North Korea, which punished Costa Rica 9-0; Japan, who routed Ghana 4-1, and Austria, who beat New Zealand 3-1, joined on Thursday the group of teams that already have a ticket for the round of 16 of U-20 Women’s World Cup from Colombia. With one day left to know the choices that make up the 16 teams in the next stage, Germany, Brazil, Colombia and Spain have also registered.
On this day, 24 goals were scored in four matches for an average of 6. The leaders of the scoring classification, Canadian Annabelle Chukwu and Brazilian Natalia Vendito, both with four goals, are now followed. of the three goals of the Asian Il- They are Choe, from North Korea, and Chinari Sasai, from Japan.
In Cali, North Korea advanced to the round of 16 of the World Cup thanks to a 9-0 win against a Costa Rica that had no arguments to shake off the dominance of the Asians. The Winged Horses team, led by Ri Song-Ho, achieved the record of starting an edition of the tournament with two consecutive wins for the sixth time. He has done it in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. And in 2024 he started his journey with a 6-2 victory over Argentina.
The bitter night for Costa Rica began with an own goal, in the 6th minute, by Saray Benavides, which left her teammate, goalkeeper Génesis Pérez, with no choice. From there it was a monologue from the Asian champions, who lead Group F with six points.
On the other hand, Argentina heroically overcame a 3-1 deficit in Cali to draw 3-3 with the Netherlands on the second day of Group F, and both teams will have to rumble on the final day to qualify for the round of 16
The Dutch took a 3-1 advantage but the Albiceleste players did not give up and with a double from Serena Rodríguez, defender of Racing Club, they equalized in the second half and got their first point to maintain their hope to advance to the next round of 16. Sunday when they face Costa Rica. The Netherlands, second in the standings with four points, will face a tougher challenge when they face group leaders North Korea, who have six points and have scored goals in both of their outings.
In Group E, in a game played in Bogotá, Japan needed the patience of the great carver to beat Ghana 4-1 and secure a place in the round of 16 of the World Cup. The fight was dominated by the Japanese, who tried to break the resistance of the Africans, who made few attacks at the beginning of the fight.
Ghanaian Afi Amenyeku stopped everything. Point-blank shots by Manaka Matsukubo, Rihona Ujihara, Chinai Sasai and Shinomi Koyama were hardly worth the goals. When all efforts seemed to be in vain, a shot appeared from Sasai in the 45th minute and three minutes later Matsukubo made it 2-0. The third, about five minutes into the second half, was scored by Miku Hayama, who evaded rivals and placed it at ground level in the Ghanaian goal.
Ghana got one back through a penalty scored by team captain Stella Nyamekye after a foul on Okamura. At the end of the game, Miyu Matsunaga took the lead and made it 4-1, a difference that reflected the Japanese’s good afternoon.
In another match, Sarah Gutmann lit up the night in Bogotá with a double as Austria beat New Zealand 3-1 and moved into the second round of the orbital event. The account was closed, with 13 minutes left, by Valentina Maedl, who took advantage of a mistake by the Oceanic defensive quartet, who in any case received applause from the public for their dedication.
Milly Clegg eventually scored to make it 3-1, inadvertently helping New Zealand score their first goal of this tournament. Japan and Austria top Group E with six points each and Ghana and New Zealand close behind.
This Friday the matches of Canada-Brazil and Australia against Cameroon will be held in Bogotá, while in Medellín Fiji will face France and Mexico against qualifiers Colombia.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
