Paniagua, after leading Colombia to a 1–0 win over the Falconets in the quarter-final, will now face DPR Korea or Canada in the semi-finals.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Colombia U-20 women’s head coach, Carlos Paniagua, has said his players will now focus on reaching the final of this year’s World Cup after their hard-earned victory over Nigeria’s Falconets.
He made this known on Sunday after the quarter-final encounter against Nigeria while speaking to FIFA.com.
Colombia booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after narrowly edging Nigeria 1-0 in the round of 8.
The encounter had seemed destined for extra time before Valerin Loboa netted the only goal of the match deep into stoppage time.
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Reacting to the victory, Paniagua admitted that the win made him emotional and promised to keep working even harder.
“I am very emotional and we will keep working. A semi-final match is coming, and regardless of who the opponent is, there will be a group of Colombian players who are committed to this country, to each other and to the glory of playing a World Cup final,” he said.
With the victory, Colombia maintained their proud record of never being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The South American side will face either DPR Korea or Canada in the semi-finals.
