Abby Wambach scored the winner for the United States side on their way to a 1-0 win over Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Tuesday to send the Africans crashing out of the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada.
Nigeria needed an outright win to stay on in the competition but it was the Americans that started the brighter of the two sides at a packed BC Place Stadium, Vancouver.
They even had a goal disallowed for offside in the 10th minute with replays showing that Julie Johnston’s effort should not have been chalked off.
Nigeria responded with an Asisat Oshoala effort which was easily saved by the American goalkeeper, Hope Solo, two minutes later.
The Americans were however controlling the game and creating the better goal scoring opportunities.
Cari Lloyd, Wambach and Megan Rapinoe all came close to opening the scoring before the 20-minute mark but found the Nigerian goalkeeper in unyielding form.
The best chance of the opening half hour however fell to Nigeria after Courtney Dike threaded a precise ball towards the path of Oshoala whose shot was heroically blocked for a corner by Johnston.
The Americans then retook the initiative almost immediately and only a world class save by Dede denied Rapinoe a sure goal.
They were not to be denied for much longer though as Wambach steered home Rapinoe’s excellent corner on the stroke of halftime to strike a deep psychological blow on the Super Falcons.
The Americans began the second half as they did the first-on the front foot- but were only denied an early second by a shocking lack of decisiveness in the final third.
Dede was again earning her stripes in the 62nd minute with yet another save right out of the top drawer to deny Alex Morgan a certain goal as Nigeria continued to hang on for dear life.
Sarah Nnodim was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 70th minute for a late challenge on Sydney Leroux to make Nigeria’s task of claiming a win even more complicated.
Dede’s heroics meant there would be no more goals in the contest as the Americans closed out a richly deserved win to finish as winners of Group D with seven points from three matches.
Nigeria finished bottom of the group with a solitary point after their three preliminary matches.