Nigeria used a scoreless draw against Ireland on Monday to advance to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup. The pre-tournament underdogs finished second in Group B behind co-host Australia.
After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigerians picked up the intensity in hopes of scoring the goal that would move the them to the top of the group. A diving save from Ireland’s Courtney Brosnan in the 52nd minute kept her clean sheet intact and secured Ireland’s first point in its debut appearance at the tournament.
Nigeria came closest to breaking the deadlock when Toni Payne found the head of Uchenna Kanu. A diving save by Courtney Brosnan was needed to keep the game scoreless.
Each team’s best chance to score in the first half came within the first 15 minutes from their respective star players. Ireland’s Katie McCabe was just off target with a left-foot shot in the 5th minute and Asisat Oshoala, the star of Nigeria’s 3-2 upset win over Australia last week, couldn’t convert off a breakaway that came nine minutes later
