“She’s such a force physically,” Waldrum said. “She can create problems — the third goal was massive. When we talked about her role — she’s like any player, she wants to be on all the time — I said ‘I just have a feeling, come on for the last 30 minutes and make a difference.’”
What a feeling.
The pivotal moment against the injury-plagued Australians was in the 72nd minute when Oshoala swooped on a defensive mixup and beat three Matildas to the ball, sneaking a right-foot inside the near post from a tight angle.
She peeled off her jersey and sprinted to the right corner to celebrate scoring in three consecutive World Cups, getting a yellow card in the process.
“I’m so proud of these players. So many people didn’t believe,” Waldrum said. “Didn’t believe in me, in the team.
“I told them after the match, keep believing.”
That’s something the Australians need now.
“This was a massive opportunity that we let slide,” Steph Catley, who is leading the Matildas in the absence of Kerr, said in her post-match TV interview. “We created a lot of opportunities that we couldn’t finish. We weren’t patient enough, and we weren’t clinical.
“(Nigeria) was great on the counter and they finished their chances,” Catley added. “We’ve just got to move on as quickly as possible — on to Canada now. This is what World Cups are all about.”
After controlling much of the game, Australia was stunned by the two-goal burst from Nigeria.
Australia went into the game with 10 wins in its previous 11 international matches, including an away win over European champion England, and had seven clean sheets in their previous nine games.
They had more shots on goal (28-10) and more on target (8-5) but missed the clinical finish of its world-class strikers and was rarely able to breach Nigeria’s disciplined defense.
Australia dominated possession throughout the first half and had 10 shots on goal to one, but it was tied 1-1 at halftime after the teams traded goals in stoppage time.
Emily van Egmond scored the opener for Australia and Uchenna Kanu equalized seconds before halftime when she tapped in a floating, deflected cross from to the blue-haired Rasheedat Ajibade.
Oshoala replaced Kanu in a double switch for the Nigerian attack swung the momentum of the game.
Nigeria scored from a corner with three players heading the ball in sequence, starting with Michelle Alozie and going recalled midfielder Ajibade, who angled it across for veteran Uchiobe Ohale beside the post.
Ohale nodded it in and took the brunt of Alanna Kennedy’s attempted clearance kick simultaneously.
The Australians threw everything into attack in front of a parochial 49,156 crowd but only managed to pull one goal back with Kennedy’s header deep in added time.
The Matildas have generated unprecedented exposure for women’s soccer in Australia and were widely expected to reach the knockout rounds. Now coach Tony Gustavsson has to turn around an upset quickly.
“When it’s as tough as it is now,” he said, “that’s when the true strength comes out in the team.”
Australia opened the tournament with star player Sam Kerr out injured for at least two matches, and now Kerr’s replacement is hurt, too, heading into a Group B match against Nigeria.
Mary Fowler joined Kerr on the injury list one day before the Thursday match in Brisbane. Fowler, a striker who also plays for Manchester City, suffered a concussion in a recent practice.
The Matildas pulled out a 1-0 victory over Ireland in their opening match and now their depth will be tested.
“I think we could play any one of us right now in the starting 11 and it would be the same as what we do on the training pitch,” midfielder Tameka Yallop said earlier this week. “I think everyone has that ability and capability to step up and be a star at any point.”
Building depth has been a priority for Tony Gustavsson throughout his first three years in charge of the Matildas. Shortly after he was hired, a December 2020 performance report released by Football Australia showed the program had the least overall depth of the 12 leading nations analyzed.
The Matildas’ struggles to replace injured defender Clare Polkinghorne during the 2019 Women’s World Cup contributed to their exit in the round of 16, their worst finish since 2003.
Nigeria was pleased with its 0-0 draw against Canada in the opening match, and the Super Falcons have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four matches. The big moment for Nigeria was when goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie stopped Canada star Christine Sinclair’s penalty kick.
