U-20 WWC: Benin suffer heavy defeat against Argentina
Benin endured a difficult outing in Katowice on Tuesday as they were beaten 8-0 by Argentina in their second match at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Argentina, looking to respond after a 3-0 defeat by Poland in their opening game, took control early and punished Benin with a clinical attacking display.
Abdoulaye Ouzérou’s side fell behind in the 16th minute when Julia Vinhas rose to head Argentina in front.
Benin attempted to stay in the contest, with Romaine Gandonou trying to provide an outlet and keep her side moving forward, but the South Americans continued to increase the pressure.
Mercedes Diz doubled Argentina’s advantage in the 32nd minute before Annika Paz added a third deep into first-half stoppage time, scoring in the seventh minute of added time to leave Benin facing a difficult task at the break.
The situation became even more challenging for the West Africans shortly after the restart.
Diz struck again just three minutes into the second half to score her second goal of the match and extend Argentina’s lead to four.
Paz then took complete control of the contest with a remarkable scoring burst, finding the net three times in the space of six minutes.
Her second-half treble took her personal tally to four goals for the afternoon and put the result beyond doubt.
Benin’s problems were compounded when Assanatou Alassane was forced off with an injury as they struggled to contain Argentina’s relentless attacking pressure.
With the score already heavily against them, Benin attempted to slow the game and prevent further damage, but Argentina continued to search for more goals.
Julieta Aguilar completed the scoring in the 80th minute, adding an eighth goal to seal a comprehensive victory for the South American side.
The result leaves Benin without a win after two matches in the group stage and facing a difficult situation ahead of their final fixture.
Ouzérou and his players will now need to regroup quickly and produce a strong response in their last group match as they attempt to finish their first appearance at the tournament on a positive note. –cafonline.com
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