Australia’s World Cup campaign is off to a dismal start after suffering a two-goal loss to USA on Monday. The Aussies will look to keep their qualification hopes alive when they take on African giants Nigeria in what is surely a mouth-watering clash this coming Friday.
Who will grab the edge in this much-anticipated showdown? Read on below for an in-depth preview of matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the other Group of Death match between USA and Sweden here.
Australia crashed to the bottom of the Group of Death with a 3-1 defeat to the United States on Monday. The Aussies had no answer for winger Megan Rapinoe who was involved in all of the Americans’ three goals. She scored twice in this highly-entertaining match and helped set up Christen Press’ winning goal in the 61st minute.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]That being said, the Australians will take pride in the fact that they were more than a handful for the USA in this match, especially in the opening half. Australia launched a furious fight back after Rapinoe’s deflected opener with Lisa De Vanna equalizing in the 27th minute. It was a well-deserved goal for Australia as it was the clear aggressor in the first half. In fact, the Australians should have been 2-1 or 3-1 up by halftime if not for the sheer brilliance of goalkeeper Hope Solo.
The Americans’ class eventually shone through but the Australians proved even in defeat that they can stand toe-to-toe with the world’s best. Even though they were outshot by the Americans, 12-11, the Australians had more shots on target (6-5) compared to the USA.
That performance will give the Australians the belief that they can grab all three points in their next match against Nigeria. For Australia to stop Nigeria’s world-class attack, it needs to control the midfield battle. The Australians only had 44% of the possession in their opening match against the Americans. They can ill afford to give that same amount of possession to a Nigeria side that scored three goals in its opening group match against Sweden.
The Australians will need to fight fire with fire and attack the Nigerians with gusto like they did against the USA in their encounter. The onus is on Sam Kerr and the rest of the Australians to use their speed especially along the flanks to unlock a somewhat shaky Nigeria defense.
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Betting on Nigeria
How about that for a start?
Nigeria produced the comeback of the tournament thus far, recording a stunning 3-3 draw against Sweden on Monday afternoon. Trailing 2-0 at the break, the Nigerians staged a furious fight back in the second half to grab the all-important point.
Goals from Nilla Fischer and Linda Sembrandt provided Sweden with the quick advantage but Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala scored two early second-half goals to level the match at two apiece. It looked like Sweden would escape with all three points, though, after a calamitous own-goal by Desire Oparanozie but Francisca Ortega came to the Nigerians’ rescue with a fantastic 87th-minute strike.
It was a magnificent display from Nigeria who delighted soccer fans with its brilliant all-out attacking style. The Nigerians outshot the Swedes in this match, 14-7.They also had more shots on target compared to Sweden (5-4).
That being said, the most amazing aspect of Nigeria’s performance on Monday was its non-stop offensive onslaught. The Nigerians had Sweden on the back foot right from the get-go as they overwhelmed the Swedes with their tremendous pace. Thanks to the speed in their ranks, the Nigerians were able to control 51% of the possession against Sweden.
They will need that same kind of performance this coming Friday against Australia if they are to record their first win of the tournament. They will fancy their chances of doing just that against an Australian defense that looked out of sorts in its group opener against the USA.
