Barcelona, Fiorentina stars shine as Spain defeat Nigeria 2-0

Nigeria's Super Falconets began their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to 2022 champions Spain on Monday, Soccernet.ng reports. Moses Aduku's side arrived at the Arena Sosnowiec knowing they faced one of the tournament favourites, but Nigeria were unable to match Spain's control and technical quality for long periods. The defeat leaves the Falconets with work to do in Group F, with China and debutants New Caledonia still to come. Nigeria had entered the tournament with a formidable pedigree, having qualified for every edition of the U-20 Women's World Cup since its inception in 2002 and finished runners-up twice. Spain strike first Spain quickly established control of the contest, using their passing game to force Nigeria into long periods without possession. The European side eventually found the breakthrough through Marisa, who put Spain ahead before half-time. It was a reward for Spain's dominance and gave Nigeria a difficult task heading into the second half. Spain had already shown why they were among the favourites before the tournament, winning the 2022 U-20 Women's World Cup and arriving in Poland after another successful youth campaign. Their U-20 side had also beaten Canada 5-2 in their final warm-up match, with Marisa among the scorers. Cerrato seals Spain's victory Nigeria needed a response after the interval but struggled to turn their attacking moments into clear opportunities. Spain continued to threaten and eventually doubled their advantage through Alba Cerrato. The forward, who came off the bench after half-time, finished a move to give Spain a 2-0 lead and effectively put the result beyond Nigeria. The result was particularly frustrating for the Falconets because there were signs of improvement after the break. Nigeria introduced Precious Oscar and other attacking options in an attempt to change the game, but Spain's defensive organisation held firm. Spain's victory also underlined the gap between two teams entering the tournament with very different levels of recent success at youth level. Falconets now face pressure Nigeria cannot afford to dwell on the defeat for too long. Their next Group F fixture is against China on September 10, before they face New Caledonia three days later. The format gives the Falconets some room for recovery, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage alongside the four best third-placed teams. But the margin for error has already narrowed. A victory against China would put Nigeria back in contention for a place in the last 16, while another defeat could leave Aduku's side needing a near-perfect final match against New Caledonia. For a team chasing a first U-20 Women's World Cup title after finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014, Monday's defeat was a setback. The Falconets now need to show that it was just that — a setback, rather than the beginning of a disappointing campaign. Add as a preferred source on Google