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Australia’s Girls’s World Cup hopes are on life assist, with their hopes of qualifying for the knockout levels in tatters after a demoralising 3-2 loss to Nigeria at Suncorp Stadium.
The scene was set for the Matildas to e-book their spot within the spherical of 16, with a win securing protected passage by way of Group B – as a substitute, their hopes now relaxation on a knife’s edge after a dispiriting exhibiting towards Nigeria.
In a primary half largely devoid of fine possibilities, Emily van Egmond gave Australia the lead in stoppage time, just for Uchenna Kanu to equalise quickly after.
And Nigeria continued to tear up the script when Osinachi Ohale transformed from shut vary within the second half and substitute Asisat Oshoala pounced on a defensive mix-up from Alanna Kennedy and Mackenzie Arnold.
Kennedy’s late header arrange a grandstand end, nevertheless it was too little, too late.
It leaves Australia needing a win over Olympic champions Canada in Melbourne on Monday evening simply to flee the group, having picked up three factors from their opening two video games – a degree behind each Canada and Nigeria.
After a nervy begin from the Nigerians, that they had the most effective probability of the opening exchanges as Kanu flashed a harmful low ball throughout the face of the objective, however nobody was there to comply with it in.
Nigeria sat deep and comfortably soaked up the majority of the Matildas’ forays ahead and even with star striker Oshoala on the bench, the tempo of their entrance three and guile of Toni Payne in midfield made them look harmful on the break.
Identical to the Eire recreation, Australia’s ways seemed to be launch hopeful crosses into packing containers stuffed with defenders, or goal the goalkeeper from corners.
Each groups struggled for management of the sport, and regardless that the Matildas have been capable of get on the ball extra because the half progressed, all they needed to present for it have been a handful of half-chances and an rising variety of corners they might not reap the benefits of.
Hayley Raso had the most effective probability to open the scoring when a nook fell to her on the again put up, however she may solely shepherd it into the side-netting, earlier than goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie spilt a routine nook and Foord’s follow-up was blocked and van Egmond skied the rebound.
Up the opposite finish, time slowed when Christy Ucheibe’s shot deflected off Ashleigh Plumptre and wrong-footed Arnold – happily, her shot trickled extensive.
Simply because it appeared the sport would go to half-time 0-0, a objective from all sides in damage time swung the pendulum each methods.
First, an errant goal-kick was prodded ahead by Katrina Gorry and Foord’s cut-back was positioned within the nook of the online by van Egmond.
Nonetheless, the Matildas had barely completed celebrating when Rasheedat Ajibade carved out some house and her cross deflected off Ellie Carpenter, earlier than being swept house by Kanu.
Other than a Gorry thunderbolt which narrowly flew over the bar inside a few minutes of the restart, the Matildas appeared a bit too affected person – the dearth of urgency mirrored by a scarcity of substitutions – because the nervousness ranges rose across the stadium and the nation.
That nervousness was a full-blown panic assault with 25 minutes to play, when a Nigerian nook was not cleared and Ajibade’s header slipped by way of Arnold’s palms and Ohale bundled the ball house, copping an unintended kick throughout the chest from Kennedy within the course of.
The panic assault turned to distress minutes later, when a back-pedalling Kennedy tried to move again to Arnold beneath stress by substitute Oshoala, however within the Australian pair’s hesitation, the striker pounced on the free ball and tucked house.
Kennedy virtually made amends when she headed over from a nook earlier than Foord narrowly shot over, however the Matildas seemed devoid of concepts outdoors more and more determined hit-and-hopes.
Defender Clare Polkinghorne was bafflingly the primary cab off the rank on the bench and attacking midfielder Alex Chidiac was solely launched within the closing 5 minutes of regular time as Australia seemed misplaced.
9 minutes into added time, Kennedy climbed highest at a nook to move past Nnadozie to offer Australia a lifeline, earlier than the keeper claimed Carpenter’s cross with Kennedy lurking for a straightforward tap-in to finish any hopes of a late draw.
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