Nigeria made a brave start to their ninth campaign on the global stage with a draw against the Olympics champions Canada despite finishing the encounter with 10 players in Melbourne.
Sinclair, who is 40 years old, had a chance to break the record in the 50th minute when she was brought down in the box by Francisca Ordega. However, Nnadozie, the Super Falcons’ goalkeeper, made a superb save low to her left to deny the Canadian captain.
The two teams had chances to win the match after that, but neither was able to find the breakthrough. Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie had a shot well blocked with a quarter of an hour remaining, while Canada substitutes Evelyne Viens and then Cloe Lacasse both had late efforts cleared by the Nigerian defense.
The result leaves both teams with one point from their opening matches in Group B.
Key Stat: Four of the last six penalties awarded at the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been missed, with Sinclair’s effort the latest on that list.
Analysis: This was a tight and evenly-matched contest, with both teams having chances to win. Nnadozie’s penalty save was the turning point in the match, and it ultimately denied Sinclair the chance to make history.
