They say, cometh the hour, cometh the player. And on matchday two, Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala proved that statement to ring true once again thanks to her impactful performance for the Super Falcons against Australia.
Nigeria, who were frustrated during a scoreless stalemate against Canada, came into their matchday two tie against the Matildas knowing that they needed a win in order to keep their round of 16 hopes alive.
After a tense 45 minutes, however, Randy Waldrum's team were 1-0 down but quickly responded five minutes later in stoppages and headed into the half-time break knowing they needed to do something quickly in order to salvage their fortunes.
Whatever speech Waldrum gave in the locker room clearly had an effect, as Nigeria came roaring back in the second half, scoring two goals to turn the tie on its head. Notably, the third was netted by Oshoala, who came off the bench in the 63rd minute to replace fellow goal-scorer Uchenna Kanu. It took her just nine minutes to find the back of the net, and in doing so, she becomes the first African player to score at three different Women's World Cups.
Have a look at her fantastic effort here (video may not be able to be viewed in all locations):
Asisat Oshoala gave Nigeria a 3-1 lead eight minutes after subbing on
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 27, 2023
(via @FOXSoccer)pic.twitter.com/kaw36JIFsC
Oshoala, who plays her club football for Barcelona, is no stranger to achieving huge milestones. In 2022, she became the first ever African player to win the Pichichi trophy after scoring 20 goals for Barcelona, and as a result of her efforts, was nominated for the Ballon d'Or later that year - making her, again, the first African female player to do this.
With a round of 16 spot within touching distance, Nigeria will certainly fancy their chances at finishing top of Group B as their final group stage match will be against debutants Ireland - who have yet to win a game so far at this year's competition.
