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So let’s wrap it there. That was a sloppy game with a few howlers in the mix, but both sides had some encouraging moments in the attack, and Nigeria will only gain confidence after keeping mighty Canada off the scoresheet.
The big winner here is, of course, Australia, which leads the group and has a clearer path toward winning it. But they also have to consider the fact that neither of these teams will be easy to hold off.
And with that, I’ll pass you over to our next game of the day, the Philippines vs. Switzerland. Your commentator is Mike Hytner. Please drop by, say hello and enjoy another game.
Fox is hyping the USA-Vietnam game with pictures of Alex Morgan and a bench player. Folks, can we move the spotlight off Megan Rapinoe? She was maybe the fifth-best player on the team in 2019 and has only been aging since. (That said, she was underrated earlier in her career and is one of the best crossers of the ball the game has ever seen.)
OK, let’s go back to Peter Oh: “This sloppy match is giving me a hankering for a heaping, messy plate of poutine and jollof rice.” Sounds good. I’ve eaten way too many Life Savers during this game.
Mary Waltz: “Canada are partners in the Commonwealth with Australia but the Aussies seem to be rooting for the Nigerian side. Sharing a King doesn’t seem to generate any Commonwealth love.” Maybe Canadian radio doesn’t play enough INXS and AC/DC?
I’m searching for words, and fortunately, Justin Kavanagh has sent some to my inbox: “That penalty was a con, a wild jump in the air that Rudolf Nureyev would have been proud of. The lack of a clear foul was evidenced by the ref’s lack of womansplaining in this instance (Oh, Peter). Is this ref Finnished? And Nigeria’s keeper Nnadozie was a doozy to save it.”
I actually thought the penalty was one of those cases in which there was a legitimate foul AND an embellished reaction. It happens.
Nnadozie pumps her fists at the final whistle, thrilled with the result. I’m not sure I would be. They had enough of the action to think about getting three points out of this.
The Canadian players don’t look happy, but c’est la vie.
90 mins +8: Quinn launches the ball 30 yards forward into the box, and Nnadozie has to race out to punch it free.
Canada wins possession again, gets it back into the box, and then Viens is very late in a challenge, earning yellow and giving up a free kick that will give Nigeria a needed breather.
90 mins +6: Patient build up for Canada, and Lacasse ends up putting in a cross that gets deflected for another corner. Off the ball, Abiodun earns a yellow card for a foul on Lawrence.
And … we’re getting a review for a possible red card. Taking a quick look now, and yeah, I’d send Abiodun out a little early.
90 mins +4: Throw-in deep in the Nigerian half. Schmidt gets the ball and whips around for an awkward but dangerous half-volley that has to be punched out at the post.
Another corner, more contact in the box, and Nnadozie is down grimacing again.
90 mins +2: Nigeria makes one or two or five passes too many, working the ball backwards until Schmidt gains control and plays for Viens, who makes a good run that is finally stopped in the Nigerian box.
87 mins: Oh, that’s a marvelous interception from Buchanan to snuff out a promising Nigerian attack. Nigeria is forced to foul on the Canadian counter.
83 mins: Payne gets another corner-kick opportunity. It’s high, and Sheridan gets caught in traffic like a Northern Virginia bassist trying to get to Silver Spring. The ref blows the whistle for a foul against Nigeria.
That’s 14 fouls for Nigeria against only four for Canada. I’m a referee myself, and I hate being criticizing the people who are obviously way better at it than I am, but that seems like too much of a disparity for me.
80 mins: SAVE BY SHERIDAN … though it may not have counted, anyway, thanks to a question of whether someone was offside in the buildup. Whether it was needed or not, it’s a brilliant stop on a point-blank shot by Kanu.
Nichelle Prince will be Canada’s last sub, coming in for Grosso. Nigeria still has made only one change.
