Flourish Sabastine’s late strike was all the Falconets of Nigeria needed in Bogota, Colombia, at the ongoing 11th FIFA Under-20 Female World Cup in Colombia against South Korea, to earn valuable three points.
The match which was a cagey affair between both countries saw few opportunities in a game both teams paraded strong squads unfamiliar with themselves, but Nigeria had more of the chances, particularly in a more entertaining second half at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo.
Big forward Mary Lucky Mkpa was full of endeavour and with some precision, should have put away at least two of the opportunities.
The Asians, who also lost by a lone goal to Nigeria in a group phase encounter at the last edition of the competition in Costa Rica two years ago, came close to drawing the first blood on the quarter-hour, but Shukurat Oladipo got one foot to a teasing cross from the right to wrong-foot Park.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Shukurat Bakare, missed a pull-out altogether in the 28th minute but the Korean touch took the ball over the sticks, and at the other end, Mkpa heaved the ball a little too high after a pass by Rofiat Imuran.
Nigeria’s blushes were saved just before half time, when Myeyung rocked the crossbar from a 22-yard free-kick.
In the second half, Sabastine and Amina Bello saw their shots blocked in the opposition box, and substitute Chiamaka Okwuchukwu came close from a good run on the right, before Sabastine sliced the ball from the right wing to smack the upright and roll into the net for the game’s only goal.
The Nigerian team’s skeleton is comprised of a large contingent of ladies who won bronze at the 2022 U-17 Women’s World Cup in India and have been promoted to a higher age grade. A handful of returnees from the squad that played at the 2022 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica were also included.
The old guards and the new girls have blended in a coherent unit under the adequate drilling of Christopher Danjuma, the team’s head coach.
However, the Falconets’ performance against Korea was not wholly smooth, as they struggled to create chances through their hurried, route-one approach.
Next up for the Falconets is a clash with three-time champions Germany at the same venue on Wednesday evening, before playing their Group match against Venezuela on September 7th.
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