admin
HAMILTON. — Nigeria’s clash against Australia at the Women’s World Cup today offers the continent a chance to reverse a series of poor results at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand and seek a rare win for Africa.
The Super Falcons go up against the co-hosts in Brisbane hoping to add to the point they already have behind their name after holding the highly-fancied Canada to a goalless draw in their opening Group B game.
It has been the only high point for the continent so far as the tournament Down Under has served to remind of the gulf in class between the established powers of the women’ game and the emerging teams from Africa.
Zambia’s two defeats have seen them concede 10 goals and there have been officially eliminated, left with only pride to play for when they take on Costa Rica in their last Group C game in Hamilton next week.
They were beaten 5-0 by Japan on Saturday and then 5-0 by Spain yesterday.
Morocco’s 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Germany on Monday was also a bitter pill for the continent to swallow, given that the Moroccans were runners-up to South Africa at the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Nigeria’s game against Australia will mark the 58th match by an African team at the Women’s World Cup finals – almost half of them played by the Super Falcons, who have been to all nine editions of the tournament.
Nigeria have four wins and four draws from their 27 previous games at the finals and along with Cameroon and Ghana are the only African countries to have won at the finals.
In 1999, the Nigerian ladies beat both Denmark and North Korea to reach the quarterfinals, which remains to date the best return by an African side.
They also beat Canada in 2011 and South Korea in France four years ago but on both occasions did not get out of the group stage.
Cameroon won three games – twice in 2015 when they go to the round of 16 and once in 2019 – and Ghana registered a single victory when they were one of two African representatives in the U.S in 2003. It was against Australia, which might offer Nigeria some encouragement for today’s clash.
Tomorrow, South Africa will be playing their fifth game at the finals when they take on Argentina in Dunedin and will be hoping to pick up their first points. They lost all three games in France four years ago but were unlucky not to hold Sweden to a draw in their Group G game on Sunday.
In total, Africa has won eight games at the Women’s World Cup, since the first edition in China in 1991, with five draws and 44 defeats — reflecting a long struggle to try and get up to standard. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter