The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco has entered its decisive stages, with Japan, defending champions Korea DPR, Brazil and Nigeria securing places in the semi-finals following an exciting round of quarter-final matches.
The quarter-finals, played on Sunday, November 1, produced impressive performances, narrow victories and heartbreak for Ghana, whose campaign came to an end following a 1-0 defeat to Japan.
Ghana’s Black Maidens suffered a difficult afternoon at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 1, in Salé, as Japan secured victory through Nanami Kurita’s 54th-minute strike.
After a closely contested first half, Kurita capitalised on a rebound inside the penalty area to score the decisive goal, ending Ghana’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
The Japanese victory also marked their return to the last four for the first time since 2016. Japan will now face defending champions Korea DPR.
Korea DPR maintained their impressive title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over the United States at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 2.
Ri Ui-gyong opened the scoring in the 30th minute before Ri Ye-rim doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time. Ri Ui-gyong completed her brace in the 56th minute to seal a comfortable victory for the two-time defending champions.
In another quarter-final encounter, Brazil came from behind to defeat China PR 2-1 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3.
China took the lead through Wu Yichen in the 42nd minute, but Brazil responded immediately after the restart, with Helena equalising just after the interval. The Brazilian forward struck again in the 87th minute to complete the comeback and send her country into the semi-finals.
Nigeria also secured a place in the last four after edging Venezuela 1-0 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 4.
The decisive moment came in the 89th minute when Nigeria converted a penalty through Oduntan, breaking Venezuela’s resistance and keeping the Flamingos’ hopes of lifting the trophy alive.
With the quarter-finals completed, attention now turns to Wednesday’s semi-final encounters, where Japan will face Korea DPR, while Brazil take on Nigeria.
The tournament’s final and third-place play-off are scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
With four nations remaining in the competition, the battle for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy promises an exciting finish in Morocco.
