In form, Sabastine Flourish finished off coolly in the 85th
minute to hand Nigeria the one-nil victory over a stubborn French side at San
Jose, Costa Rica.
Coach Chris Danjuma’s side began the game on a fine note and
caused some panic for the Europeans amid the rains which poured harder on the
pitch, causing poor visibility for the players and match officials. Centre
referee Francia Gonzales was then forced to stop play in the 20th minute due to
the weather conditions. The game was, however, restarted after one hour.
Less than ten minutes after the restart, the French side had
to head off the ball from the goal as the Falconets continued to surge forward.
While no side was able to score in the first half, the second half was an even
stiffer competition.
Both teams defended and attacked with resoluteness in the
quest for the opening goal. France were to benefit from a goalmouth scramble in
the 80th minute. Substitute Jade Nassi’s goal after a corner kick from the
European did not, however, count after it was overruled by the Video Assistant
Referee (VAR) for a foul on the Nigerian goalkeeper Oyoyo Omini.
As the game flowed from end to end and both sides looking
for a late goal, the 2014 runners-up took the lead with just five minutes to
normal time. Flourish, who was the highest goalscorer in the African
qualification series, finished off a defence-splitting pass from Mercy Idoko to
send the ball past goalkeeper Marie-Morgane Sieber.
With the win, a victory over Korea DPR in Nigeria’s second
match on Sunday will guarantee the Africans a slot in the quarter-finals of the
competition.
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