The Super Falcons produced an impressive performance to hold reigning Olympic champions Canada to a goalless draw in their opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Friday morning.
Canada came out looking every bit the World Cup contender they are, but as the game went on, they started to lose their way.
Nigeria, on the other hand, initially appeared to be in trouble before growing rapidly into the game to give the Olympic Champions a good run for their money.
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In the end, it seemed that Canada ought to have won by three points, especially in light of the fact that they outpossessed the Super Falcons by 68 percent and outshot them 16-11 overall.
Both the captain Christine Sinclair and the attacker Jordyn Huitema missed their chances to score.
The African team became more competitive as the first half went on, and Ifeoma Onumonu forced Kailen Sheridan, the Canadian custodian, to make an important save.
When a long pass caught Sheridan off the line in the 35th minute, Nigeria had its greatest scoring opportunity, but Asisat Oshoala was unable to capitalise from a tight angle.
The Super Falcons had a poor start, but as halftime drew near, they picked up the pace and had more attempts and shots on goal than Canada.
Cloe Lacasse was substituted in for Deanne Rose in attack as Canada made a change to start the second half.
A turning point occurred when Christine Sinclair was struck by Francisca Ordega in the penalty area, leading in a penalty for Canada.
Chiamaka Nnadozie of Nigeria, who was in goal, came up and made a superb save to block Sinclair from scoring.
Blessing Demehin of Nigeria received the first caution for a hard hit on Jordyn Huitema as the game heated up.
In order to keep the pressure on Nigeria, Canada maintained its dominance in possession and made strategic substitutions.
Evelyne Viens of Canada, who had been substituted in during the 64th minute, had a shot at goal, but Nnadozie stopped her with a critical save.
Both teams battled valiantly as the game went on, with Nigeria coming dangerously near on a few occasions, but Sheridan was up to the challenge.
Uchenna Kanu replaced Francisca Ordega in the 73rd minute, marking Nigeria’s first replacement.
Kanu’s entrance added some attacking flare, and she was awarded a free kick following a hard foul by Lawrence of Canada, who was shown a yellow card.
Nigeria kept up the pressure, and in the 80th minute, they nearly took the lead, but Sheridan made an outstanding save on a dangerous ball into the area.
The game remained closely contested, and both teams made additional substitutions to find the winning goal.
However, in the 90th minute, Nigeria suffered a setback as Abiodun was sent off following a crude challenge on Lawrence.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Super Falcons held on valiantly, and eventually won the match.
Australia leads Group B after one game, with three points. Canada and Nigeria are in the next few positions, each with one point.
Ireland completes the group, but following their excellent showing against the Matildas, they will be optimistic about their chances of moving on.