U-20 WWC: Sabastine’s late goal sends Falconets past Korea in tough opener

The Falconets of Nigeria defeated South Korea 1-0 in their opening game of Group D at the 2024 Women’s World Cup.

Flourish Sabastine’s 86th-minute strike was the ultimate difference between the two sides in a tough clash at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota, Colombia, in the early hours of Monday.

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 melded 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. They struggled to create chances through their hurried, route-one approach.

16-year-old Lucky Nkpa, the team’s leading striker, was a constant glimmer of brilliance with her pace and power. A quick combination of passes between her and Rofiat Imuran landed Nigeria’s first chance in the game, but Nkpa’s effort narrowly sailed over the bar.

In the second half, Imuran curled a free kick a few inches wide from the goal post while substitute Chiamaka Okwuchukwu dribbled past two opponents, but her shot was saved by Woo Seobin, the Korean goalkeeper.

But the stalemate was shattered late into the game when Sabastine’s shot, which initially looked like a cross, clipped into the net off the upright. The striker wheeled away in celebration as Mike Ejeagba’s viral ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ song blasted from the stadium sound system.

On Wednesday, the team will return to action to face Germany in their second group game before playing Venezuela on September 7.