Nigerian female youth national team, Falconets’ striker, Janet Seimeyeha Akekoromowei has thrown the lid of a major factor that helped the squad defeat England 3-0 in their round of 16 clash at the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
While admitting she felt really happy winning the game’s best player award, the product of Asisat Oshoala Football Academy in Lagos, thanked her teammates for contributing to the achievement and pointed out that they all ‘fought hard’ for the victory.
The former star of Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia and Bayelsa Queens of Yenagoa acknowledged that all players in the Falconets’ current squad are equally determined to excel at Poland 2026, then hinted that they will put up a better show versus Colombia on Sunday.
It will be a huge test for the Falconets’ credentials, as their next opponents sent hosts Poland packing with a 1-0 win, also on Thursday, but the scorer of Nigeria’s second goal against England, who recently signed for Benfica of Portugal, is thinking only of victory.
She cast a look back at Thursday’s game as a huge source of inspiration for herself and the entire Nigerian squad, then disclosed that she dedicated her player of the match award to the whole team because they all worked hard together to achieve the historic feat.
“I feel happy like mad. This is for the whole team, not just me. We came out and we fought hard,” said the in-form top striker fondly called ‘Semenya,’ who was born in Ese-Odo, Ondo State and has now scored two goals in three appearances at the ongoing championship.
Sports247 recalls that Akekoromowei, who lost a transfer to Barcelona Feminino of Spain after she suffered a horror ankle fracture in the Poland 2026 qualifiers, missed the Falconets’ opening game due to delayed travel arrangements from her base in Portugal.
Incidentally, the Falconets’ first game was against Spain, and Moses Aduku’s squad struggled in her absence, as they lost the opening group encounter 2-0, but rebounded with a goalless draw versus China, after which Akekoromowei scored once in their 10-1 trouncing of New Caledonia.
