Though Nigeria and Korea
Republic would eventually go
through from Group B of the FIFA
U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan
2012, neither side had it easy in
what turned out to be a tight
section comprising teams from
four different confederations,
each with different styles of
play. Unlike the three other
groups, only one of the six
games could be described as
one-sided, with the remaining
five all proving close-fought
affairs.
Playing an attacking game, the
Nigerians, who finished runners-
up at Germany 2010, showed no
shortage of confidence and held
the upper hand against their
rivals, with the exception of
Brazil. Meanwhile, the South
Koreans also impressed with
their tactical discipline and
effective team play. The big
disappointment were the
Brazilians, who repeated their
Germany 2010 performance by
failing to reach the last eight.
Despite finishing bottom with just
one point, Italy showed that
women’s football in the
country is on the right track.
The group replayed
Nigeria took charge of the pool
on the opening day, notching a
2-0 win over a Korea Republic
side hampered by a first-half
injury to striker Yeo Minji. At the
same time Brazil scraped a draw
against the Italians, who came
agonisingly close to posting their
maiden FIFA U-20 Women's World
Cup win. The South Koreans
recovered their poise by beating
Italy on Matchday 2, while
Brazil’s woes continued against
the Falconets, another late goal
rescuing them from defeat.
Though all four sides were in
with a chance of qualifying on
the final day, Nigeria put paid to
Italy’s hopes with a
commanding 4-0 victory. The
South Koreans booked the other
place following a gripping match
with the Brazilians, who needed
to win but had a goal disallowed
in the first half before
succumbing to two swift
counter-attacks, both expertly
rounded off by Jeoun Eunha.
Memorable moments
Starting with a bang
Brazil’s opening match with
Italy was lit up by two
outstanding goals, the first of
them scored by Le Azzurrine’s
Elena Linari, who sent an
exquisite free-kick into the top
corner of Daniele. Amanda’s
late equaliser was every bit as
stunning. After lifting the ball
over a defender, she controlled
it on her chest and then
cushioned a deft volley from a
narrow angle over Giuliani and
into the net.
Fan power
Though they perhaps did not
need any outside help, Nigeria
had the backing of a vociferous
band of 200 supporters in
Saitama, helping the Falconets to
feel right at home. The fans’
vocal demands for “more
goals” were met by Edwin
Okon’s team, who fielded as
many as four players in attack
and went ahead in each of their
three games.
Getting the job done
Korea Republic turned in a
ruthless display against Brazil in
their crucial final game. Keeping
their shape in midfield, Jong
Songchon’s side blunted their
less well-organised opponent’s
attacks before killing them off in
the final quarter of an hour with
two quickfire breaks.
The stat
7 - The number of goals scored
by two players in Group B, half
the total scored in the section.
Nigeria’s Francisca Ordega
helped herself to four of them,
including a hat-trick on the final
matchday, with Korea
Republic’s Eunha deputising
admirably for fellow striker Minji
by collecting three herself.
The words
“Nothing has changed between
2010 and 2012, but the girls who
took part two years ago have
been training hard and have
come on even more. We always
aspire to be champions when we
play in a World Cup. We came
close in 2010 and our objective
now is to reach the final again,
this time with a different
result,” Nigeria coach Okon
Edwin.
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