In a nail-biting match, England and Nigeria battled it out in the fifth round of 16 match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The match, held at the Brisbane Stadium, was a high-stakes encounter between the European champions and the nine-time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winners.
England came into the match after unconvincing 1-0 wins in their first two games, but found their form with a dominant 6-1 victory over China to top their group. Nigeria, on the other hand, finished second in a tough group by defeating co-hosts Australia 3-2 and holding Olympic champions Canada to a draw.
The FIFA rankings favoured England, with them being ranked at number 4, while Nigeria was ranked at 40. However, Nigeria believed they could pull off an upset and were confident in their abilities.
The big talking point before the match was the return of Keira Walsh to England’s starting XI. Walsh, who suffered a knee injury in the previous match against Denmark, made a remarkable recovery and was a massive boost for the team. She replaced Katie Zelem in the lineup, with England sticking with their 3-4-1-2 formation.
The match began with England dominating possession and creating early chances. Lucy Bronze’s throw-in resulted in a corner, but Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Nnadozie, parried it away. England continued to press forward, with Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze seeing a lot of the ball on the wings.
Nigeria had their moments as well, with Ucheibe’s cross forcing a corner, but the resulting set piece was easily cleared by England.
As the first half progressed, England struggled to find a breakthrough, with Lauren James being tightly marked by Nigeria’s defence.
In the 30th minute, Rachel Daly was fouled in the box, and England was awarded a penalty. However, after VAR review, the decision was overturned. This sparked a revival for Nigeria, who gained momentum and started creating chances of their own.
The first half ended goalless, with Nigeria’s dynamic defence proving difficult to break down for England.
The second half began with Nigeria showing more attacking intent. Kanu’s header hit the crossbar, signalling danger for England. The Nigerian team continued to put pressure on England, forcing Millie Bright to clear a cross for another corner.
England started to regain control, with Greenwood’s free-kick finding Russo, who headed wide. Set pieces seemed to be England’s best chance to break the deadlock, as Nigeria struggled to deal with Greenwood’s delivery.
As the match went into the final stages, both teams had their opportunities. Mary Earps made a sensational reflex save to deny Nigeria a goal from a corner. However, Lauren James’ impetuous stamp on Alozie resulted in a yellow card, and after a VAR review, a red card. England was reduced to 10 players.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes, and extra time was required to determine the winner. Nigeria dominated possession and had the better chances, with Oshoala hitting the bar and Alozie missing a golden opportunity.
England defended heroically, in particular Carter, Bright, and Greenwood, as they played for penalties.
In the second half of extra time, Beth England came on for Lauren Hemp as England looked to change their approach.
Ultimately, the match went to penalties, with Georgia Stanway missing the first penalty for England. Oparanozie missed for Nigeria, but Beth England scored to give England the advantage. Alozie missed her penalty, while Rachel Daly scored a fantastic spot-kick. Ajibade and Greenwood both scored, but it was Chloe Kelly’s penalty that sealed the quarter-final spot for England, winning the penalty shootout 4-2.
England survived a tough battle and showed resolve and determination to overcome a resilient Nigeria side. They now move on to the quarter-finals, while Nigeria can hold their heads high after an impressive performance in the tournament.
Matildas Dominate Denmark in 2-0 Win
Co-hosts Australia came out on top with a 2-0 victory over Denmark at Stadium Australia, with a crowd of 75,784 fans eagerly anticipating the encounter.
Both teams started off with strong lineups, with Australia missing their star player, Sam Kerr, who was relegated to the bench.
Despite the injury concerns for Australia, they were able to field their same starting XI that had dominated Canada in their previous match. Denmark had no major fitness concerns and fielded a strong lineup as well.
The match kicked off with Denmark attacking from right to left. The crowd at Stadium Australia erupted with excitement and anticipation. Denmark had an early chance with Veje drilling a low shot at goal, but Australia’s goalkeeper, Arnold, comfortably saved it.
Australia had a nervous start, with some misplaced passes, while Denmark looked lively and dangerous. Thomsen made a dangerous run down the right, delivering a ball into the Australia box, but Madsen couldn’t connect with it. Harder then had a solo run towards the Australia box and took a shot from the edge of the area, but it went off target.
In the 27th minute, Australia broke the deadlock with a goal from Fowler. She picked out Foord with a delightful through ball, and Foord calmly finished by sliding the ball through the keeper’s legs.
Denmark pressed ferociously, closing down Australia players as soon as they got the ball. Australia did well to avoid any catastrophic turnovers. The game settled down a bit in the last few minutes of the first half.
As the second half commenced, there was a clash of heads between Sevecke and another player, resulting in Sevecke needing treatment. Both teams took their time getting back to full speed. Despite Denmark asserting themselves in midfield, Australia looked confident and professional, making it difficult for Denmark to break them down.
In the 69th minute, Australia extended their lead with a goal from Raso. The crowd at the Sydney Olympic Stadium erupted with joy as Raso found the back of the net. Australia seemed to have control of the match, managing the second half beautifully.
As the minutes ticked away, Denmark found it increasingly difficult to salvage something from the match. Australia controlled the ball deep in attack, wasting precious time for the Danes. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Australia, keeping their World Cup dream alive.
The Matildas, as they’re called, will now move on to the quarter-finals and will be favourites in their match against either France or Morocco in Brisbane on Saturday. With their strong performance against Denmark, Australia will be a team to watch as the tournament progresses.
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