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FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets Fall to Spain as Marisa, Cerrato Send Nigeria to Disappointing Start
Nigeria’s Falconets have suffered a 2–0 defeat to Spain in their opening Group F encounter at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, leaving Moses Aduku’s side with work to do in their remaining group matches.
Spain took control early at the Stadion Sosnowiec and broke the deadlock in the 13th minute through Marisa García, who finished to give the former champions a 1–0 advantage.
Nigeria struggled to create clear-cut opportunities as Spain maintained pressure and controlled important phases of the contest.
The Falconets went into the break a goal down, allowing themselves to respond after the interval.
However, Spain doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute when Alba Cerrato found the back of the net, putting Nigeria under even greater pressure.
Despite Nigeria’s efforts to find a route back into the game, Spain held firm to secure all three points and a winning start to their campaign.
The defeat is a disappointing opening for the Falconets, particularly after head coach Moses Aduku had declared before the match that his players would approach the encounter like a cup final.
“We are looking forward to the match against Spain with high expectations. We are ready and set to go.”
Aduku had also acknowledged Spain’s quality but insisted that Nigeria were targeting victory.
“Spain is a good side, no doubt… However, we will approach the game like a Cup final because we want to win. The three points will put us in good stead in our group phase campaign.”
That objective ultimately proved beyond Nigeria as Spain’s quality and early attacking pressure produced the difference.
The result also underlines the size of the challenge facing the Falconets in a Group F that includes China PR and New Caledonia alongside Spain. Nigeria will now have to quickly recover and turn their attention to China, knowing that another slip could seriously complicate their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
Nigeria arrived in Poland with an impressive history at this tournament. The Falconets have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since its inception in 2002 and have twice reached the final, finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014.
Spain, meanwhile, entered the competition as one of the tournament’s established powers. They won the 2020 edition and remain one of the leading teams in the women’s youth game.
For Nigeria, however, the focus must now shift immediately from disappointment to recovery.
The Falconets will face China PR on September 10, before concluding their Group F campaign against New Caledonia on September 13.
With six points still available, qualification remains within reach — but Nigeria now have very little room for another setback.
Spain have delivered the first blow. The Falconets must now respond.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Zamfara State is heading for a crisis ahead of its fresh primary election to select the party's candidate for the Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency.
Recall that the Court of Appeal had ordered a fresh primary in the constituency.
In what appears to signal the beginning of a brewing crisis within the Zamfara APC, an aspirant, Hassan Dangaladima, has petitioned two organs of the party over the actions of its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
In the petition sighted by DAILY POST on Tuesday, which has since gone viral, Dangaladima levelled several allegations against the APC National Chairman.
Chief among his allegations is that Yilwatda unilaterally constituted the committee to conduct the fresh primary without recourse to the National Working Committee (NWC), which he heads.
"Pursuant to the said court order, the National Chairman purported to nominate and approve a committee to conduct the rescheduled primary election.
"The said nomination was made unilaterally by the National Chairman; no meeting of the National Working Committee was convened for that purpose."
The petitioner also alleged that his main rival for the ticket, Honourable Aminu Sani Jaji, is not a card-carrying member of the party.
The petition urged the APC National Executive Committee, NEC, to halt the conduct of the fresh primary and appoint a new set of individuals to conduct the exercise.
However, in response to the petition, the APC National Chairman, through his media aide, Abimbola Tooki, dismissed the allegations as baseless.
According to the party chairman, the committee was properly constituted, contrary to the petitioner's claim.
DAILY POST reports that the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal recently defected to the APC. President Bola Tinubu's re-election campaign Director-General, Abdulaziz Yari, is also from Zamfara State.
APC crisis deepens as Zamfara aspirant accuses Yilwatda of bias ahead of fresh primary
The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, says the party is in the 2027 election race to win and not to make numbers.
Baba-Ahmed made this statement at a strategic retreat organised for the party's leadership and candidates.
He charged the party's candidates to go out and convince Nigerians that PRP deserves their trust and their votes in 2027.
According to him, the party has the best presidential candidate in Donald Duke, adding that history and character have moulded him to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges to a deserved status of affluence, security and unity.
He also said that Duke's running mate, Malam Sule Mohammed, is a study in principled loyalty, excellence in personal and professional life and unparalleled humility, which is tragically rare in current leaders.
Baba-Ahmed said the party also has governorship candidates who will be models of competent leadership, integrity and courage, stressing that they are candidates who will embody service, sacrifice and humility.
"We are PRP. We're in the 2027 race to win not to make numbers. We are products of a great tradition which insists that Nigeria can be great enough for all those who work honestly, and a nation which has the same place for the weak and the vulnerable as it has for those who are trusted with power or possess wealth," Baba-Ahmed said.
According to him, the party is under no illusions that its tasks will be easy, stating that the party will be competing in very hostile environments where incumbents fear change, while PRP champions it.
He said the party will find resistance from politicians who bribe the people for their future, while PRP asks for trust and the courage to choose quality and integrity.
On his part, the party's presidential candidate, Donald Duke, took a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, saying it is enjoying too much advantage when it comes to campaign visibility.
According to him, opposition parties are finding it hard to get venues and places to put their adverts as the 2027 elections draw near.
He said the problem is making it harder and harder for opposition candidates to reach voters in different parts of the country.
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