U-17 Women's World Cup! In Azerbaijan.

Well the tournament has kicked off and things are positively fascinating! How about beginning in Group A which consists of the hosts Azerbaijan, Canada, Colombia, and Nigeria? The hosts flopped against Colombia losing 0-4 with the half-time score of 0-3! Colombia's captain Dayana Castillo had a positively phenomenal game scoring in rapid succession in the 17th and 20th minutes. Gabriela Maldonado struck a minute from the half while Laura Aguirre added their 4th in the 73rd minute. As for the match between Nigeria and Canada, the two sides remained level 0-0 through the 1st half before each striking once in the 2nd to leave the two sides with a point a piece. Not to pick favorites, the Nigerians were probably expected to win this one though the Canadians actually struck first, in the 63rd minute to the chagrin of the Nigerian fans. Nevertheless, the ladies of Nigeria kept their wits about them and equalized in the 81st minute, saving themselves a bit of embarrassment. Moving on to Group B, France and the United States couldn't get by one another as they finished at a 0-0 draw. Having said that, the French probably should have won with 23 shots to America's 3. They also had 2 more corner kick opportunities and a slight edge as far as possession goes. Nevertheless, the United States will have to pick up their offensive output if they want to progress let alone win it all. That game was nothing compared to North Korea's absolute domination of Gambia with a 6-0 lead by the half and the final score sitting poised 11-0. Who were the trend-setters? Well, Ri Un Sim and Ri Kyong Hyang each bagged hat-tricks while Ri Hyang Sim slotted home twice in the last 4 minutes. Kim So Hyang, Kim Phyong Hwa, and Choe Yun Gyong each struck once as well! As for Group C, Mexico took on New Zealand, edging the Kiwis 1-0 with a 1st half goal coming in the 36th minute from Fernanda Perez and holding on for dear life. As for Brazil's match with Japan, the South Americans were utterly neutralized. Building a 0-2 lead in the 1st half, the Japanese went on to win 0-5! Rika Masuya struck in the 2nd and 17th minutes though was unable to complete her hat-trick. Yui Narumiya then proceeded to strike two goals, in the 49th and 67th minutes, that put the match completely out of Brazil's hands as Hina Sugita struck in the 63rd minute. And what about Group D? Well, it got off to a voracious start with Uruguay falling to China 0-4 after a first-half scoreline of 0-3! As both teams were debutant to the tournament (the only game in which that was the case) it should dispel any pre-tournament jitters for the Chinese as Tang Jiali scored in the 23rd minute while Zhang Chen made a double before the half. Lu Yueyun's 79th minute goal was just the icing on the top of the cake. Last but certainly not least, Ghana v.s. Germany was a thrilling encounter with the Germans leading 0-2 at the half. In the 2nd half though, Ghana fought back, almost equalizing after drawing one nearer. Keep watching and I am sure they will remain just as titillating throughout the remainder of the tournament!