Senegal’s U-20 women’s head coach Mbayang Thiam has acknowledged that her side were outclassed by a more mature Nigerian team following their 3-1 aggregate loss to the Falconets in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria confirmed progression with a 2-1 away victory in Senegal on Saturday, sealing a comfortable aggregate triumph across the two legs.
The result extends the Falconets’ remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the tournament since its inception in 2002.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Thiam admitted her team anticipated a stern challenge against a side renowned for its pedigree at both youth and senior levels.
“It’s true, it wasn’t easy. We even expected that,” she said.
“The Nigerian team isn’t a weak team. They’re used to competitions, both at the youth and senior levels.”
Thiam noted that Nigeria’s experience proved decisive in crucial moments, particularly from set-piece situations. Senegal conceded three goals from corners and free kicks over the two legs — a weakness she described as costly.
“We conceded three goals from set pieces. You could say there’s a problem with those. We worked on that a lot after returning from Nigeria,” she explained.
Although she praised her players’ physical effort, Thiam conceded that composure and maturity ultimately separated both sides.
“Physically, the girls really gave it their all. But the Nigerian team is more mature.”
Despite the disappointment, the Senegal coach believes the experience will help her young squad grow.
“The girls cried because they knew it was within their grasp. That’s sport. You take steps to gain experience and maturity. We’ll turn these regrets into something else.”
Nigeria will now face Malawi in the next round, with the winner of the two-legged tie securing a place at the 2026 tournament in Poland.
