By Ebube Dike

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has blamed the exit of Nigeria’s female U-20 football team, the Falconets from the ongoing 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica on “litany of factors” including bad refereeing and poor finishing, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The Falconets who were optimistic of a semi-final berth succumbed to a two first-half goals by the Europeans and got their already flourishing campaign punctured.

In a release after the match signed by its head of communication, Ademola Olajire, the federation noted that poor finishing, hard luck as well as unfavorable decisions by the Costa Rican official Marianela Araya saw the Nigeria U-20 bow out of the tournament

“A litany of factors, including poor finishing, hard luck and dodgy officiating by Costa Rican official Marianela Araya saw the Nigeria U20 girls bow out of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup with a two-goal defeat by The Netherlands in their quarter-final match in Alajuela,” NFF said.

“Flourish Sabastine, who scored Nigeria’s three-point winner against France in the opening match of Group C, was cynically stopped in the Dutch’s box in the 7th minute, but just as she did all night, Araya looked away unimpressed,” the NFF said.

Four minutes later, the Dutch were ahead, when Zera Hulswit rammed a perfect dipping shot beyond Omini Oyono as the conquerors of USA pulled away on the counter-attack.

In the 15th minute, Sabastine again pulled away and let fly, but the ball was tipped away by impressive goal-tender Claire Dinkla

On the half-hour, Nigeria nearly got the leveller that their endeavour deserved when Deborah Abiodun seized the ball as the Dutch defence fell into confusion, but her own dipping shot from 25 metres rocked the crossbar and was then tipped away from the head of Chiamaka Okwuchukwu.

Only three minutes later, the deficit doubled against Nigeria, when the Dutch broke through the right once more, and with captain Oluwatosin Demehin and Omowumi Oshobukola in a fumble, Ziva Henry bundled the ball past Oyono.

Substitute Joy Jerry came close to pulling one back when her head met the ball from Rofiat Imuran’s cross in the 62nd minute, but the ball floated away.

Sabastine, forever unstoppable, was hacked severally in the Dutch penalty area as she darted in whenever she had the ball, but Araya saw no reason to award a penalty kick to Nigeria.

The federation further noted that “In the second minute of added time, a Dutch defender handled the ball in the box as Nigeria poured forward. But after consulting the Video Assistant Referee, Araya overturned her own decision to award a penalty kick.”

The “defeat meant elimination for a team that had won all three group phase matches, scoring five goals and conceding only one.”