Nigeria's Falconets began their 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup journey with a determined 1-0 victory over South Korea on Monday morning at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Colombia.
The match-winning moment came just four minutes before the final whistle, with talented forward Flourish Sabastine netting a late goal that secured all three points for Nigeria.
The first half was a tense, closely contested affair, with both teams finding it difficult to carve out clear scoring opportunities. However, the Falconets returned for the second half with renewed energy. Imuran came close to setting up Mary Nkpa for the opening goal, but the chance slipped away. Imuran later attempted a free-kick, but her shot soared over the crossbar.
A nerve-wracking moment ensued when goalkeeper Shukurat Bakare misjudged a free-kick, almost allowing South Korea to score, but the Koreans were unable to capitalize on the error.
The Falconets' persistence finally paid off in the 86th minute when Flourish Sabastine’s intended cross surprisingly found its way into the net, catching Korean goalkeeper Woo Seo-Bin off guard and putting Nigeria in the lead.
Osigwe had an opportunity to extend Nigeria’s lead in stoppage time, but her shot missed the mark.
Ft in Bogotá. Nigeria 1-0 Korea Republic (Flourish Sabastine 86’) #Soarfalconets pic.twitter.com/kMR8xi5zJt
— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) September 2, 2024
This victory places Nigeria alongside Germany at the top of Group D. The Falconets are set to face the three-time World Champions on Wednesday in a pivotal match that could secure their advancement to the next round.
Germany, meanwhile, demonstrated their dominance with a 5-2 thrashing of Venezuela in their opening game. Bayer Leverkusen's young star Loreen Bender shone brightly, scoring twice in a frantic first half that ended 4-1 in favor of the European powerhouse.
In other Group D action, Spain’s U20 team narrowly defeated the United States 1-0, while Paraguay claimed a 2-0 victory over Morocco.