78 mins: We’re seeing some throw-in issues for some reason. Nigeria bobbles one and gets called for an illegal throw. Lawrence takes one that looks a little dodgy – I let it go in Under-9 soccer but might take a closer look at an older age group. This has been a jittery game.
74 mins: YELLOW CARD to Ashley Lawrence, who makes just enough contact with Kanu to give the Nigerian sub an excuse to hit the ground. Payne lines up the free kick, 25 yards out and about 15 yards off center.
72 mins: Schmidt immediately poses some danger in the buildup, and the ever-dangerous Huitema blasts a shot into a defender’s arm. There’s a shout for a handball, but that was a point-blank range, and the arm was firmly at the defender’s side. No way that’s getting called.
69 mins: Huitema, who has been Canada’s most incisive attacker, gets half a step on her defender but can’t turn the ball in for a teammate.
The action stops as Nnadozie seeks help from the trainers. She has some wraps on her knees.
And Christine Sinclair is … leaving, along with Riviere. Sophie Schmidt and Allysha Chapman are in. Sinclair is one of the best players ever, but this sub can only help at this stage.
67 mins: Ucheibe goes for glory from somewhere in the Outback. The shot sails high as Sheridan tries to figure out how to kill time. She hasn’t had much to do in this half.
60 mins: OK, how is that not a foul? Lawrence gets an arm around Onumonu, holding her away from a loose ball just outside the top of the box. Onumonu falls backward as she tries to get away and somehow bumps her head in the process.
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56 mins: Buchanan goes to ground quite easily and draws the foul. Oshoala kicks the ball in frustration, and it caroms off a Canadian player. That could easily be a yellow card, but it’s not.
54 mins: YELLOW CARD to Demehin, as the Nigerian defender slides too late to get the ball from Huitema. The referee smartly lets play continue to see if advantage materializes. It does not, and we’ll have a free kick.
The ball floats into the box, and Canada is looking for another penalty. None given.
Christine Sinclair takes the ball in her hand, getting ready to become the first player to score in six World Cups. Her body language is horrendous. She doesn’t look like she wants to be there.
And after Nnanfozie’s diving stop, Sinclair is a forlorn sight.
Forget the record book here. Canada needed that goal.
47 mins: Hmmmm … VAR time, and we see on the replay that Sinclair basically hopped to the ground with Ordega nearby. But there was a little bit of contact, and our referee goes over to watch. Indeed, from another angle, it looks like Ordega got her foot, and even though Sinclair’s reaction was completely unnatural, it’s probably a penalty.
Credit Lacasse with some good work on the flank to set that up.
Murray Henman: “I agree with your assessment and your reasoning that Canada could lose this game (however unlikely). But New Zealand has no players in the Guardian’s top 100 footballers and I’d have said it was very unlikely that they could beat Norway - yet they managed a great win last night. Such is the joy of World Cups.”
And Norway has a few players in the top 20.
Peter Oh: “This ref sure does a lot of womansplaining.”
That would be Lina Lehtovaara of Finland.
Mary Waltz: “Greetings from scorching hot California. Woke up at 2 AM this morning to watch the best striker in the world play in front of her country in Australia only to find out she was out on injury. No matter, a tense competitive match versus the Irish side was a joy to watch. I feel this year’s cup will be a banger, the Woman’s game is different but just as exciting as the men’s cup. I don’t think any of the favorites are guaranteed a spot in the semi’s, upsets will be the story this year.”
This is indeed a Cup rife with potential surprises. The growth in the women’s game is making this a lot of fun.
After the first 15 minutes saw Canada banging into a green wall, Nigeria has shown some attacking intent and come closer to scoring than the heavily favored Olympic champions. Not the best soccer so far, but the drama is only increasing.
OK – caffeine break, and then I’ll check the inbox.
45 min +1: Nnadozie barely manages to punch the ball from Sinclair on a Canadian corner. We’ll do it again, and this one deflects out to the far wing. Canada maintains possession with a throw-in for what might be the last action of the half.
