The Argentine national team lost 6-2 against North Korea in its debut at the U-20 Women’s World Cup

Summary of Argentina-North Korea at the U-20 Women’s World Cup

After months of intense preparation and having secured their qualification in Ecuador, the Argentine U20 women’s team lost 6-2 to North Korea in their debut in the World Cup being held in Colombia. This first match took place at the Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali. The defeat was predictable against one of the teams that is a powerhouse in the category since it is the current Asian champion and was once world champion in 2006.

The match started off elusively for the Argentine girls, as Pak Mi Ryong opened the scoring in the 6th minute. Meanwhile, Jon Ryong Jong widened the gap in the 9th minute with a rocket from outside the area.

The Asians then maintained their supremacy, but lowered the intensity of their game. Christian Meloni’s team had a hard time recovering and getting close to the opponent’s area.

Before the break, however, the North Koreans increased their lead after a corner from the right and Juana Cangaro headed the ball against her own goal.

At the end of the first half, Argentina had its clearest chance with a cross from Denise García Rojo that hit the crossbar. However, it was Kishi Núñez who scored the discount with a shot from outside the area that hit the crossbar and merited a review by the Simplified VAR (coaches can request it), which showed that the ball went in its entirety and was validated by referee Ivana Projkovska.

At the start of the second half, Argentina suffered another blow, with Syn Hyang scoring their fourth goal with a header in the 54th minute. Later, in the 74th minute, the fifth goal came for the Asians after a run down the right and a pass from Il-Son Choe.

It was Kishi Núñez herself who scored another goal for the Argentines in the 82nd minute, once again with a great goal, this time with a shot after entering the area.

The goal that sealed the result came in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Kang-Ryon Choe shot from outside the area, which deflected off one of the Argentine players and threw goalkeeper Paulina Aprile off balance. In the 97th minute, the referee disallowed Kim Sung’s goal after a mid-distance shot.

In Group F, Argentina shares the group with North Korea, Costa Rica and the Netherlands. The second match for Meloni’s team will be on Thursday, September 5 against the Dutch team, again at the Pascual Guerrero stadium. The last match of the group stage will be played on Sunday, September 8 against the Costa Rican team at the El Techo stadium in Bogotá.

The 2024 Colombia U-20 Women’s World Cup will take place until September 22 in four stadiums: El Campín and El Techo stadiums in Bogotá, Pascual Guerrero in Cali and Atanasio Girardot in Medellín. With 24 teams taking part for the first time in the history of the tournament, the competition promises to be intense and full of emotions.

The formation of Argentina

Argentina’s line-up: Paulina Aprile; Sofia Dominguez, Samantha Weiss and Margarita Gimenez; Denise Garcia Rojo, Kishi Nunez and Delfina Lombardi. Coach: Christian Meloni.

TV: Public television / DGO

Referee: Ivana Projkovska.

Stadium: Pascual Guerrero

World Cup groups:

Group A: Colombia, Australia, Cameroon and Mexico.

Group B: France, Canada, Brazil and Fiji.

Group C: Spain, United States, Paraguay and Morocco.

Group D: Germany, Venezuela, Nigeria and South Korea.

Group E: Japan, New Zealand, Ghana and Austria.

Group F: North Korea, Argentina, Costa Rica and the Netherlands.

The Argentine national team’s fixture list for the U-20 Women’s World Cup:

Monday, September 2nd

19.00 Argentina vs. North Korea, at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, Cali.

Thursday, September 5th

22.00 Argentina vs. Netherlands, at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, Cali.

Sunday, September 8th

17.00 Argentina vs. Costa Rica, at El Techo Stadium, Bogotá.