Photo Credit: Gabriel Aponte – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
New Zealand have bowed out of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ in Colombia after a 3-1 defeat by Ghana in Cali.
Following Group E defeats by Japan and Austria, New Zealand’s hopes of progressing to the round of 16 were over before they walked out onto the pitch.
But they started brightly and thought they had taken the lead in the 9th minute with a sharp finish from Kiara Bercelli, but her strike was ruled out for offside after a lengthy review.
Ghana forced a superb save from New Zealand goalkeeper Madeleine Iro in the 16th minute and produced six shots in in the first spell, compared to one for the Kiwis.
Ghana had the ball in the back of the net in the 29th minute through Salamatu Abdulai but her strike was ruled offside.
The West African side should have taken the lead in the 57th minute when Jennifer Owusuaa blasted wide from the edge of the six-yard box.
They didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoreboard however, when from a corner in the 59th minute, the ball was nodded down across goal for Abdulai to prod home.
Five minutes later New Zealand was level, when Manaia Elliott pounced on a nice through ball from Emma Pijnenburg and deftly lobbed the Ghanaian keeper into the back of the net. Minutes later she had another opportunity to put New Zealand in front but her shot was deflected wide.
Abdulai put Ghana back in front in the 72nd minute with a looping header that just beat Iro in the New Zealand goal.
Millie Clegg had a great chance to level the scores again but fired straight at the keeper in the 82nd minute and that was as close as it got for the New Zealand side with Ghana scoring late in injury time through Tracey Twum to secure the points for the West Africans.
Ghana: 3 (Salamatu ABDULAI 59’, 72’, Tracey TWUM 90+5′)
New Zealand: 1 (Manaia ELLIOTT 64’)
HT: 0-0