Abby Wambach's volley just before the break proved enough for the US, but they could not add to their lead despite Nigeria losing defender Sarah Nnodim to a second yellow card.
They will play one of four third-placed teams to progress from the pool stages.
Australia secured Group D's second spot with a 1-1 draw against Sweden.
The Matildas will play Brazil in the next round in Moncton.
Meanwhile Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, will have to wait to see whether they claim one of four qualifying spots for teams finishing third in their group.
Australia took the lead after just five minutes as captain Lisa De Vanna sprinted onto a long ball forward and coolly slotted home.
But any hopes they had of overhauling the United States at the top of the group were reduced as Sofia Jakobsson levelled 10 minutes late with a low shot inside goalkeeper Lydia Williams' near post.
In Edmonton, the 14th World Cup goal of Wambach's career - an instinctive far post volley from Megan Rapinoe's corner - proved enough for the United States.
But Nigeria coach Edwin Okon was left aggrieved by the referee's decision to issue Nnodim with a second yellow for a challenge on Sydney Leroux that left his side down to 10 players for the final 20 minutes.
BBC
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Nigeria plays USA in final group stage match at 2015 Women's World Cup
Abby Wambach will do whatever it takes to win the Women's World Cup, even if that means she's coming off the bench.
Wambach came in as a second-half sub in the United States' scoreless draw against Sweden on Friday night, the team's second group-stage match. The second-ranked U.S. will conclude the stage Tuesday night with a match against Nigeria.
"The World Cup for us, for our sport, is the biggest title you can win as a team," she said. "I've never had the opportunity to win one. I've come close. That's obviously a dream of mine to be able raise that trophy for my country."
Before Sweden, the all-time leading U.S. scorer hadn't come off the bench in a World Cup match since 2003. This is the 35-year-old forward's fourth trip to the tournament.
A win against Nigeria, ranked No. 33 in the world, would give the United States a first-place finish in Group D and send the team to Edmonton, Alberta, to open the knockout round next Monday.
After starting in the 3-1 tournament-opening victory of Australia, Wambach entered against Sweden in the 68th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, she had one of the best U.S. scoring chances of the game, a header that Hedvig Lindahl popped up and over the crossbar.
Wambach believes that if she had been playing on real grass, she would have scored on that header. This is the first World Cup played on artificial turf, which has been a contentious issue among many players, and especially Wambach.
Wambach led the way last year when a group of players filed a claim in Canada saying that putting the Women's World Cup on artificial turf amounted to gender discrimination — because the men's event had never been played on what some disdainfully call a "plastic pitch."
FIFA wouldn't bend on the issue, saying that Canada's bid in 2011 — the only bid in the end for this year's event — stipulated the tournament be played on an artificial surface. The group that filed the claim eventually dropped it so they could focus on preparation for the event.
"For me, I definitely think that the U.S. has more goals if we're playing on grass," she said.
Before the match against No. 5 Sweden, a New York Times profile of Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, the former U.S. coach, quoted her as saying she'd use Wambach as a sub. Sundhage led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and to the final of the 2011 World Cup in Germany, where the team lost to Japan on penalty kicks.
Sundhage expanded on her comments in Canada the day before the match.
"You have players starting the game, but you have players that will end the game. And Abby is a player that will make the difference (at the end of games). So I would have that in my back pocket and throw her in and win the game. Now, I don't know the team today, but I saw the game against Australia, and today, playing against Sweden, I would start her because she's that good," Sundhage said.
Wambach doesn't see herself as coming off the bench all the time.
"I think my role for this team, being a longer tournament, might be different from game to game, opponent to opponent," she said. "We have such strong depth, that's one of the biggest strengths of our team, and the ability of our coaching staff to go down our bench to fix problems that are happening and to close out games. ... And hopefully when we get to games four, five and six — and hopefully seven — those decisions will pay off."
Nigeria is coming off a 2-0 loss to Australia on Friday, following a 3-all draw with Sweden in the opener. The Super Falcons' speed and physicality — as well as a spirited group of music-playing supporters — won fans for the team in Canada.
But Nigeria was stung by FIFA's three-game suspension of defender Ugo Njoku, who elbowed forward Samantha Kerr in the face during Friday's match.
Nigeria's only chance to advance to the knockout stage is with a victory over the United States.
Wambach said the United States is wary of Nigeria. While the Americans are the lopsided favorites to win the match, there's already been one big upset: France's surprising 2-0 loss to Colombia on Saturday.
"I think that they're going to play as hard as they can," Wambach said. "They're fighting for their lives in this tournament."
