Ghana, France and Italy claim wins as Japan and United States draw in U20 Women’s World Cup

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup produced four matches in Poland on Wednesday, 9 September, with Ghana, France and Italy all recording important victories. The day’s most dramatic contest came in Group D, where Japan twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with the United States.

Ghana revived its Group C campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Republic of Korea. The Korean side held firm during a first half in which neither team could establish a decisive advantage, but the Black Princesses took control after the interval.

Sarah Nyarko opened the scoring in the 52nd minute before Ivy Osei Owusu doubled Ghana’s lead just three minutes later. Ruth Amponsah then added a third in the 84th minute to put the result beyond doubt. The Republic of Korea scored again in added time, but the late goal did not alter the outcome.

The result gives Ghana a significant boost in Group C, while the Republic of Korea were unable to turn their first-half resistance into a positive result.

France also secured a narrow win in the same group, defeating Ecuador 3-2. The victory takes France temporarily to the top of Group C with four points.

The match was closely contested, with the margin of victory remaining one goal at the final whistle. France’s success keeps them in a strong position in the group, while Ecuador were left without the result they needed from the encounter.

Italy, meanwhile, made it two wins from two in Group D by beating New Zealand 3-0. Having already defeated the United States in their opening match, Italy followed that result with another convincing performance to confirm their qualification for the last 16.

The victory means Italy have progressed to the knockout stage with a match still to be considered in the group picture. New Zealand were unable to respond to Italy’s control of the game and finished without a goal.

The final fixture of the day saw Japan and the United States share the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw. The United States took the lead on two separate occasions, but Japan found an equaliser each time to ensure the match ended level.

Japan’s repeated response prevented the Americans from securing a win, while the United States had to settle for a point despite leading twice. The result leaves both sides with work still to do in Group D as they continue their efforts to join Italy in the knockout phase.

Wednesday’s results were:

– Ghana 3-1 Republic of Korea – Italy 3-0 New Zealand – France 3-2 Ecuador – Japan 2-2 United States