Nigeria beat Australia 3-2 to go top of Group B

The Super Falcons of Nigeria, on Thursday defeated Australia 3-2 at the Brisbane Stadium.

The Nigerian female beat their opponent to record their first win in the competition and the fifth win in the history of the Women’s World Cup.

Before the match, the  the nine-time African champions have recorded only four wins in the history of the competition – two at the 1999 edition (against North Korea and Denmark), against Canada in 2011, and at the 2019 edition, where they also recorded a 2-0 win over North Korea.

With the win, the Super Falcon’s chance of reaching the round of 16 have been boosted after Canada secured a 2-1 victory against Ireland on Wednesday.

Read Also: Australia Vs Nigeria: How Super Falcons May Line Out Against Matildas

Emily van Egmond, who started in place of the injured Sam Kerr did well to convert Caitlin Foord’s cut-back.

Five minutes later, the teams were on level terms. Rasheedat Ajibade’s cross was deflected into the path of Uchenna Kanu, and she calmly slotted home.

The Matildas started the second half the brighter of the two sides but the West Africans were resolute in defence.

Against the run of play, Nigeria won a corner; the ball was not cleared and despite MacKenzie Arnold’s initial save, the rebound fell kindly to Osinachi Ohale who headed home to make it 2-1 in the 65th minute.

Barcelona attacker Asisat Oshoala then capitalised on poor communication at the back between the defender and the goalkeeper to score the Super Falcon’s third.

Alanna Kennedy scored in the ninth minute of added time to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finale, but the Super Falcons held on to grab maximum points.

 The win put the Super Falcons on top of Group B with four points, the same as Canada who defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-1 and drew 0-0 with Nigeria.

The Girls in Green have already been eliminated from the competition after losing their two matches in the pool.

The Matildas are on three points and must defeat Canada in their final group game to stand a chance of making it to the next phase.

Advertisement

Most Popular This Week

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More from Author

Advertisement

Read Now

5 Times VAR Decisions Left Football Fans Outraged

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced to make football fairer, but at times, it has sparked major controversy. A Manchester United star left a cheeky message on Bruno Fernandes' match ball after he scored a Europa League hat-trick on Thursday night. Fernandes dragged United to victory against Real Sociedad...

Europa League Drama: Real Sociedad Holds Manchester United to 1-1 Draw

Mikel Oyarzabal's composed penalty secured a 1-1 draw for Real Sociedad against Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash on Thursday. The Red Devils, struggling in a disappointing season, view the competition as their most realistic path to Champions League qualification. However, they...

Chelsea Secure Narrow Win Over Copenhagen in UEFA Conference League

Chelsea took a significant step towards the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos and Fiorentina delivered a five-goal thriller in their encounter. Reece James and Enzo Fernández scored in the second half...