'Bittersweet' exit for Ramirez after stunning goal

Mexico have been knocked out of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Poland 2026™ but Deiry Ramirez’s stunning effort against Argentina will live long in the memory.

In a pulsating encounter at Arena Katowice, El Tri trailed early on after Annika Paz opened the scoring for Argentina in the 29th minute with her fifth goal of the tournament. However, just seven minutes later, Ramirez responded in scintillating fashion.

The Tigres player didn’t hesitate for a second as she latched onto a loose ball 30 yards out and unleashed a powerful dipping effort into the top right corner, leaving goalkeeper Priscila Siben completely helpless.

“I’ve never scored a goal like that in a proper match before,” the attacker told FIFA. “I work on it a lot in training but I thank God that I was able to do it today. Now we have to move on."

If Mexico’s No9 is already looking ahead, it is because once again the script did not go her team’s way in Poland as the defeat saw them head home. After opening her World Cup account with a superb goal, Ramirez struck again minutes later with a header from an acrobatic assist by Alice Soto.

In the must-win game, Mexico suddenly found themselves ahead and on course for the Round of 16, with Ramirez being denied a World Cup hat-trick by the offside flag early in the second half. However, their dreams were dashed when Alma Velasco Heim drove home an equaliser before Dolo Delgado pounced on a defensive mishap in added time to slot home the winner as Argentina won 3-2.

“I’m happy to have scored my first World Cup goal, but obviously it’s bittersweet because we didn’t manage to get the result we wanted,” Ramirez reflected in the mixed zone after the defeat.

“I also think it’s a result of the team effort. We've been working on this kind of thing for a while now. I just want to thank my team-mates, because without them, I wouldn’t have been able to score this goal.”

The strike will undoubtedly be in contention for Goal of the Tournament and while it ultimately went unrewarded, Ramirez will be able to talk about that goal for decades to come.

It is now part of her story, but also part of the history of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.