Oyo State Governor, Engineer Oluseyi Makinde, has applauded Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, with a cash reward of $15,000 following their emphatic 4-0 victory over Rwanda in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match held at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

 

The dominant win sealed a 5-0 aggregate triumph for the two-time World Cup runners-up and booked them a place in the third round of the qualifiers, where they will face either Senegal or Algeria in February 2026.

 

Governor Makinde, who watched the match live, described the Falconets as a “team of grit and promise” and said the reward was in recognition of their hard work, discipline, and brilliant performance in front of the crowd.

From the first whistle blown by Gambian referee Ngum Fatou, the Falconets played with intensity and intent. They nearly opened the scoring in just the 3rd minute, but Janet Akekoromowei’s close-range effort sailed wide.

 

The breakthrough came in the 12th minute when lively winger Tessy Ojiyovwi dashed down the left and delivered a pinpoint cross for Precious Oscar, who calmly side-footed past Rwandan goalkeeper Iramuzi Belise.

Belise was back in action shortly after, saving from Akekoromowei, but she could do little about Nigeria’s second goal in the 20th minute, when Tumininu Adeshina’s curling corner kick was misjudged and ended up in the net.

 

Nigeria kept the pressure on, with chances falling to Oscar and Ojiyovwi before the half-time break.

In the 60th minute, Akekoromowei made amends for her earlier miss, slotting home a well-placed grounder to make it 3-0. Though Ojiyovwi thought she had added a fourth five minutes later, the assistant referee flagged for offside.

 

In stoppage time, substitute Alaba Olabiyi, who had scored the lone goal in the first leg in Kigali, made it 4-0 after deflecting in a shot from Taiwo Afolabi.

The Falconets will now shift their focus to the next hurdle on the road to the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. With their blend of speed, skill, and tactical maturity, the team looks well-positioned to continue their pursuit of a World Cup berth.

 

Governor Makinde’s gesture reinforces growing support for women’s football in Nigeria and boosts morale ahead of tougher challenges in the months to come.