Technical knowledge cost Falconets at least a medal

Nigeria lost 2-1
and were denied
another podium
finish at the Fifa
U-20 Women’s
World Cup by
Japan in the third
place match on
Saturday morning.
The Japanese women got two
goals in either half from Yoko
Tanaka and Asuka Nishikawa
before Desire Oparanozie got one
back for the Africans.
The match was attended by Fifa
president Sepp Blatter and
Japanese Princess Hisako
Takamado.
The hosts got ahead through
Tanaka’s scorching shot on 24
minutes that beat Ibubeleye
Whyte whose hands could not
stop the ball from entering the
net.
Nishikawa got the hosts their
second goal five minutes from the
restart as she made good use of
Hanae Shibata’s run through
the Nigerian defence.
Nigeria got their lifeline on 73
minutes when Oparanozie’s free
kick slipped though the hands of
goalkeeper Sakiko Ikeda.
Even though the Nigerians fought
till the end, they were unable to
equal scores and finished the
championship without a medal
having finished second in 2010.