In their opening match of the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica on Friday at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose, Nigeria’s National Women’s Football Team (Falconets) defeated France 1-0.
The women from Nigeria, who are in group C, kicked off their first match against their French opponents, but after only 32 minutes of the first half, the match was called off due to heavy rain.
To protect both teams from the bad weather, the centre referee stopped the game.
When play resumed, both teams picked up where they left off, with the Falconets dominating the contest.
They controlled the game’s tempo from the outset and held the majority of the ball with 52 percent possession compared to 48 percent for France.
Both teams had one yellow card each, but their shots on goal against one another were tied.
Mercy Idoko attempted to score for team Nigeria upon the restart of the second half, but the French goalkeeper foiled her efforts in the 56th minute.
A few minutes later, France put up a good fight and scored, but the referee disallowed it.
Mercy Idoko’s pass to Flourish Sabastine in the 85th minute helped them score the late winning goal.
The French women fought back but were unsuccessful in scoring until the game ended in Nigeria’s favour.
Nigeria’s next game is on Sunday against South Korea.
Group C included Canada, France, and South Korea along with falconets.
The U.S. Under-20 team defeated Ghana 3-0 earlier in the day in a different match to start their run.
On March 26, the Falconets defeated Senegal 4-1 in Benin to earn a spot in the World Cup, which will be held in Costa Rica from August 10 to 28.
