VANCOUVER, B.C. – Abby Wambach is accustomed to scoring with her head. She’s not certain how she got her most recent objective.
“I think it was my shin protector, to be truly fair,” she said. “I’m not 100 percent beyond any doubt.”
It doesn’t generally make a difference to Wambach. What does is that she scored Tuesday, pulling the U.S. ladies beat Nigeria to a 1-0 and into an in front of the rest of the competition complete in its gathering at the Women’s World Cup.
That sends the United States to Edmonton, Alberta, for its opening match of the knockout stage Monday against a rival to be resolved.
It was Wambach’s first objective in Canada and her 14th general in a World Cup, pulling her even with German Birgit Prinz for second on the unsurpassed rundown behind Brazil’s Marta, who has 15.
“Getting that objective just before the half was enormous for us,” Wambach said. “Not taking an excess of wounds is additionally positive, and going out first in our gathering was totally what we situated out to do.”
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Wambach fell off the seat for the United States in the group’s past match against Sweden. On Tuesday, she began in advance with Alex Morgan, who was making her first World Cup begin in Canada in the wake of working her way back from a bone wound in her cleared out knee.
The United States, positioned second on the planet behind Germany, has two World Cup titles, yet hasn’t won following 1999.
Nigeria, which has won seven of nine African titles, has been to each World Cup since it began for the ladies in 1991. The 33rd-positioned Super Falcons were wiped out after the misfortune to the United States in the wake of playing to a 3-all attract with Sweden the opener and falling 2-0 to Australia.
A while later, Nigeria mentor Edwin Okon would not shake the hand of U.S. mentor Jill Ellis.
“I commonly dependably go and shake the mentor’s hand,” Ellis was cited as saying in The Oregonian. “The seat staff shook my hand and the mentor, I said, ‘You’re not going to shake my hand?’ He said, “No.” He sort of put his hand out a tiny bit, however that is his call, not mine.”
The United States opened Group D with a 3-1 triumph over No. 10 Australia, before playing to a 0-0 draw with No. 5 Sweden.
Morgan hadn’t began a match following April. The expedient 25-year-old played 12 minutes as a sub in the draw with Sweden.
Wambach additionally came in as a sub in the match against Sweden last Friday.
The 35-year-old veteran, who didn’t score in the initial two U.S. gathering stage matches, had never gone without an objective in the opening round in her four general World Cup appearances.
Wambach said it was critical to get a begin close by Morgan as the group heads to the round of 16.
“Enormous to get Alex minutes, not only for us to get the minutes together, however for her to get minutes in the World Cup, and for her to get her legs under her,” Wambach said.
“Since we require Alex Morgan.”
Julie Johnston had the most obvious opportunity for the United States ahead of schedule in a match that pulled in a horde of 52,193 to BC Place, however her strike in the eighth moment was managed offside.
Minutes after the fact, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo plunged to stop Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala’s endeavor.
Solo, a previous Washington Huskies champion who plays for Seattle Reign FC, made two spares and posted her national-record 86th shutout. It was Solo’s seventh clean sheet in a World Cup match.
Nigeria guardian Precious Dede, who completed with six recoveries, needed to punch away Megan Rapinoe’s 25-foot impact in the 17th moment.
Wambach at long last put the United States ahead just before the end of the half when she surged in on a corner kick from Reign FC player Rapinoe and volleyed the ball into the objective at the far post.
Note
• Australia progressed after a 1-1 draw with Sweden.
In Group C, Japan beat Ecuador 1-0 and Cameroon vanquished Switzerland.
