AFCON 2025
France sealed their place in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 with a narrow 1-0 win over Nigeria, thanks to a late strike from Maissa Fathallah.
It was a tightly contested affair at the Football Academy Mohammed VI, with both sides struggling to find a breakthrough for most of the match.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface produced a superb stop to deny Luna Laboucarie midway through the second half, but Fathallah finally broke the deadlock in the 81st minute with a low finish that crept past Boniface to secure all three points for the French.
Earlier in the day, Canada cruised into the knockout stages with a commanding 6-0 victory over Samoa. Daniela Feria-Estrada opened the scoring with a superb free-kick before Olivia Chisholm, Lacey Kindel, Marika Martineau, and Julia Amireh added to the tally, with Samoa conceding a late own goal.
Canada coach Jen Herst hailed her players’ collective effort, while Samoa’s Juan Chang took pride in his team’s spirit despite the defeat.
Elsewhere, Spain thrashed Korea Republic 5-0 to also book their spot in the next round. Carlota Chacon scored twice, with Anna Quer, Julia Torres, and Silvia Cristobal also on target as the European champions displayed their attacking depth.
Colombia revived their campaign with a 3-0 win over Côte d’Ivoire, featuring goals from Ana Clavijo, London Crawford, and Ella Martinez.
In Group F, Japan defeated Zambia 2-0 through strikes from Honoka Sunaga and Noa Fukushima, while Paraguay advanced after a 4-1 comeback win against New Zealand, powered by a stunning second-half hat-trick from Claudia Martinez.
With Canada, France, Spain, Paraguay, and Japan all confirming their progression, the battle for the remaining knockout places promises to be fierce as the group stage nears its conclusion.
