Korea Stumbles at U-20 Women's World Cup with Loss to Nigeria

Korea lost 1-0 to Nigeria in its second group match of the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Alajuela, Costa Rica on Monday.

Korea beat Canada 2-0 in its first group match last week but has now dropped to third in its group with three points from a win and a loss.

Nigeria leads the group with six points from two wins, followed by France, which defeated Canada 3-1 on the same day. Korea and France are equal in terms of points and goal difference, but France has posted three goals, one goal more than Korea.

Korea will face France in its final group match on Thursday.

In the group stage, 16 teams are divided into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.

Monday's loss was particularly disappointing as Korea's tactics appeared to be working well initially. Korea used five defenders to nullify Nigeria's powerful, well-built attackers. Korea also attacked aggressively with fast and accurate passes, creating multiple goal chances. However, Lee Su-in's free kick hit the post in the middle of the first half, while Go Yu-na's threatening shot in the 66th minute was stopped by the Nigerian goalkeeper.

In the 83rd minute, Esther Onyenezide's fierce curl shot proved to be the winning goal for Nigeria. Korea kept pushing the Nigerian side until the end, but to no avail.