Football

Australia women vs Nigeria player ratings: the Super Falcons pounce on the Matildas

In a thrilling encounter, the Nigeria women stunned co-hosts Australia in Brisbane when edging them 3-2. Despite falling behind just before halftime the Super Falcons rose to the occasion and built a 3-1 lead in a second half that the Matildas would want to forget quickly. Here are our Australia women vs Nigeria player ratings and our Player of the Match too. 

Australia vs Nigeria ratings
(Xinhua/Zhang Chen) – Photo by Icon sport
  • Australia were kept at bay all first half by an inspired goalkeeper. The period ended with drama after the teams exchanged quick goals in added time.
  • Inspired by their swift response to falling behind Nigeria scored 2 quick goals right past the hour to totally unsettle the Matildas.
  • A late goal from Kennedy proved nothing more than a consolation for the Matildas.

Australia women Player Ratings: Defensive display to forget

Australia vs Nigeria player ratings
Caitlin Foord #9 of Australia breaks with the ball as Christy Ucheibe #10 of Nigeria pressures during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Group B match Australia Women vs Nigeria Women at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, 27th July 2023 (Photo by Patrick Hoelscher/News Images) in , on 7/27/2023. (Photo by Patrick Hoelscher/News Images/Sipa USA) – Photo by Icon sport

GK Mackenzie Arnold 5/10 – Very insecure between the posts all match. Should have done better with 2 of the 3 goals she conceded. Struggled to deal with set pieces all game too.

DF Clare Hunt 6/10 – Outmuscled and outpaced all match by her opponents. Never settled and once gifting the first goal looked shaky for the rest of the night.

DF Steph Catley 6/10 – Played well early on but lost her composure after the break. Her second-half display was very poor.

DF Alanna Kennedy 6/10 – Scored the late second goal, which proved not enough. Defensively struggled to deal with the pace of the Nigerian women all match. 

DF Ellie Carpenter 7/10 – She was a solid threat down the flank all match. Kept bombing forward at every opportunity. Her crosses were causing havoc. The only Matilda that managed to match the Nigerians for pace.

MF Hayley Raso 5/10 – Never got going. Unable to impact the match in any way. Her passing accuracy was the worst of all players on the pitch too.

MF Cortnee Vine 6/10 Showed inability to deliver accurate crosses into the box. Apart from that played well enough.

MF Katrina Gorry 7/10 – Dominant on the ball. Should have done better with the chances that came her way though.

MF Kyra Cooney-Cross 7/10 – The most dangerous Australian woman on the pitch. Her runs and clever one-twos tested the Nigerian defence countless times. The one thing missing from her display was the finishing.

FW Caitlin Foord 6/10 – She assisted for the opening goal but apart from that had very little impact on the proceedings.

FW Emily van Egmond 7/10 – Scored the opener and also went close to scoring on 2 other occasions. Carried a threat and led the line well in the absence of Kerr.

Substitutes 

Both Australian substitutions were made very late on so there was no time to rate those players.

Nigeria women Player Ratings: Bravery and dedication aplenty

GK Chiamaka Nnadozie 8/10 – Made a series of saves + countless interceptions and despite conceding 2 goals was the main reason why the Super Falcons won.

DF Ashleigh Plumptre 7/10 – Defended her zone very well all game. Had chances to cause problems in attack too.

DF Blessing Demehin 7/10 – Made several vital tackles. Also, blocked 2 late shots that could have changed the outcome.

DF Osinachi Ohale 8/10 – Excellent defensively all match. Personally guarded Foord and neutralised her well. On top of that scored the crucial second Nigerian goal.

DF Michelle Alozie 7/10 – Never stopped running. Defended well but also hurt the Matildas with her crosses.

MF Toni Payne 6/10 – Didn’t pass the ball well. Also, at fault for the first goal that was conceded. Her passing wasn’t great either.

MF Christy Ucheibe 7/10 – The most influential player in the middle of the park. Her passing was immaculate in the second half.

MF Uchenna Kanu 7/10 – Largely anonymous in the first half. Then scored the crucial quick equaliser and exploded to life after the interval.

MF Rasheedat Ajibade 7/10 – Her pace kept hurting the Matildas time after time. Her solo runs were impressive.

MF Halimatu Ayinde 7/10 – Also dominant with her burst of pace. Her ability to ballet-dance past tackles was also impressive.

FW Ifeoma Onumonu 6/10 – Never did enough. Way too passive in the first half. Not involved much after the break either.

Substitutes 

MF Asisat Oshoala 7/10 – Came off the bench just past the hour mark and shortly after scored the vital 3rd goal. Her impact was decisive.

FW Esther Okoronkwo 6/10 – Also spent 27 minutes on the pitch. Her fresh legs didn’t hurt the Australian defenders enough though.

The other 3 substitutions took place inside the final 15 minutes, so those players didn’t spend enough time on the pitch to get ratings.

Player of the Match: Chiamaka Nnadozie

Despite conceding 2 goals Nigeria’s goalkeeper Nnadozie was crucial for this win. Her timely saves when it mattered most and 17 successfully intercepted crosses were vital for Nigeria recording the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

After the final whistle, it was tears of joy for the Super Falcons and Nnadozie was the woman everyone wanted to hug and congratulate.


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