Co-hosts Australia surprisingly lose to Nigeria - majority of fans believe Kerr's absence is the cause

After a successful start to the World Cup against Ireland (1:0), the "Matildas" suffered their first setback. In the match against Nigeria, the Australians were superior for a long time and created many scoring chances, but they only scored their first goal in stoppage time of the first half. This proliferation of chances was to take its revenge in the end, as the "Super Falcons" not only replied directly with an equaliser, but also turned the game around completely in the second half. In this context, FanQ wanted to know from the fans in Germany whether the absence of superstar Sam Kerr was the reason for this.

26:11 shots on goal for Australia but 3 goals conceded

The almost 50,000 fans at Brisbane Stadium had certainly imagined things differently. At the final whistle, it was not the "Matildas" who were celebrating a victory but the "Super Falcons" from Nigeria. The Nigerians are gradually turning into real secret favourites. After a hard-fought draw in their opening match against Olympic champions Canada (0:0), they now managed a surprising 3:2 against the other co-favourites, Australia. The Nigerian women's game was well structured both offensively and defensively, with the attack in particular impressing with its efficiency. Nigeria started the game with a 5-3-2 formation, which was geared towards defence. It was therefore no surprise that the Australians quickly took control of the game and put their stamp on it. The "Matildas" built up a lot of pressure, had a lot of possession and shifted the game almost completely into their opponents' half. However, the team from "Down Under" were initially unable to score a goal, which only changed at the end of the first half. After a pass from Foord, Emily van Egmond netted from the penalty spot in the first minute of stoppage time. The joy of taking the lead was not to last long, however, as the Nigerians, who had not been attacking at all up to that point, equalised shortly afterwards (45' +6). Australia's defence did not look good at all in this situation and the players were clearly already in the dressing room.

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After the changeover, the Super Falcons had gained in confidence, defending more bravely and staying further forward to nip the Australian attacks in the bud. There was not much more from the Australians in this phase of the game, so Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum took the opportunity to make an offensive change. In the 63rd minute, Nigeria's superstar Asisat Oshoala came into the game and had to take a somewhat unexpected place on the bench. This change had the desired attacking effect, with Ohale heading in a corner to increase the score to 2:1 in the 65th minute. Just seven minutes later, Oshoala, who had come on as a substitute, capitalised on a misunderstanding between Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and Alanna Kennedy to make it 3:1 (72'). The Matildas finally woke up and shifted their play forward in an attempt to force an equaliser. However, they were unable to do so, with Kennedy scoring the equaliser in stoppage time (90' +10), but that was as close as they would get. The game ended 2:3 for the Australians, who are now under pressure to win their next game against Canada to get out of the group. Nigeria, on the other hand, will only need a draw against the already eliminated Irish to progress.

With this in mind, FanQ wanted to know from the fans whether the game would have gone differently with a fit Sam Kerr. 37.11 % of respondents thought so and believe that Australia would have come away victorious with their superstar Kerr. This contrasts with 21.65 % of respondents who believe it was not down to just one player but the collective.