Nigeria start GK #16 Chiamaka Nnadozie (18 yrs! from WWC-20) instead of #1 Tochukwu Oluehi from the 3-0 loss to Norway. TEAM NEWS | Who's ready for the first match of the day? Here are the teams for #NGA and #KOR 👇#NGAKOR | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/AXZNr2IHKd— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 12, 2019
I am happy that Lee Min-A is starting today: she's a good player that I like a lot. Not sure who will come home with a win here: I see it as a very balanced match. Nigeria have a scaring attack-line, but their defense is suspect; South Korea is more balanced as a team, but they somehow lack biting strength. For sure a draw today wouldn't serve anyone of the two teams, they both need a win. I don't root for any of the two in particular. I'll predict a Korean win by a slight margin, but it could actually go either way.
07' 0-0 Jung SB drives through box top right to 13m, cross blocked over by Ohale. 10' 0-0 Ebere crosses on the run from 18m wide left to 7m right post, Oparanozie heads down sharply to right post low, Kim Minjung dives and blocks it away.
13' 0-0 Oshoala lunges for a tackle at right touch, turns her right ankle slightly as her cleats dig in. She resumes with not much pain: good shoes? 18' 0-0 Ji Soyun flicks a pass to Lee Geummin facing away at 11m box left, 1-v-1 on Okeke. Lee touches back to 13m mid-left, shoots right instep bend to 1m center, Nnadozie smothers. 21' 0-0 Korea exchange ~10 short passes in a moving quadrilateral at box wide right. Cross past spot, Nnadozie calls off Ohale(?) and catches. 22' 0-0 Uchendu shoots from 24m center, hooks it wide left. 23' 0-0 Korea break to box top right, switch to arc top left. Lee Geummin square pass right to Lee Mina unmarked coming up to 22m arc right, Lee shoots right foot across mouth juuust past left post low. Nnadozie's dive probably sufficed to seal the far post.
Urgh: I hope the game won't be decided by this own-goal: it was awkward! How anticlimatic for a 1st half that had been very intriguing so far!
27' 0-0 Oshoala jump-tucks and plows into Hwang Boram's back at circle top. Foul, R1 gives her a warning. 29' 1-0 Chukwelu win ball at circle center, hoofs long through box top right post looking for Oparanozie splitting the CBs. GK Kim Minjung comes out to 10m but doesn't call her defenders off, LCB #5 Kim Doyeon comes back and hop-volleys waist-high right foot to clear -- and deflects ball over Oparanozie's left forearm, past Kim Minjung, into empty net. Own goal But hey, a long VAR check -- did Oparanozie, in waving/flapping at that ball going past, brush it with her arm? No touch, goal.
Goal stands after a VAR check for a potential handball by Oparanozie (didn't have the impression she had touched her even without VAR). An image showed a Korea's player seemingly praying for the VAR to save them! It didn't work (not sure if it was like this: it just looked like it, since the player was muttering something to herself ).
33' 1-0 Oshoala counters through box top right to 12m, ball pings around as Nigeria swarm box. Eventually, Oshoala shoots right roundhouse from 11m mid-right, Jang Selgi blocks, ball topspins over endline right. 34' 1-0 Uchendu left ck, to 1m center, Kim Minjung catches high. Nigeria look invigorated, Korea drop back into a dogged defense. 36' 1-0 Lee Mina vertical pass from circle top through box top center, just too fast for Jung Seolbin. Nnadozie dives through spot and smothers, Jung hops over her.
I think the officials were correct to let that goal stand. The Super Falcon player's hand seemed to come very close to touching the ball, or may have touched it, but you couldn't really tell from the camera angles we saw on TV---and, importantly, neither the ball's spin nor direction changed after passing by her hand. That suggests that she may not have touched it.
39' 1-0 Jung Seolbin chases down a ball at 3m wide right, crosses over 6-box to 5m 7-left. Lee Mina runs on, jumps and kicks right outstep, ball rattles through Ebi's feet and drops to Lee Geummin at 3m 4-left. She kicks a cross through 4m, Okeke clears it just before somebody dunks. 42' 1-0 Cho receives at 12m box left, drives a cross toward 12m right post, headed away. Lee Mina chests ball up at arc tangent left, stomp-kicks it forward, soft bouncer doesn't trouble Nnadozie. 43' 1-0 Lee Mina slides at circle top left touch, Oshoala blasts ball upfield -- into Lee's left shoulder/armpit/head. Brief pause as Lee is stunned from impact -- she resumes, trudges back. 44' 1-0 Ebere chips from 28m mid-left to 8m right post, Oshoala comes back to ball and front-cuts Jang Selgi, jumps for a back-header but misses, ball bounces over endline right.
