Ghana and New Zealand concluded their respective FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals campaigns in a lively encounter at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali on 8 September, the Africans accounting for the Junior Ferns 3-1 to end the tournament on a winning note. Having each lost to Japan and Austria in their earlier group games, and with the route to the next round via a third-placed finish having been dashed by outcomes elsewhere, there was little but pride at stake for both teams in this final group encounter, one which saw Maia Vink taking the helm for the Junior Ferns after coach Leon Birnie had to make an early return home due to illness. An action-packed affair ensued, as caution was thrown to the wind by both teams. Jennifer Owusuaa set the tone in the fourth minute, lashing a twenty-yarder past the post despite the close attentions of both Rebekah Trewhitt and Ella McMillan, having already got the better of Manaia Elliott. Three minutes later, Owusuaa was the beneficiary of a move begun by goalkeeper Jenna Sapong, and continued by Helen Alormenu and Stella Nyamekye. Owusuaa looked to pick out Salamatu Abdulai with her cross, but Olivia Page's timely intervention put paid to Ghana's hopes of an early goal. The Junior Ferns had their own ideas on that score, and in the eighth minute, looked to have realised them. Milly Clegg made in-roads down the right before linking with Elliott, whose cross picked out Ruby Nathan. Her flick-on played in Kiara Bercelli, whose superb finish beat Sapong all ends up, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside - the second time this week that a Bercelli goal had been denied by an infringement. That shot across the bows gave Ghana's game renewed vigour. Helena Errington blocked Nyamekye's thirteenth minute shot after great work down the right by Abdulai, while three minutes later, Madeleine Iro made a vital save with her legs to thwart Abdulai, who looked a certainty to score from six yards out after Nyamekye had done McMillan a treat before picking out her front-line partner-in-crime. Iro intervened again in the twentieth minute, grabbing Jennifer Dawah's cross-shot beneath her crossbar, to which the Junior Ferns responded via McMillan's raking ball forward to Elliott, who evaded two challenges before looking to pick out Clegg with her cross. Sarah Kulible's intervention foiled that prospect, while after both Beline Nyarkoh and Nyamekye went close from distance, it was Ghana's turn to have a goal ruled out for offside, Abdulai the unfortunate party after she had latched onto Wasiima Mohammed's clearance and outpaced the chasing McMillan before slotting home past the advancing figure of Iro on the half-hour. It took an interminable amount of time before the Video Assistant Referee came up with decisions on both this strike and that netted by the Junior Ferns earlier in the game - wholly unnecessary. Adding to the problem was the on-field officials' seeming inability to make a decision without having need to revert to technology to aid their cause, which begs the question - were they up to the task to begin with? Colombian referee Maria Daza wasn't much chop, it must be said. Both goals came under threat in the dying minutes of the first half, with Bercelli and the overlapping Rebekah Trewhitt combining to present Emma Pijnenburg with a shooting chance. Kulible blocked her effort, and sparked a Ghanaian counter-attack, Abdulai leading the charge before setting up Nyamekye for a chance which was blocked by Page, an able deputy for the concussed Ella Findlay. Ghana were out of the blocks quickly in the second spell, Alormenu's industry creating a volleyed chance which Owusuaa steered wide of the mark, before great work by Nyamekye saw her work an opening with Owusuaa which resulted in the former shooting straight at Iro from the edge of the penalty area in the 49th minute. The Junior Ferns responded with an instant counter-attack, Zoe McMeeken sending Clegg careering

downfield. She engineered some space to shoot, but the lunging figure of Mohammed deflected her attempt narrowly over the bar. Back came the Ghanaians, Owusuaa and overlapping fullback Comfort Yeboah combining on the right for the benefit of Nyamekye, whose touch failed her on this occasion. The ball was cleared as far as Owusuaa, whose cross-shot was tipped over the bar by Iro. From Mohammed's resulting corner, Kulible's bid to score was foiled on the line by McMillan. Cue another Mohammed corner, the ball this time striking Errington and ricocheting goalwards, only for Page to clear off the line. Iro then kept out a drive from half-time substitute Veronica Kumah as the African side lay siege to the Junior Ferns goal, and they squandered a glorious chance to break the deadlock in the 57th minute. Abdulai caught McMeeken in possession, and half-time substitute Abiba Issah was swiftly brought into play. She fed Nyamekye, who played the ball on for Alormenu to pursue. She fired in a cross to the far post which found Owusuaa arriving on cue in acres of space, but with Iro to beat, she blazed her shot well wide of the target - you could hear the despairing groans all the way from Accra! Those groans turned to cheers in the 59th minute as Ghana took a deserved - and well overdue - lead. Mohammed delivered a corner to the far post, where Yeboah rose above all-comers and guided a header into the heart of the goal area, where Abdulai was lurking with intent - 1-0. The Junior Ferns weren't going to take this lying down, and to prove the fact, levelled the scores within five minutes. After Elliott had seen her long-range shot grabbed by Sapong, Pijnenburg pounced on a loose ball in midfield and spotted Elliott's run, which she rewarded with a well-timed pass. Through Elliott charged, and she duly lobbed Sapong - 1-1. She nearly had a second two minutes later, after Pijnenburg and McMeeken had combined to play Elliott in. Issah's vital block spared Ghana's blushes on this occasion, while Yussif Basigi's team survived penalty claims in the 68th minute as Clegg went to ground as Sapong saved at her feet, the striker having been played in by the combined efforts of Pijnenburg and Bercelli. Now it was Ghana's turn to respond, and they swiftly regained the lead in the 72nd minute. Abdulai won the ball and fed Owusuaa, who played it inside to Nyamekye. She got the better of Page before picking out Abdulai with her cross. The striker's looping header arced over Iro and dropped into the net by the far post - 2-1. The Junior Ferns were rocked by this blow, but recovered to mount an 81st minute attack in which substitute Olivia Ingham was prominent. She turned Yeboah superbly before firing a cross into the corridor of uncertainty, the curse of defenders and goalkeepers alike. While they hesitated, Clegg swooped, only for Sapong to pull off a fine blocking save to deny her the equaliser. While the Kiwis were chasing an equaliser, they were always vulnerable to the sucker-punch, and Ghana delivered it with virtually the last kick of the game, from a corner they were defending! It was cleared to Daisy Brazendale, who promptly gifted possession to, of all people, Nyamekye. She sent Abdulai racing through from halfway, with Zoe Benson in hot pursuit. The substitute forced the striker to shoot at Iro, who parried the ball into the stride of late substitute Tracey Twum. With her first kick of the ball, and virtually the last of the game, she despatched it into the net from six yards to wrap up Ghana's 3-1 win, a result which extended to eleven matches New Zealand's winless run at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals. Their last victory? In 2016, a 1-0 triumph over … Ghana. Ghana:          Sapong; Yeboah, Kulible (booked, 90), Tay, Owusuaa (Attobrah, 89); Alormenu (Twum, 90), Mohammed, Nyarkoh (Kumah, 46), Dawah (Issah, 46); Abdulai, Nyamekye Junior Ferns:     Iro; McMeeken, McMillan, Page (Brazendale, 84), Trewhitt (Green, 60); Elliott (Benson, 84), Pijnenburg, Nathan (Colpi, 60), Errington, Bercelli (Ingham, 79); Clegg Referee:     Maria Daza (Colombia)