The Super Falcons of Nigeria managed to get a draw in their opening campaign at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Canadian squad was unable to crack the Nigerian’s very physical defense in the match that ended goalless at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
The Falcons started slowly, struggling to get into Canada’s half, but they gradually picked up the pace and finished the first half strongly.
The Super Falcons have goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to thank for denying the Canadians a goal from the spot.
In the 47th minute of the game, Sinclair appealed for a penalty when she was brought down by Francisca Ordega in the box.
Her plea for a penalty fell on deaf ears, but Finnish referee Lina Lehtovaara eventually gave the call for a penalty after VAR review.
With Canada’s penalty taker Jessie Fleming on the bench, deemed not fit enough to start, Sinclair took the spot kick, aiming for the corner, only to see her penalty saved by Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who made a superb one-handed save and bundled the ball away to safety to stop any hopes of a rebound from an onrushing Sinclair.
In the match, which was full of drama, Deborah Abiodun was shown a red card in the final minutes of the encounter for a nasty tackle on Ashley Lawrence. after video review.
With their first game of the World Cup starting on a rocky path, the Canadian women will leave Melbourne on Monday to face Ireland on July 26, while the Super Falcons face Australia in Sydney on Thursday.
