession and supplied the assist.
The defeat brought England’s World Cup campaign to an end, while Nigeria progressed to the last eight.
Despite the disappointing result, Bedford praised her players for their efforts during the tournament and said the experience could prove important as the youngsters progress toward senior international football.
She said the tournament would provide valuable experience for players hoping to progress toward England’s senior team or continue developing through the Under-23 pathway.
For Nigeria, meanwhile, the victory represented another significant step in a tournament campaign that has now taken the Falconets into the quarter-finals. The team will face Colombia in the next round.
