July 25, (THEWILL) – Australia’s Mary Fowler is attracting attention ahead of the Women’s World Cup clash with Nigeria after she suffered a knock at training.
The Matildas’ Tuesday training was closed to the media but host broadcaster, Optus Sport, was originally due to interview Fowler. But, it was, instead, told by Football Australia that Fowler had suffered a knock late in the session and required a precautionary assessment. FA later allayed fears over Fowler’s condition, saying she was “all good.”
Star forward Foord, meanwhile, insisted Kerr’s calf injury, suffered a day out from the opening 1-0 win over Ireland, will not derail her entire campaign. “She’s just doing everything possible to be in the best condition for when she does step back on the pitch,” Foord told Optus Sport. “She’ll definitely be back at this tournament.”
As the only team in Group B with three points from its opening game, Australia can seal progression to the knockout stages with a victory over Nigeria, which has one point. The Matildas last played Nigeria at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. On that day, in Winnipeg, Canada, Kyah Simon scored both goals in a 2-0 group-stage win. Kerr provided an assist for the second goal and copped an elbow to the face off the ball from Ugo Njoku that drew a three-game retrospective ban. “A tough, tough game, I remember,” midfielder Katrina Gorry said. “I watched them play Canada and they’re even more powerful than they were then. They’ve got so much speed but a lot of class across the field. (They’re) technically very good. If you’re not on your defensive game, they’ll exploit you and with the pace they have, it’s pretty scary.”
However, Tameka Yallop, who has recovered from a corked thigh to make a case for her selection, also had something to say about facing Nigeria: “It’ll be a very different game from 2015, but they still have all those qualities that they had before. There’s a little bit of unpredictability to them, which does make it a little bit difficult. But at the same time, we’ve trained for that as well in our prep. It’s just about being focused in every moment against them.” After drawing with Canada, Nigeria needs those three points against Australia.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
