Another Women's World Cup Quarter Final for Nigeria?
by Steve Ashfield | by Steve Ashfield
Africa on the Rise But Can Nigeria Again Reach the Last Eight?
It's been a good Women's World Cup so far for African nations. Three of them have reached the last sixteen. South Africa and Morocco are in the knockout stages for the first time but that's not the case for Nigeria. They have taken part in every Women's World Cup that has been held and this is the third time they've made it out of their group. Monday August 7th sees them take on European champions England for a place in the last eight.
It was 28 years ago in the third ever Women's World Cup that Nigeria had their proudest moment. It wasn't the 7-1 loss to the USA in the group stages but their wins over North Korea and Denmark that saw them finish second in their group. That took them into the last eight and no Nigerian fan will need reminding how they came from 3-0 down to Brazil to draw 3-3 and then lose 4-3 after extra time.
Whether we'll see a match as dramatic as that on Monday remains to be seen. Remember you can follow all the action on our Sportytrader Livescore page. Can Nigeria defy the odds and reach the quarter finals?
Get the latest odds from bet365
Another Shock Result?
Only once before have Nigeria won two matches in a Women's World Cup final. That was in 1999 and before that they'd failed to win any of their first six games at the highest level. To reach the last eight in 2023, they again need to win two games in the same tournament.
The Super Falcons began their campaign in Group B with a goalless draw against Canada. That was a great result for them considering Canada are seventh in the current world rankings. Up next for Nigeria was another tough match as they faced the co-hosts Australia. Even though they were missing Sam Kerr, the Australians were still expected to win having beaten Ireland in their opening game.
In the first half added time, Australia took the lead but there was more to come before the break. Kanu (above) leveled the scores for Nigeria but there was more good news to come in the second half. Two goals in the space of seven minutes gave Nigeria a 3-1 lead over the side ranked 13th in the world and playing on home soil, There were some nervous moments for Nigeria when Australia pulled a goal back in the 100th minute of play. They held on for a famous win though to make it four points from two games.
Their last group match only produced another goalless draw, this time with Ireland who had already been eliminated. With Canada losing to Australia, that point was enough to see Nigeria again in the knockout stages.
Can they beat England though? The bookies think not and at William Hill, you can get odds of 12.00 on them winning in 90 minutes. It's a tough task for sure against a side that has suddenly found top form. The latest prices can be seen on our betting odds page.
Tough Task Against In-Form England
To reach the last eight, Nigeria have to beat European champions England. They finished top of Group D with three wins out of three and no goals conceded from open play. Their preparations for these finals hadn't been the best. Key players such as Beth Mead, Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood, Ellen White and Fran Kirby aren't in their squad for this Wome's World Cup. Not just that but earlier this year they lost a home friendly to Australia 2-0, their first defeat under coach Sarina Wiegman.
England didn't score in either of their next two games and there were plenty of worries going into their first group game against Haiti. Their opponents should have scored in the first half and ony a twice-taken penalty gave England an unimpressive 1-0 win. They didn't set the world alight in their 1-0 win over Denmark and lost midfielder Keira Walsh to injury and she's unlikely to play on Monday.
Then it all came right for England in their final match against China. A new 3-5-2 formation produced some great football and a stunning 6-1 win. Lauren James (above) has been the star so far with two goals and three assists. England are now the 3.75 favorites at bet365 to win the trophy. You can get 1.29 at Vbet on England to beat Nigeria in 90 minutes. If they play as they did against China, then this may well be the end of Nigeria's Women's World Cup hopes.
