The Brazil U-20 Women’s Team He had no mercy on the football candor of Fiji This Saturday, on the opening day of the World of the category, which was difficult but left the Colombian hosts with a relief, and left the Mexicans and Canadians with a bad taste in their mouth, as they had to resign themselves to signing a draw.
The Canarinha could have played a 27-minute match today, the time it took them to score five goals against the Bula Girls, but even after taking their foot off the accelerator in the second half they had enough resources to inflict a monumental 9-0 on Medellín. The display equalled the best result for the Brazilians in the history of the tournament, which is celebrating its eleventh edition this year, having dealt another blow to another representative of Oceania, Papua New Guinea, in 2016.
Hours earlier, at the same Atanasio Girardot stadium, the action in Group B resulted in a pyrotechnic 3-3 between France and Canada, which was a punishment for the Americans, who were up 0-2, and a reward for the resilience of Les Bleus. After the first round, Brazil leads with 3 points, France and Canada follow with 1, and Fiji closes with 0.
Colombia overcomes nerves and complies
The story in Group A looked unbeatable for the Mexican team, which at the end of the first half was winning 0-2 against Cameroon, but ended in disappointment when it allowed a vigorous reaction from the Indomitable Lionesses, who arrived in Colombia to play the first U-20 World Cup in its history.
With a Nemesio Camacho El Campín stadium packed with 25,000 spectators, the Colombian team had to row against the current until the 58th minute, when they found the ‘Open Sesame’ to defeat a rocky Australia 2-0.
Linda Caicedo scored one of Colombia’s goals
Colombia has 3 points, two more than Cameroon and Mexico, while Australia closes with empty bags. The Mexican team took just 3 minutes to break Cameroon’s resistance in the debut of both teams in the eleventh edition of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, which Colombia is hosting for the first time.
Atlas striker Marcia Garcia made her mark by scoring the tournament’s first goal and also presented her candidacy to be the author of the earliest. Also quick to score were Canadian striker Nyah Margaret Rose and Brazilian midfielder Lara Dantas, who scored in the 4th minute.
Just twenty days away from turning 18, left-footed Monserrat Saldívar gave herself a very special gift in her career: her first goal with the Mexican national team at the World Cup in Colombia. Hers was no ordinary goal, as she extended the Mexican women’s lead over Cameroon to two in the opening match of Group A.
Motserrat Saldivar celebrates her goal with Mexico
Saldívar’s rise has been as meteoric as it has been fast. And precocious. His professional debut came at just 14 years old in the ranks of América, on August 16, 2021. Since then, no one has been able to take his place and three years later he has shown that he is here to stay in the national team.
Twenty-five goals and four top scorers
The opening day got off to a flying start in Groups A and B, whose venues are Bogotá and Medellín, respectively. A 9-0 thrashing by Brazil over Fiji, a hard-fought victory by Colombia (2-0) and two draws (3-3 and 2-2) marked the first round, which saw a total of twenty-five goals in four games for a high average of 6.2.
With two doubles, four players have already stood out as top scorers. These are the Brazilians Vitória Amaral and Natalia Vendito, the Cameroon captain Naomi Leslie Ndjoah Eto and the French forward Dona Marie Scannapieco.
The time has come for Spain, Venezuela and Paraguay
This Sunday, the city of Cali will be the scene of events for Group C, in which Spain, the current champion, will face the United States, and Paraguay will face Morocco in the second half. Group D will be activated in Bogotá, first with the match between Germany and Venezuela, and then Nigeria and South Korea.
