An injury time winner from Nigerian captain Rita Chikwelu broke the hearts of the Junior Ferns at the Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso in Coquimbo on 19 November, as the African champions downed their Oceania counterparts 3-2 on the opening day of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Chile. The Kiwis had fought back from two goals down to draw level just after half-time, and were good value for a share of the spoils until Chikwelu struck with a minute of stoppage time remaining. Nigeria were the first team to settle in the match, which struggled to get going during its first half-hour. Chikwelu had the first chance, in the tenth minute, when darting in behind the New Zealand defence onto a Sarah Michael cross, but fired over the top from eight yards. Five minutes later, Michael was again the source of problems down New Zealand's left flank, this time picking out Ogonna Chukwudi with her cross. The striker directed her diving header straight at Charlotte Wood, whose presence was a welcome site given her injury-enforced absence throughout the just-completed U-17 Finals in her homeland. The `keeper hoisted the ball downfield, which gave Sarah McLaughlin the opportunity to pressure the Nigerian rearguard. She took full advantage of their hesitance and let fly from twenty yards with a shot which goalkeeper Charity John found too hot to handle. Margaret Dike was the recipient of the `keeper's uncertain clearance, but was promptly caught in possession by the player nicknamed “Macca”, who instantly fired wide of the near post as she looked to break the deadlock with New Zealand's first noteworthy attack, Rosie White having headed tamely wide in the ninth minute. Newly crowned Auckland Secondary Schoolgirls Player of the Year, Anna Green, was finding life in the left-back position somewhat daunting in this match, and was again exposed in the 24th minute as Michael rampaged down the flank on receipt of a Chukwudi pass. The speedster whipped a low cross across the face of goal which was a virtual invitation to score, and the incoming Chikwelu was just a stride away from doing just that. Seven minutes later, she played a pivotal role in the game's opening goal, and no prizes for guessing from which flank it emanated. Chikwelu scythed in off the right flank and fired a low cross into the danger zone. Caitlin Campbell's lazy clearance - she had a forgettable game, truth be told - landed straight at the feet of Michael, who picked her spot beyond the stranded figure of Wood to open the scoring. The Junior Ferns were still reeling from that strike when they were dealt a further blow which brought them to their knees in the 35th minute. Hannah Wall gifted possession to Chikwelu, who played the ball back to Dike. The fullback's angled cross found Chukwudi lurking near the edge of the penalty area, from where she unleashed a shot on the turn which Wood got a hand to but couldn't prevent from hitting the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 2-0, although in fairness, it's one the `keeper should have done better with. Having conceded two goals through defensive lapses, the Kiwis sought to at least halve the deficit by the half-time break. In the 38th minute, Wood, Ria Percival and the hard-working Betsy Hassett combined to present McLaughlin with a shooting chance from twenty yards which cleared the crossbar by a very narrow margin. Four minutes later, the Junior Ferns were back in the hunt in a big way. Green and Wall combined on the left, with the latter clipping a gorgeous cross towards the far post. Percival homed in on it like a moth to a flame, and leapt high to send a ten yard header bulleting high over John into the top right-hand corner of the net - 2-1. Before the interval, Chikwelu came dangerously close to restoring Nigeria's two-goal advantage with a header from a Tawa Ishola corner which just went past the far post. Five minutes after the break, the roles were reversed, with the captain releasing the corner taker down the right behind half-time substitute Liz Milne. Ishola was wasteful on this occasion, and again in similar circumstances five minutes later. In between times, the Junior Ferns drew level, and should have been awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty area for a crude challenge from behind on White to which referee Tanja Schett wrongly turned a blind eye. Perhaps she was still dazzled by an early contender for “Goal of the Tournament” from Percival, in the 52nd minute. Milne picked out White with a headed clearance, and the striker controlled the ball neatly before rewarding Percival's darting angled run through the inside right channel. The versatile speedster had plenty to do, but did it brilliantly, beating the covering defender on the outside before smashing a twenty-yard screamer across the stunned figure of John and into the far corner of the net with such force that the ball cannoned back

Caitlin Campbell tackled by Ogonna Chukwudi Sarah McLaughlin gets away from Rebecca Ifeoma Kalu Rosie White gets in between Ulunma Jerome and Joy Jegede Betsy Hassett challenges Rita Chikwelu Ria Percival steps in to thwart Ogonna Chukwudi Caitlin Campbell clears ahead of Sarah Michael

