Nigeria’s Falconets kicked off their 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a thrilling 1-0 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting match early Monday at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Colombia.
The match’s hero, Flourish Sabastine, struck gold just four minutes from the final whistle, sealing the win and earning the Falconets all three crucial points, Footballrover reports.
The first half was a tightly contested battle, with both teams struggling to break through each other’s defences.
But after the break, the Falconets returned to the pitch with a renewed sense of urgency.
In the second half, Imuran nearly set up Mary Nkpa for the game’s opening goal, but Nkpa couldn’t capitalise on the chance.
Imuran also took a shot from a free kick, but her effort sailed just over the crossbar.
The tension rose when goalkeeper Shukurat Bakare misjudged a South Korean free kick, almost giving the Koreans an easy goal, but they failed to take advantage of the slipup.
The Falconets didn’t let up, continuing to press for a breakthrough.
Their persistence finally paid off in the 86th minute when Flourish Sabastine’s attempted cross miraculously curled into the net, catching South Korean goalkeeper Woo Seo-Bin off guard and putting Nigeria in the lead.
Osigwe had an opportunity to extend Nigeria’s lead during stoppage time but narrowly missed the target.
Ft in Bogotá. Nigeria 1-0 Korea Republic (Flourish Sabastine 86’) #Soarfalconets pic.twitter.com/kMR8xi5zJt
— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) September 2, 2024
With this victory, Nigeria now shares the top spot in Group D with Germany, setting up a crucial showdown on Wednesday that could determine who advances to the next round.
Adoo Yina was later named the Player of the Match award for her impressive midfield display for the Falconets against Korea.
Adoo Yina with her player of the match award
Germany made a strong statement in their first game, dismantling Venezuela with a 5-2 victory, thanks in part to a first-half brace from Bayer Leverkusen’s Loreen Bender.
In other matches, Spain’s U20 team eked out a narrow 1-0 win against the United States, while Paraguay handed Morocco a 2-0 defeat.
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