Germany champs again; They beat Nigeria 1-0

Germany have been crowned the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup (WWC) champions for a record third time after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Nigeria in the final last Sunday night.

Lena Petermann scored the title-winning goal eight minutes into extra time to settle a match that had seen the Germans outplayed for long stretches. 

The new champions had their goalkeeper,  Meike Kamper,  to thank for their survival as she made many saves from the onslaughts of the excellent Nigerians.

Her efforts won her the player of the match. 

This clash between the European and African heavyweights was always expected to produce an open, engaging final and so it proved. Nigeria quickly gained a foothold and went on to dominate the first half, creating the better and more numerous chances. 

The inability to convert those chances was their only failing, and the most guilty player was the tournament top scorer Asisat Oshoala. 

France were consoled with the third place with a 3-2 win over North Korea in their match which preceded the final.

It was an impressive and deserved win for Les Bleuettes, who  edged their Asian rivals amid a rush of second-half goals.