into the goalmouth - 2-2, and the gleeful smile on  Percival's face as she raced towards her team-mates to celebrate lit up the sparsely populated stadium. On the hour, Nigeria spurned a glorious chance to re-take the lead. Chikwelu got away from Hassett's clutches, and sprinted into the penalty area before guiding an inviting ball across the face of goal. Both Chukwudi and Michael were just a stride away from converting the opportunity, but the ball remained tantalisingly out of reach for both. Nineteen minutes from time, with both teams looking to score what might prove to be the winner, the Junior Ferns were presented with a great chance through the ceaseless effervescence of Wall. Latching onto a loose ball half-way inside her own half, the schemer accelerated forty yards downfield before slipping White through the inside right channel. With substitute Renee Leota inside her poised to punish anything remotely resembling a cross, the Young Ferns' hat-trick heroine against Columbia backed herself to bag at least one goal against higher-aged opponents, only to shoot straight at John - a great chance forfeited. Within seconds, the Nigerians mounted a string of assaults on the New Zealand goal which tested the merits of Wood and her defenders to their very limits. Bridgette Armstrong stepped in to deny Michael after Chikwelu and Ishola had combined on the right in the 72nd minute, while the same defender was responsible for a poor clearance two minutes later. Ishola was the beneficiary of it, and after wasting a first chance, was fortunate to get a second bite of the cherry. She skipped past Milne before flighting a delightful cross onto the head of Chikwelu, off whose head Wood punched the ball. It dropped kindly for Chukwudi, whose shot was headed to safety by the unflappable Abby Erceg. Wood's anticipation prevented Nigeria from making more of two fine opportunities in the next four minutes, before the Junior Ferns had two chances of their own to cap off a tremendous fightback. In the 79th minute, White released Wall to the left-hand by-line with a delightfully weighted angled ball. The flank player strode onto it and swept a cross to the near post which Leota completely missed, but arriving behind her was fellow substitute Annalie Longo. John saved superbly with her legs. Two minutes later, White and Longo worked a one-two near the right-hand corner flag, from where White sent a cross fizzing across the face of goal, inches over the head of the leaping figure of Wall as she looked to head home what would surely have been the winner. Back came the Nigerians, who pounded away at a Kiwi defence now beginning to feel the effects of the afternoon heat. Seven minutes from time, Michael and Chikwelu worked a one-two which saw the former release Ishola down the right, in behind Milne. The fleet-footed flyer's cross picked out Chukwudi, whose shot was blocked by the combined efforts of Erceg and Percival. Iroka latched onto the rebound, but Wood smothered her shot, three minutes before racing off her line to deny Michael at close quarters. Seconds earlier, Chikwelu had released Michael through the inside right channel, in behind Armstrong. Wood wasn't the only one in white to breathe a sigh of relief when the striker's shot cleared the crossbar by a matter of inches. Michael came closer still in the ninetieth minute, after the Junior Ferns had failed to adequately clear their lines. Iroka picked up the pieces and pumped in an inviting cross which invited Michael to head goalwards from six yards. Her effort grazed the far post. Just when it appeared as if the Junior Ferns had done enough to secure a point from a match in which they had trailed by two goals after 35 minutes, they were dealt a savage blow right at the death. The clock was fast approaching the last of three minutes of stoppage time when substitute Helen Ukaonu hoisted the ball forward from half-way. Once again, Chikwelu dashed after it, having got goal-side of Armstrong, but when she entered the penalty area this time she had Erceg and Wood converging on her. Nigeria's captain held her nerve and steered a shot in between the Kiwi duo and in the direction of the far corner of the net, into which the ball rolled to secure, in the first-ever women's international between Nigeria and New Zealand, a last-gasp 3-2 victory for the African champions which left their Kiwi counterparts wondering what might have been. It's as well they have but three days to wait until their next match, at the same venue from 1pm against host nation Chile, who were downed 2-0 by England in the other opening day fixture in this group. The English and Nigeria lock horns in Sunday's earlier encounter to determine which of them will progress to the last eight. Junior Ferns:     Wood; Campbell (Longo, 72), Erceg, Armstrong, Green (Milne, 46 (booked, 63)); Percival, Hassett, Hoyle, Wall; White, McLaughlin (Leota, 63) Nigeria:     John; Dike (Ukaonu, 67), Jegede, Jerome, Eden; Chikwelu, Kalu, Iroka; Ishola (Saheed, 87), Michael, Chukwudi Referee:     Tanja Schett (Austria)