Australia v. Nigeria

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Simon Strikes Keep Matildas Hopes Alive

by Jeremy Ruane

Australia kept alive their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages from this FIFA Women's World Cup Finals' "Group of Death" as two Kyah Simon goals edged Nigeria 2-0 in controversial circumstances at Winnipeg Stadium on 12 June.

The controversy surrounded a second half incident which saw Sam Kerr felled by a vicious elbow to the jaw from Nigerian substitute Ugo Njoku which will almost certainly be subject to retrospective action from FIFA, as it wasn't seen by any of the officials. The camera never lies, however … and if Kerr hasn't got a hairline fracture of the jaw as a result of this blow, she's a lucky lady.

As you would appreciate, the Matildas were ropable at the sight of one of their stars lying prone on the turf, and captain Lisa De Vanna made a particularly impassioned plea to referee Stephanie Frappart for justice to be administered.

What the official hadn't seen, she couldn't give, however, although the French referee didn't aid her own cause by blowing the final whistle three minutes earlier than the minimum four minutes of additional time which had been indicated by the fourth official.

These incidents took some of the gloss off a rock-solid Australian performance, one which Nigeria really had no answers to, despite having their fair share of chances, the first of which materialised in the sixth minute. Ngozi Okobi's driving run from midfield culminated in the ball reaching Asisat Oshoala, whose teasing cross arced across the bows of the incoming Francisca Ordega.

The Matildas responded in kind, a Kerr cross careering just too far in front of De Vanna for her to make an impact on the threat this posed to the Nigerians, for whom captain Evelyn Nwabuoku unleashed a twenty-five yarder straight at Lydia Williams in the twentieth minute.

De Vanna replied in kind two minutes later, Precious Dede dealing with her shot, then keeping out Kerr's attempt to turn home an Elise Kellond-Knight free-kick. But the 'keeper and her colleagues had no answers to a scintillating Matildas raid in the 29th minute, from which they opened the scoring.

Midfield dynamo Katrina Gorry latched onto the ball in midfield and instantly unleashed De Vanna at pace at the retreating Nigerian defence. She drew them all towards her before slipping the ball into the stride of the overlapping Simon, whose delightful finish was as clinical as it was elegant.

Nigeria were stunned by this setback, and before they'd had a chance to recover should have found themselves even further behind, as the Matildas carved them open from right flank to left. Kellond-Knight and Gorry were the architects of the move, de Vanna the executioner, save for one thing - she hit the side-netting.

The "Super Falcons", in response, went all out in search of an equaliser before the break, only to find Williams in unbeatable form. The 'keeper saved superbly at the feet of the charging figure of Desire Oparanozie in the 39th minute, after she had been played in by Okobi, while a shot from the Nigerian number nine two minutes later gave Australia's goalkeeper considerably less cause for concern.

Laura Alleway then took one for the team two minutes before the break, blocking a piledriver from Okobi as Nigeria finished the first half in the ascendancy on the pitch, if not on the scoreboard.

The cut and thrust nature of the clash continued in the second spell, with Dede keeping out a header from Gorry, the smallest player on the park, before a timely tackle from Steph Catley curtailed Oparanozie's progress, while a twenty-five yard free-kick from the Nigerian striker was turned round the post by the flying figure of Williams in the 52nd minute.

Five minutes later, Oshoala sliced a volley wildly wide after yet more good work from Okobi, one of the finds of the tournament so far. Her captain was next to feature, Nwabuoko ending up on the turf after a clash with an unidentified Australian which may well require retrospective revision to confirm what happened - certainly the Nigerians weren't too pleased with matters at the time.

While they were upset, Australia delivered the coup de grace, as far as this match was concerned. After Kerr just failed to get on the end of an Emily Van Egmond free-kick, Nigeria cleared the ball from a throw-in to Kerr, who lobbed it back into the danger zone, where both Simon and substitute Tameka Butt had breached the offside trap. The former gleefully volleyed home her second goal of the game in the 68th minute.

The Nigerians were now desperate to get back into the match on the scoreboard, with Onome Ebi stabbing an effort past the post in the 72nd minute, upon receipt of a free-kick delivered by the legendary Perpetua Nkwocha, who belied her 39 years with a lively performance as a second half substitute.

Seconds later, Nwabuoku picked out Ordega with a cross which allowed the striker to set up Oshoala, whose despair at firing over the bar was matched ten minutes later when she repeated the feat, at which point she was withdrawn from the fray.

Before she departed, however, Australia had chances to increase their advantage still further. Alleway picked out De Vanna with a free-kick which the speedster turned into a shooting opportunity. Dede battered that shot away, and was relieved to see the crossbar come to her rescue in the 82nd minute when Alleway directed a close-range effort against the woodwork at the near post, upon being picked out by Kellond-Knight's free-kick.

Nigeria piled on the pressure in the dying minutes, but the Matildas kept them at bay, and were understandably delighted come the sound of the final whistle, their Women's World Cup Finals destiny now firmly theirs to control, unlike Nigeria, who have to beat Team USA in their final game to have any chance of progressing from the "Group of Death".

Australia: Williams; Foord, Kennedy, Alleway, Catley; Van Egmond, Gorry (Butt, 61), Kellond-Knight; De Vanna, Simon (Heyman, 87), Kerr

Nigeria: Dede; Ohale (Njoku, 52), Ebi, Chukwunonye (booked, 60), Ebere; Oshoala (Dike, 84), Nwabuoku (booked, 42), Ayinde, Okobi; Ordega, Oparanozie (Nkwocha, 54)

Referee: Stephanie Frappart (France)

2015 Draw