Nigeria vs South Korea | 1-0 | FIFA U20 WWC | How Falconets Secured 4th Victory Against Their Asian Opponents
Nigeria edged Korea Republic 1-0 in their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup opener, Flourish Sabastine’s late effort separating the sides.
Flourish Sabastine was the last-gasp heroine as Nigeria sunk Korea Republic in their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ opener.
Korea Republic had the game’s first big chance. Cho Hyeyoung produced an excellent, inviting cross from the left. Park Soojeong threw herself towards the ball but, from point-blank range, was just inches away from making a connection.
Back came Nigeria. Lucky Nkpa, just 16, charged through the midfield, played a neat one-two with Rofiat Imuran, and shot just over.
Cho fired wide after some crowd-pleasing trickery, before Kim Shinji rattled the crossbar just before the half-time whistle.
Nigeria had the better of the second period. Imuran fired a free-kick narrowly wide shortly after the restart, while Chiamaka Okwuchukwu danced her way past two opponents and brought a block out of Woo Seobin. They finally made the breakthrough late on when Sabastine’s attempted cross deceived Seobin and went in.
The teams will return to action in Bogota on Wednesday, with Nigeria meeting Germany and Korea Republic facing Venezuela.
Stats
Nigeria made it four victories from four meetings with Korea Republic at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having won 2-0 in 2012, 2-1 in 2014 and 1-0 in 2022.
The Falconets have lost only two of their last 23 group games in the tournament.
Six Takeaways From Falconets 1-0 Victory Against South Korea
Nigeria continued her impressive run against South Korea at the FIFA U20 World Cup.
Nigeria youngster, Philomina Yina, emerge Player of the Match
Improved Second half performance from Nigeria
The Nigeria U20 team faced difficulties breaking down South Korea in the initial 45 minutes of their Group D opening match of the tournament.
Struggling to connect passes and create chances, Nigeria failed to register a shot on target.
However, the team’s performance saw a marked improvement in the second half, as they began to pose a threat with well-executed crosses and enhanced passing and link-up play.
This turnaround in performance eventually led to Nigeria securing a hard-fought victory, with Flourish Sabastine finding the back of the net four minutes before the final whistle.
South Korea Adopts Counter Attack Strategy
South Korea adopted a counter attack strategy against Nigeria in the clash on Monday morning.
Facing difficulties breaking down Nigeria’s defense, the team utilized this approach to draw their opponents out of position and take advantage of potential openings.
Unfortunately, the strategy did not result in any significant scoring opportunities for South Korea as they were unable to register a shot on target.
Opeyemi Benched Despite Struggle In Forward Position
Opeyemi Ajakaye, the rising star from the last FIFA U17 World Cup, remained on the bench despite the team’s challenges in the forward positions.
Falconets coach Christopher Danjuma selected Mary Nkpa to lead the frontline, sidelining the talented youngster.
Nigeria had a tough first half against South Korea without a shot on target.
Despite the difficulties, Ajakaye stayed benched as Danjuma made Chiamaka Okwuchukwu the substitute for Nkpa in the 66th minute.
Low turnout at the Stadium
Nigeria and South Korea faced off at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota.
Despite the stadium’s capacity to hold 10,000 spectators, only 870 fans filled the stands to watch the 1-0 victory between the two teams in Group D.
