Nigeria and Japan through to Semis

Nigeria and hosts Japan are through to the last four of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012 after two tense and exciting quarter-finals. The first match of the day at the National Stadium in Tokyo bristled with incident. After a raft of shots against the woodwork, the Nigerians were particularly guilty of negligence in front of goal, although the Mexicans could themselves have broken the deadlock in a spirited second-half display. At the end of the day, an extra-time goal was enough to separate the sides, prompting celebrations for the Africans and despair for the North Americans. In the second quarter-final, Japan and Korea Republic proved much less wasteful, and the record crowd of more than 24,000 saw no fewer than three goals in the first 20 minutes. The South Koreans cancelled out the hosts’ early opener, but two more goals before half-time set the Young Nadeshiko on their way to victory.