The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup continued Thursday (on FOX and the FOX Sports app) with Nigeria playing to a scoreless draw against Group B favorite and reigning Olympic champion Canada at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Australia.
Thursday’s game had more cards — two yellow and one red — shown than in the previous two games combined (two).
Canada was captained by powerhouse forward Christine Sinclair, 40, who has a record 190 goals and more than 300 caps across her 22-year career.
On the other side, Nigeria was led by star defender Onome Ebi, also 40. Both made their sixth World Cup appearance.
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90’+8′: Seeing red
Nigeria midfielder Deborah Abiodun was given a red card in extra time, as things ended in a scoreless draw.
Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun receives red card
75′: Star power
The Super Falcons pulled out all the stops in the second half, as both teams continued to battle.
71′: Sinclair subbed off
In a rare site, Canada sent in a substitute for Sinclair, who left a World Cup game early for just the second time.
66′: Not so fast
Nigeria goalie Chiamaka Nnadozie came up with block after block in the second half to keep things competitive.
50′: What a save!
Sinclair — the greatest goalscorer in the history of international soccer — wasn’t able to capitalize on her second-half penalty shot, as Nnadozie came up with a monumental save to keep Canada off the board.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie makes a STUNNING SAVE on a PK
47′: First VAR review
A penalty was awarded to Canada after a VAR review confirmed a foul by Nigeria forward Francisca Ordega.
43′: Denied
Nnadozie came up with an all-important save late in the first half to keep her team out of harm’s way.
35′: Teamwork in full force
Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala had a golden opportunity to put her team on the board, but the Canadians had other plans.
34′: Miscue
Abiodun’s shot late in the first half was too high, and things remained in a stalemate.
29′: All-out effort
Jordyn Huitema nearly put the Canadians ahead in the first half, but her header missed just to the right.
23′: Saved!
Nigeria forward Ifeoma Onumonu took a shot from distance midway through the opening half, but Canada goalie Kailen Sheridan wasn’t letting anything past her and came up with a crucial save to keep things scoreless.
18′: No quit
Huitema won a free kick early in the first half after getting tripped up by Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie, who narrowly avoided a yellow card in the process.
9′: What could have been
Sinclair was this close to getting her squad on the board first right out of the gate, but her attempt was no good.
PREGAME
Setting the stage
The “World Cup Now” crew previewed the match live on Twitter ahead of kickoff.
One goal in mind
Canada’s roster in this tournament has 39.1% of its members (nine players) hailing from the National Women’s Soccer League; no one on the roster plays domestically in Canada.
‘This group is capable of anything’ — Christine Sinclair
Comparatively, Nigeria has no players in the NWSL.
That said, Nigeria does feature star striker Oshoala, who was the joint top scorer in Spain’s Liga F last season.
Check out the full Women’s World Cup schedule and how to watch each match live here. Find the latest scores here.
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