April 12, (THEWILL) – Canada’s women’s soccer team did not have as easy a time in their second leg international friendly against Nigeria’s Super Falcons as they did in the first, but still managed to salvage a 2-2 tie.
As Canada concluded up the west coast series of the Women’s National Team Celebration Tour in celebration of their Olympic Gold, Shelina Zadorsky headed home a cross from Janine Beckie late in the 88th minute, much to the joy of a noisy sold-out crowd of 5,434 at Starlight Stadium.
Captain Christine Sinclair added to her legacy by scoring her 189th international goal, although coach Randy Waldrum’s team improved significantly between the two games courtesy of goals from Ifeoma Onumonu and Rasheedat Ajibade.
In the fifth minute, Onumonu played a sneaky backheel past starting goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, putting the Olympic champions one goal down and spreading a nervy chill through the stadium. It came from a free kick that bounced around in front of Sheridan, who did not have much of a chance with the trickery of the Nigerian.
Canada pressed hard right away and controlled the game for the majority of the time. Its finest early chance came in the 19th minute, when Adriana Leon’s free kick was diverted just over the bar by diving Nigerian goalkeeper Cynthia Nnadozie.
Nnadozie, who was an injury scare after the first game, gave another beautiful account of why she remains the Super Falcons’ safe hands in between the sticks throughout the tightly contested first half as the Canadians peppered the Nigerian danger area in search of a leveller.
Midway through the half, Beckie hit a left-footed effort off the goalpost, and Kadeisha Buchanan’s follow-up was denied by a swarm of Nigerian defenders in the ensuing scramble, with the Falcons determined to preserve their slim lead.
Sinclair came on as a halftime substitution and took little time to level the score at 1-1 in the 49th minute. Due to some confusion among her defenders, Nnadozie was caught wide off her line when Sinclair chipped a left-footer into the net for the equaliser.
However, Nigeria restored their lead merely four minutes after as Ajibade’s intended cross was deflected towards goal and substitute Canadian ‘keeper Sabrina D’Angelo, beaten by the deflection, could only watch helplessly as it beat her into the net.
Yet, the fans resolutely cheered on unmoved, urging the home team on with incessant applause, cheers, whistles, and some traditional drumming.
The Super Falcons, ranked 39th in the world, dominated the second half, but a late Shelina Zardowsky equaliser denied them a memorable win over the sixth best team in the world and reigning Olympic champions.
After finishing their tour of Canada, Waldrum confidence in the ladies, which he amply demonstrated in his post-match remarks after the first loss was justified even though some defensive lapses will have to be worked on as focus turns to defending their continental title in the African Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The maker of the team’s improvements was clear in the comments of Canada’s coach, Bev Priestman, who knew they were fortunate to finish level on scores.
“There were a lot of positives from this game, but it was frustrating”, Priestman said. “We had something like 20 shots, but couldn’t find the back of the net. These two games in B.C. were valuable exercises. We saw the real Nigeria tonight.”
About the Author
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.
