0:2 against Japan

U20 women in World Cup round of 16 despite defeat

Austria's U20 women are through to the last 16 of the World Cup.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

- Austria's U20 women's national team suffered their first defeat in their third game at the World Cup in Colombia. Team boss Markus Hackl's side rightly lost 2-0 (0-1) to tournament co-favorites Japan in the "final" for first place in Pool E in Bogota on Monday and now have a very tough task ahead of them in the round of 16 with superior Group F winners North Korea at the start of the knockout phase on Thursday (23:30).

There is also the added stress of traveling, as they will be playing in Medellin. Japan, on the other hand, will play again in Bogota on Friday (3:00), with Group D runners-up Nigeria, a much easier opponent on paper. The North Koreans are two-time U20 world champions and are highly rated in the battle for title number three. This is underlined by the results of 6-2 against Argentina, 9-0 against Costa Rica and 2-0 against the Netherlands in the tournament so far.

First defeat
The Austrians conceded their first defeat after beating Ghana 2-1 and New Zealand 3-1, as Maya Hijikata (38, 79) scored first with a header and then finished off the scoring with another cool finish. The "Young Nadeshiko" are thus still unblemished after a 7-0 win over New Zealand and a 4-1 win over Ghana.

Hackl made four changes from the second group game, including giving captain Chiara d'Angelo a rest. The basic formation was also changed with the switch to a five-man back line in order to keep things tight at the back. The ÖFB team played very deep, but the Asian team still managed to get dangerous shots through the center.

Markus Hackl

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Manaka Matsukubo (24, 34), captain Shinomi Koyama (31) and Hijikata (36) missed the target, while Mariella El Sherif also reacted brilliantly to shots from Miyu Matsunaga (25) and Hijikata (37). The Carl Zeiss Jena goalkeeper also managed to keep out an Okamura header, but was powerless against Hijikata's header. It was not until the 45th minute that the Austrians made their first attacking appearance, when Valentina Mädl was unable to put a header dangerously on target.

Japan's team boss Michihisa Kano left important players in the dressing room at the break, and it was also clear that his team was keen to save energy for the rest of the game. As a result, the Austrian side were no longer under pressure, but were once again barely able to develop up front. The most dangerous goal remained a weak finish from Julia Keutz (61'). The six-time Asian champions made everything clear in the final, Hijikata finishing dryly after an ideal pass and celebrating her fourth World Cup goal. The crossbar prevented a fifth (89').