HT 1-0. Nigeria 4(1)-(2)5 shots(sog), 3-1 corners, 0-2 offsides, 6-3 fouls, 44% possession, 65% (85/130) - (183/231) 79% passing. The goal: 1138809490067906561 is not a valid tweet id
The goal itself was counted as a shot on goal for Nigeria or for South Korea? Technically it was a shot on goal, but it wasn't Nigeria actually taking it!
45'03" 1-0 Oparanozie kicks off -- with a 50m shot directly on goal It tails off wide left, flight time was 3 seconds. 49' 1-0 Kang Chaerim holds at box right low, taps back to Ji Soyun at 10m mdir-giht. Ji turns and drives leftward, gets closed down by 2 -- slumps down before contact, dives between them. Yellow card on Ji Soyun, for simulation 50' 1-0 Ebere fk, to Oparanozie jumping 1-v-1 at 10m left post, side-header goes just high and rolls along the roof. 51' 1-0 Cho Sohyun shoots from arc top to 1/4 right, Nnadozie catches face-high.
Ji So-Yun's simulation in the box was quite embarassing for a player of her class. Rightfully Yellow-Carded.
56' 1-0 South Korea subs in: - (1 of 3) #13 Yeo Minji for #11 Jung Seolbin - (2 of 3) #9 Moon Mira for #7 Lee Mina. 57' 1-0 Nigeria counter down box right, Oshoala races Lee Minjung to 1m mid-right. Lee wins race and bends over to pick up ball, Oshoala hurdles her. R1 is not impressed, gives Oshoala a brief warning -- for dangerous play? 58' 1-0 Korea left throw-in at 8m, Jang Selgi shross from 12m box left to 1m 1/3 right -- Lee Geummin is leaning 1 shoe length offside past the line at 5m right post. Nnadozie sprawls left and double-blocks ball directly into Lee's path, Lee lifts knee-high right instep and volleys into center back low. No goal, offside.
61' 1-0 Chikwelu and Cho Sohyun go back-to-back for a high ball at circle center, Chikwelu's left elbow catches Cho in the nose or face. Stoppage, Cho is down for treatment, yellow card on Chikwelu. 62' 1-0 Cho resumes. Korea slip a pass into Yeo facing away at 12m right post, Ebi pokes ball away on the turn, Nigeria dump it over endline right. 64' 1-0 Moon Mira dribbles out to box top center, shoots right roundhouse, Ohale (with both arms tucked behind her back) bravely heads it down and away, wide left and over. 64' 1-0 Korea left ck, backpass, Yeo high cross to 4m 3-right, Cho glance-heads just wide right low. 65' 1-0 Nigeria subs in (1 of 3) #18 Halimatu Ayinde for #11 Chinaza Uchendu.
71' 1-0 Hwang Boram lunges at ball, overshoots and lands right cleat on Chikwelu's right foot top (and raking across it). Foul, yellow card on Hwang. 72' 1-0 Lee Geummin receives down wide right, backpass to Kim Hyeri to 9m 1/5 left. Nnadozie comes out high, Ebi backpedals into her, ball bounces off Nnadozie's gloves, away through box top. 75' 2-0 Korea bad pass across 30m, Okeke collects and counters to midfield mid-right, chips long to 25m mid-right. Oshoala runs alongside Hwang Boram to 12m, hops over her slide-tackle try, pulls Kim Minjung out to 6-top right and hops over her, to 1m 4-right -- and touches a perfect roller just inside right post from no angle at all. #NGAKOR#FIFAWWC WHOOSHHHHHHHH2:0#Superfalcons baby #Oshola pic.twitter.com/2Nk5l1c77L— Omoyemi (@OmoyemiAkerele) June 12, 2019 76' 2-0 Korea subs in (3 of 3) #19 Lee Sodam for RM #23 Kang Chaerim.
Yes, but I've got the feeling the ref is allowing them a little too much physical play, while every Korean foul is sanctioned.
Lethal counter-attack by Nigeria and Oshoala scores 2-0. Korea is done. They had played well so far, but they can't possibly recover from this.
Oshoala totally flubbed that breakaway. She should've scored another. Too heavy a touch near the keeper.