By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
African teams’ poor run of form at FIFA Women’s World Cup final has continued to rear its ugly head again in Australia and New Zealand as three out of four countries representing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the expanded edition of the competition have lost their first group matches.
Save for the former African champions Nigeria that laboured to hold reigning Olympic champions Canada to a barren draw in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium last Friday to secure a point in the opener, South Africa, Zambia and Morocco have woefully lost their first group matches.
Nigeria has the Super Falcons first-choice goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, to thank for stopping Canada’s legendary striker Christine Sinclair’s penalty kick just as her heroics in the match saved the day for the West Africans.
But the three other CAF representatives from Southern and North African nations were not as lucky as Zambia, making her debut at the World Cup was crushed by Japan 5-0 on Saturday in what looked a training ground session for the Nadeshiko of Japan.
Also, the third African country to take to field on Sunday, South Africa did not fair better as the Banyana Banyana were beaten 2-1 by Sweden despite going in front early in the second half through Hilda Magaia who bundled the ball into the Sweden’s net after Thembi Kgatlana’s shot was parried to her part by Sweden goalkeeper. READ ALSO:
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Worst still for Africa, Atlas Lionesses were given a baptism of fire by the merciless Germans who thrashed Morocco 6-0 on Monday at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as African teams recorded no win in four first round matches in Australia and New Zealand.
Germany’s captain, Alexandra Popp scored twice in the 6-0 massacre of Morocco to launch their Women’s World Cup title bid in style while Italy triumphed in a feisty encounter with Argentina thanks to an 87th-minute winner on the same day.
The lower-ranked teams at the first 32-team Women’s World Cup have generally held their own so far, indicating a closing of the gap in women’s international football but not so with two African debutants Zambia and Morocco who lost 11-0 between them to Japan and Germany.
Two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champions, Germany blew away Morocco, the first Arab team at a Women’s World Cup in Melbourne to record the biggest win of the tournament so far.
The Germans are among the favourites once again, along with holders the United States, England, Spain and France, and they showed why with a clinical performance in front of a near sell-out crowd of more than 27,000.
In their 32-year-old skipper Popp they have one of the best goal-scorers around and she took full advantage of some poor Morocco defending with simple close-range finishes.
Klara Buehl made it three straight after half-time to end the match as any kind of contest, before two own goals and a late sixth from Lea Schueller.
It remains to be seen the first African team to record the first win in the remaining two group matches as Nigeria and co-host Australia clash in Brisbane on Thursday in the winner takes all game.
