• Coach satisfied with team’s performance
English club, Chelsea monitored proceedings at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (Melbourne) yesterday morning as the Super Falcons upset the form guide by holding reigning Olympic champions Canada to a goalless draw in their 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup opener.
Flamboyant Canada coach Beverly Priestman picked two Chelsea players, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, in her starting lineup, with both going the distance.
To Nigeria’s advantage, Canada’s superstar Jessie Fleming, who is also on the books of Chelsea, failed a fitness test ahead of the game and remained rooted to the substitutes’ bench for the entirety of the contest.
Hardworking Nigerian midfielder Deborah Abiodun was rightly sent off in the eightieth minute of stoppage time when her yellow card was upgraded to a red after a rudimentary tackle on Chelsea left-back Lawrence.
Despite the Canadians dominating possession in the first half, Nigeria showed flashes of brilliance and could have taken the lead against the run of play in the 35th minute but Asisat Oshoala’s pass towards the middle was blocked by the Chelsea defender.
Reviewing the game on their official website, Chelsea highlighted that the Super Falcons frustrated their opponents.
“They came up against a stubborn Nigerian defensive unit who were determined to frustrate their opponents, resulting in a goalless game that leaves the two sides joint second in Group B, two points behind hosts Australia, who beat the Republic of Ireland in their first match,” the Blues wrote.
Next Thursday, the Super Falcons face co-hosts Australia, who will be without the injured Chelsea striker Sam Kerr.
Meanwhile, Priestman has hailed the performance of her team following their draw against the Super Falcons.
The CONCACAF nation were the favourites going to the game and expected to dominate the contest, but a spirited display by the African side resulted in points shared between the two footballing nations.
Canada had a golden opportunity to win the game early in the second half, but their captain, Christine Sinclair, missed a penalty kick after a fabulous save from Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
But Priestman has said there is no time for her team to keep dwelling on the game, but to rather see them looking forward to their next game against the Republic of Ireland
This is a tournament football so we take a point out of today. We have to keep moving forward, we will stay calm, and we move on to the next one
Both Canada and Australia were expected to progress from the group going to the tournament, but Nigeria too could now be in the picture following their impressive outing against the Olympic champions.
Nigeria will face Australia in their next game on July 27, While Canada will clash with Ireland also on the same day.
