Nigeria versus Australia second round match will be top of the card for group B as a loss for either side may spell doom for the losing team though hosts Australia will hope Canada makes a slip.
Canada on Wednesday sent home Ireland with a 2-1 win meaning it is either Nigeria wins or she may go home with Ireland and Hosts Australia’s loss may be more burdened meeting Canada later.
Australia has an advantage of their lone goal victory over Ireland when Nigeria forced Canada to a goalless draw in the first round matches of the group.
Cover Photo is Rasheedat Ajibade with her coach at the Press Conference on Wednesday. Australia meets Canada at Transcorp Stadium on Thursday at 1100 hours
Australia had lashed the Super Falcons of Nigeria in their only meeting ever at the 2015 world cup in Canada on 12th June 2015 when Kyah Simon scored a brace in the 29th and 68th minutes to give Australia their win in Group D played before 32,716 spectators at the Investors Group Field at Winnipeg.
Nigeria would be more desperate for a win as agile super winger, Rasheedat Ajibade and Oparanozie will be back to bring up the attack with Gift Monday and Onumonu likely to make the four arrow heads in the attack with Africa’s best player and Ballon D’or hopeful, Azezat Oshoala.
Oshoala was not clinical in her first match always waiting for the ball but she has pledged to rain goals for Nigeria against Australia that she fired blank against in 2015.
Australian players are as dangerous as a rattle snake with great match strategy to force opponents to commit unforced errors and earn corner kicks or even penalties.
With oldest player and Captain Onome Ebi penciled for a start on Thursday, hopes are high that experience will count to marshal the defenders not commit and fall into the booby traps of the Australians.
Oshoala has warned that she and her colleagues are not scared about the expected noise of home support as that will galvanize the Super Falcons to bang in the goals.
It is disappointing that as at Wednesday 26th July, the Australian Embassy has not granted Nigeirian Supporters Club visas to enter the country. The ungentle and unsportsmanly act we understand is on the table of FIFA but may be late for the actions as expected from Nigeria.
According to the 2016 census figures of Australia, 8,488 Nigerian born citizens are in Australia. Most of them are Igbos and Yorubas who have formed formidable social groups in the nation. The two Nigerian tribe citizens live mostly in foremost cities of Sydney and Melbourne and have mobilized support for the Super Falcons on Thursday.
Australia will be missing three of her dependable players. Captain Sam Ker of Chelsea has not recovered from injury but may play from the last group match. Manchester Forward, Mary Fowler and Defender Aivi Luikt were reported to have had mild concussions in separate training incidents and would not be fit to play against Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Super Falcon is the most successful African women’s team winning Women AFCON 11 times and the first African team to have reached both the FIFA Women World Cup and football Summer Olympics Quarters.
Nigeria in her first International match played 16th February 1991 thrashed Black Queens of Ghana 5-1earning her biggest win in Ivory Coast on 11th May 2019 whipping Niger Republic women 15-0. But three different countries spanked Nigeria 8-0 each in her highest defeat; Norway at Sweden on 6th June 1995; Germany at Leverkusen on 25th December 2010 and Germany again at La Manso on 6th April 2018.
Nigeria has appeared at the final tournament of the female world cup 9 times but her highest achievement was at USA 99 where she placed 7th in the world having lost at the quarter finals 3-4 to Brazil. She had made the round of 16, another knock-out stage at France 2019 where Germany knocked her out 3-0 on 22nd June of that year.
In all of Australia’s 8 appearances in 1995; 1999; 2003; 2007; 2011; 2015 and 2019 the country made the quarters only once at the 6th Edition in Germany which Japan won by beating USA.
Australia in that 2011 Germany Edition, surprised Book makers by coming 2nd with 6 points after Brazil that chalked 9 points to top Group D while top rated Norway could only make 3 points for beating Equatorial Guinea that had no point in the group. Australia fell to Sweden 1-3 on 10th July at Augsburg in the quarters.
On Thursday 27th July. USA will face a formidable side in Netherlands at Wellington Regional Stadium in group E at 0200 hours. Portugal in the same group will try the Vietnam War at 0830 hour at FMG Stadium, Waikato. Nigeria will battle for her first win against hosts Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in a group B match at 1100 hours.
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
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