AP
Wambach came in as a second-half sub in the United States' scoreless draw against Sweden on Friday night, the team's second group-stage match. The second-ranked U.S. will conclude the stage Tuesday night with a match against Nigeria.
"The World Cup for us, for our sport, is the biggest title you can win as a team," she said. "I've never had the opportunity to win one. I've come close. That's obviously a dream of mine to be able raise that trophy for my country."
Before Sweden, the all-time leading U.S. scorer hadn't come off the bench in a World Cup match since 2003. This is the 35-year-old forward's fourth trip to the tournament.
A win against Nigeria, ranked No. 33 in the world, would give the United States a first-place finish in Group D and send the team to Edmonton, Alberta, to open the knockout round next Monday.
After starting in the 3-1 tournament-opening victory of Australia, Wambach entered against Sweden in the 68th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, she had one of the best U.S. scoring chances of the game, a header that Hedvig Lindahl popped up and over the crossbar.
Wambach believes that if she had been playing on real grass, she would have scored on that header. This is the first World Cup played on artificial turf, which has been a contentious issue among many players, and especially Wambach.
Wambach led the way last year when a group of players filed a claim in Canada saying that putting the Women's World Cup on artificial turf amounted to gender discrimination — because the men's event had never been played on what some disdainfully call a "plastic pitch."
FIFA wouldn't bend on the issue, saying that Canada's bid in 2011 — the only bid in the end for this year's event — stipulated the tournament be played on an artificial surface. The group that filed the claim eventually dropped it so they could focus on preparation for the event.
"For me, I definitely think that the U.S. has more goals if we're playing on grass," she said.
Before the match against No. 5 Sweden, a New York Times profile of Swedish coach Pia Sundhage, the former U.S. coach, quoted her as saying she'd use Wambach as a sub. Sundhage led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and to the final of the 2011 World Cup in Germany, where the team lost to Japan on penalty kicks.
Sundhage expanded on her comments in Canada the day before the match.
"You have players starting the game, but you have players that will end the game. And Abby is a player that will make the difference (at the end of games). So I would have that in my back pocket and throw her in and win the game. Now, I don't know the team today, but I saw the game against Australia, and today, playing against Sweden, I would start her because she's that good," Sundhage said.
Wambach doesn't see herself as coming off the bench all the time.
"I think my role for this team, being a longer tournament, might be different from game to game, opponent to opponent," she said. "We have such strong depth, that's one of the biggest strengths of our team, and the ability of our coaching staff to go down our bench to fix problems that are happening and to close out games. ... And hopefully when we get to games four, five and six — and hopefully seven — those decisions will pay off."
Nigeria is coming off a 2-0 loss to Australia on Friday, following a 3-all draw with Sweden in the opener. The Super Falcons' speed and physicality — as well as a spirited group of music-playing supporters — won fans for the team in Canada.
But Nigeria was stung by FIFA's three-game suspension of defender Ugo Njoku, who elbowed forward Samantha Kerr in the face during Friday's match.
Nigeria's only chance to advance to the knockout stage is with a victory over the United States.
Wambach said the United States is wary of Nigeria. While the Americans are the lopsided favorites to win the match, there's already been one big upset: France's surprising 2-0 loss to Colombia on Saturday.
"I think that they're going to play as hard as they can," Wambach said. "They're fighting for their lives in this tournament."
AP
America to fund Nigeria led task-force against Boko Haram
The US says it will give $5m (£3.2m) towards a multi-national task force being set up to fight Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Boko Haram "was not just a Nigerian problem", US official Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
The group was blamed for suicide bombings which killed more than 20 people in neighbouring Chad on Monday.
Chad will be the headquarters of the Nigeria-led force of around 7,500 troops from five countries.
The formation of the force has gained momentum since Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari took office last month.
Nigeria's previous administration, led by Goodluck Jonathan, was seen to have dragged its heels over the creation of the force, as it feared it would undermine Nigeria's sovereignty, correspondents say.
The US also turned down a request by Mr Jonathan's administration last year to sell it weapons because of the poor human rights record of its military.
The issue led to a diplomatic row, with Nigeria accusing the US of refusing to help land a "killer punch" against Boko Haram.
G7 'wish list'
Ms Thomas-Greenfield, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the US was in talks with Mr Buhari's government on how it could assist more in the campaign against the militants.
It comes after President Buhari's visit last week to the G7 summit in Germany where he said Nigeria would welcome more international support in the struggle with the jihadists.
The multi-national force is expected to be made up of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been helping Nigeria recapture territory from Boko Haram, but their activities have so far been largely uncoordinated.
The African Union (AU) backed the creation of a multi-national force in January, saying Boko Haram required a "collective, effective and decisive response".
Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has left some 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless, rights groups say.
The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which is fighting to establish a global caliphate.
BBC
Boko Haram "was not just a Nigerian problem", US official Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
The group was blamed for suicide bombings which killed more than 20 people in neighbouring Chad on Monday.
Chad will be the headquarters of the Nigeria-led force of around 7,500 troops from five countries.
The formation of the force has gained momentum since Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari took office last month.
Nigeria's previous administration, led by Goodluck Jonathan, was seen to have dragged its heels over the creation of the force, as it feared it would undermine Nigeria's sovereignty, correspondents say.
The US also turned down a request by Mr Jonathan's administration last year to sell it weapons because of the poor human rights record of its military.
The issue led to a diplomatic row, with Nigeria accusing the US of refusing to help land a "killer punch" against Boko Haram.
G7 'wish list'
Ms Thomas-Greenfield, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the US was in talks with Mr Buhari's government on how it could assist more in the campaign against the militants.
It comes after President Buhari's visit last week to the G7 summit in Germany where he said Nigeria would welcome more international support in the struggle with the jihadists.
The multi-national force is expected to be made up of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.
Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been helping Nigeria recapture territory from Boko Haram, but their activities have so far been largely uncoordinated.
The African Union (AU) backed the creation of a multi-national force in January, saying Boko Haram required a "collective, effective and decisive response".
Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has left some 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless, rights groups say.
The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which is fighting to establish a global caliphate.
BBC
Monday, June 15, 2015
Video - Illegal gin brewing thrives in Nigeria
The sap is first mixed with sugar and left to ferment for seven days in sealed blue barrels. Rusted oil drums are then placed over a hot fire and the fermented alcohol poured in. The alcohol evaporates, passes down small pipes through a vat of cold water where it condenses and then drips out into a bucket as a clear, refined gin -- or "Ogogoro" as it's called locally.
The government agency that regulates alcohol production and sales in Nigeria insists any product processed with chemicals and labeled for sale must be licensed. But local distillers like Gabriel are largely ignored by the authorities.
"This one we produce is done in a local way and nothing will happen to you because we source if from the tree," explains Gabriel. "The one others produce is a chemical one and if you take that one, it will cause harm to your body."
'I make it strong'
In the last few months, there has been a spate of mass deaths from drinking poisoned local gin. In Rivers state, in Nigeria's Niger Delta region, over 38 people are thought to have died after drinking at a local gin joint.
The problem is that often the alcohol is laced with chemicals, like methanol, to increase the longevity and taste.
NAFDAC, Nigeria's Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, has announced a nationwide ban on the consumption of local gin.
"We are also warning members of the public to avoid the consumption of all kinds of locally produced spirits, unregistered bitters and related drinks for now," NAFDAC said in a statement.
But it has had little impact on the streets, where Nigerians often use Ogogoro not only to help them relax, but also believe it has medicinal effects.
At Gabriel's small distillery, with his five friends, he says he can make up to 400 liters of gin a day. And market women still come with their jerry cans to be filled.
"I make it strong, because if you don't make it strong, people won't come to buy," says Gabriel.
The smoke rises in a haze above the distillery, and there is a sweet smell of palm sap in the air. Gabriel and his colleagues sit and play checkers in the humidity.
As one of the buckets fills, Gabriel stands from his checkers game for the final stop -- the taste test. He takes a swig from a small bottle, shakes his head and smiles.
CNN
Nigerian player Ugo Njoku gets banned for 3 games at 2015 Women's World Cup
Nigeria's Ugo Njoku has been given a three-match ban for elbowing Australia's Sam Kerr during Friday's Women's World Cup Group D match.
The offence by Njoku, who came on as a substitute, went unpunished during the game, which Nigeria lost 2-0.
However Fifa's disciplinary committee later examined the video footage and handed the 20-year-old the ban.
With Nigeria unlikely to progress, she will miss the final game against the US plus their next two official matches.
Earlier in the tournament France striker Camille Abily escaped punishment for a similar incident with England defender Laura Bassett.
But the referee did not penalise Abily, Fifa did not review the incident and the Football Association did not contest Fifa's decision.
BBC
The offence by Njoku, who came on as a substitute, went unpunished during the game, which Nigeria lost 2-0.
However Fifa's disciplinary committee later examined the video footage and handed the 20-year-old the ban.
With Nigeria unlikely to progress, she will miss the final game against the US plus their next two official matches.
Earlier in the tournament France striker Camille Abily escaped punishment for a similar incident with England defender Laura Bassett.
But the referee did not penalise Abily, Fifa did not review the incident and the Football Association did not contest Fifa's decision.
BBC
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