With a diving one-handed save to her left, 22-year-old goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie denied global football’s main scorer Christine Sinclair and performed a pivotal position in Nigeria keeping Olympic champion Canada to a 0-0 draw on the Women’s World Cup.
Nnadozie parried away Sinclair’s shot from the spot within the fiftieth minute Friday after the Canadian veteran had earned the penalty after being clipped via Nigerian ahead Francisca Ordega.
Sinclair’s 190 global objectives is an all-time file — for each ladies’s and males’s football — and he or she’s aiming to transform the primary participant to attain in six World Cups. It did not occur in Canada’s opening Group B sport.
“She’s one of the best,” Nnadozie mentioned of Sinclair. “The last time we played against them, she scored on me. I was very angry. I told myself, ‘This is the opportunity to make things right.’ So it’s 1-1 for me and Sinclair.”
Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan said Sinclair would convert the penalty “nine times out of 10” but added, “that’s just the game.”
“You just have to be ready. It’s an incredible save,” Sheridan said, describing Nnadozie as “an incredible keeper.”
In the Super Falcons’ last major international tournament, the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria lost to Morocco in a semifinal penalty shootout, 5–4, with Nnadozie between the goalposts.
“I think she’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now,” mentioned Nigerian head trainer Randy Waldrum. “Just by performance today, people around the world are seeing that from her too, because she deserves it.”
At age 18, within the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Nnadozie was the youngest goalkeeper to stay a blank sheet in Women’s World Cup historical past, with a 2–0 workforce degree victory over South Korea.
After her draw-preserving save at the Canadian captain in Melbourne, Nnadozie pointed to her head with gloved arms. After the fit, she mentioned the gesture used to be to remind herself: “Come on, girl, come on. This is another game. We still got some minutes to play. Don’t relax.
A penalty was the deciding factor in the opening Group B match on Thursday night, when co-hosts Australia edged Ireland 1-0.
“In this group, in this tournament, penalties can win games,” said Nigeria forward Ifeoma Onumonu. “For me, when that took place, I more or less had a sense she used to be going to put it aside.”
The Canadians were confident Sinclair would move on quickly from a rare missed opportunity.
“Christine Sinclair has scored many, many, many goals for this country and I’m sure the fans, the team and everyone can forgive missing a penalty kick,” Canada coach Bev Priestman said. “Penalty kicks are a 50-50 likelihood and on at the present time Sinc did not ranking that.
“This team and this country love Christine Sinclair more than anything, so they’ll rally around her and we’ll have her ready for the next game.”
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