Senegal U-20 coach concedes composure and experience separated both sides as Nigeria progress to face Malawi

Senegal U-20 women’s head coach, Mbayang Thiam, has admitted that her side were outclassed by Nigeria’s Falconets following their 3–1 aggregate defeat in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria sealed qualification with a 2–1 away victory in Senegal, completing a comfortable win over the two legs.

Since the tournament’s inception in 2002, the Falconets have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, and this result preserves their perfect qualification record.

Speaking after the match, Thiam acknowledged that her team had anticipated a difficult encounter against a Nigerian side renowned for its pedigree at both youth and senior levels.

“It’s true, it wasn’t easy. We expected that,” Thiam said during the post-match press conference.

“The Nigerian team isn’t a weak team. They are used to competitions, both at the youth and senior levels.”

While praising her players for their physical effort, Thiam admitted that composure and maturity ultimately made the difference between the two sides.

Despite the defeat, the Senegal coach believes the experience will serve as a valuable learning curve for her squad going forward.

Nigeria will now face Malawi in the next round of qualifiers, with the winner of the two-legged tie earning a place at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.