Brazil had a goal disallowed in the first half before Gabriela Nunes Da Silva scored a thunderbolt to give Arthur Elias’ team all three points in their group opener against the Super Falcons.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they lost by a lone goal to Brazil’s Canarinhas at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux.
1. Chiamaka Nnadozie 6.8/10: The Paris FC goalkeeper denied the Brazilians on several occasions and was vocal in commanding her area. There was nothing she could have done to stop Nunes’ shot from hitting the back of the net.
2. Michelle Alozie 5/10: The Houston Dash full-back had an abysmal outing. She didn’t help Ajibade on the overlap and was constantly beaten by the opposition wingers
3. Oluwatosin Demehin 6.2/10: The Reims defender had a fair shift in the centre of the Nigerian defence. She covered well, timed her aerial clearances and helped Nnadozie in playing out from the back. However, her lack of communication with Demehin led to the only goal of the game.
4. Osinachi Ohale 6/10: The Pachuca defender struggled with her decision-making a few times, as well as her communication. After Brazil went a goal up, her confidence dwindled by a tone and she became rather passive.
5. Chidinma Okeke 5.8/10: The Mynavi Sendai Ladies defender, like Alozie, was easily beaten by the Brazilian attackers. She made a few ball recoveries but struggled to impose herself in that position. She was replaced by Nicole Payne with fifteen minutes left on the clock.
6. Deborah Abiodun 6.5/10: The Pittsburgh Panthers defensive midfielder could have had a better game if she took less risks considering her role. She tried to show too much flair in positions that could have hurt the team. Other than that, she was composed as always, breaking the opposition attack, and linking play between the defence and midfield. She took on a few shots herself, but none threatened Lorena Leite’s goal.
7. Christy Ucheibe 6.2/10: S.L Benfica midfielder came close to scoring twice, but was denied by the Brazilian goalkeeper. Her forward marauding runs left Abiodun with more work to do in the middle of the park.
8. Jennifer Echegini 6.2/10: The new PSG signing came close to breaking the deadlock with a brilliant header, but was denied by Leite. As the game went on, she became less involved and eventually came off in the 67th minute.
9. Toni Payne 6.1/10: The Everton midfielder delivered a pitch-perfect cross into Echegini’s path in the first half, but besides that, didn’t offer much offensively. She was replaced by Uchenna Kanu in the 67th minute.
10. Rasheedat Ajibade 6.9/10: Rasheedat’s resilience stood out this evening. She chased after every ball, and constantly took on the defenders when she got the chance, showing a true captain’s performance on the pitch. She served Ihezuo a chance on a platter in the first half, but the striker fluffed her lines and couldn’t convert.
11. Chinwendu Ihezuo 5/10: The Pachuca forward missed arguably the best chance of the game, as she failed to tap home from close range after some brilliant intricate play by Ajibade. She didn’t play the second half as Esther Okoronko came on in her place.
Substitutes
Esther Okoronkwo 5.5/10: The U.D. Tenerife striker replaced Chiwendu Ihezuo at the start of the second half, but couldn’t make any notable impact.
Uchenna Kanu 5.5/10: The Racing Louisville striker replaced Toni Payne in the 67th minute, but like Okoronkwo, couldn’t muster anything in her time on the pitch.
Ifeoma Onumonu and Nicole Payne: The introduction of these two injected some attacking energy into Nigeria’s right-hand side. Payne’s entry moved Alozie to the left side, and the Super Falcons were able to become more threatening with the combination of Payne and Onumonu on the right.
