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Canada, Nigeria hope to end WWC on positive note

Jul 5, 2011 - 1:44 AM Dresden, Germany (Sports Network) - Canada started the Women's World Cup with hopes of emulating its 2003 semifinal run, but entering its final group match Tuesday against Nigeria, the CONCACAF champions have already been eliminated.

Canada was poised to emerge from the shadows of the United States this year in Germany, but losses to Germany and France by combined scores of 6-1 will leave the Canadians searching for answers before it hosts the 2015 tournament.

The Canadians play the Nigerians at Rudolf-Harbig Stadium, and a victory would turn the page toward 2015 on a positive note. Canada already has a spot locked up as hosts, so its sixth straight appearance is guaranteed.

Even though third place in Group A was not the goal, a win over Nigeria is the only way to stay off the bottom of the group. Nigeria has a three-goal edge in goal differential, meaning a draw would not be enough to avoid last place.

Coach Caroline Morace said France played the "perfect game," something Canada did often on the way to the World Cup when it captured the CONCACAF qualifying event that included world No. 1 the United States.

But Canada will have to eliminate the errors it made against France, including a number of defensive blunders that led to easy goals, and find a way to score if Christine Sinclair is unable to play because of a broken nose.

Sinclair, the team's captain, scored the lone goal against Germany and has 117 in her career. She broke her nose against the Germans and took a clearance off her protective mask against France that left her on the ground in more pain.

Morace thought Canada played well early against France, but Gaetane Thiney put France in front in the 24th minute off a defensive miscue and, "That mistake shook our confidence."

Nigeria, which has lost both its matches 1-0 to France and Germany, also hopes to leave Germany with something. It has only advanced past the group stage one time in six appearances, and outside of 1999 when it lost in the quarterfinals to Brazil, is winless in its other appearances.

The African nation will try to avoid a fifth winless World Cup, and it proved in its first two matches it is a strong side.

"We proved [against Germany] that our players have developed technically and in general. They're able to mix it at this level now and are even starting to close the gap on the top teams," Nigeria coach Uche Eucharia said.

"With a little more impetus we could even surpass them."