A major talking point in the countdown towards Wednesday’s second semi-final fixture of the 2026 FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup between Nigeria and Brazil is how the competition’s most highly rated goalkeeper will hold her own against one of the best strikers at the tournament.
Sports247 reports that the highly anticipated face-off will see Nigeria’s shot-stopper, Jane Ijirigho, who is also officially the tallest player overall in the entire championship, come up against Brazil’s top striker, Greise Kelly, who has netted more than half of her team’s goals in the unfolding Female Cadet Mundial.
While Ijirigho will also have to take note of all other contenders in the free scoring Brazilian squad, the biggest worry for her will have to be Kelly, who pundits are already rating as one of the tournament’s standout players.
With Kelly having contributed to eight of her team’s 17 goals so far at Morocco 2026, including a record five assists to boost her credentials, Ijirigho will have to brace herself for a busy night of assaults in the entire duration of this game.
The entire Nigerian defence will also have to be wary of what has been described as the ‘exceptional dribbling’ skills that Kelly also possesses, but a preview of the game by fifa.com noted that the real job of stopping all the Brazilians will surely fall into the hands of Ijirigho.
The preview added poignantly: “Nigeria perhaps wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Jane Ijirigho. The shot-stopper was terrific in the victories over Puerto Rico and Mexico, and has made 16 saves in total.”
