Oshoala seals Nigeria's upset win over co-host Australia at the Women's World Cup

Asisat Oshoala had to watch from Nigeria's bench for an hour, desperate to get into the action, before getting a chance to unleash all her pent up energy against co-host Australia at the Women's World Cup.

The Barcelona striker entered the game in the 63rd minute and Nigeria took the lead two minutes later for the first time, 2-1. Within nine minutes, Oshoala scored a goal that sealed an upset victory, sparked her jersey-shedding celebration and left Australia in a must-win scenario for World Cup survival.

After losing 3-2, an Australian squad dealing with injuries to striker Sam Kerr and understudy Mary Fowler needs to beat Olympic champion Canada in Melbourne on Monday to control its own fate for a spot in the round of 16.

Nigeria and Canada opened with a 0-0 draw and both teams now have four points. Australia has three from its opening 1-0 win over Ireland. Nigeria next faces winless Ireland, which is making its debut in the tournament.

Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum said he benched Oshoala at the start of the game to manage her long-term injury, but always intended to send her on when it was most needed.

What a feeling.

The pivotal moment against the injury-plagued Australians was in the 72nd minute when Oshoala swooped on a defensive mixup and beat three Matildas to the ball, sneaking a right-foot inside the near post from a tight angle.

She peeled off her jersey and sprinted to the right corner to celebrate scoring in three consecutive World Cups, getting a yellow card in the process.

"I'm so proud of these players. So many people didn't believe," Waldrum said. "Didn't believe in me, in the team.

"I told them after the match, keep believing."

That's something the Australians need now.

"This was a massive opportunity that we let slide," Steph Catley, who is leading the Matildas in the absence of Kerr, said in her post-match TV interview. "We created a lot of opportunities that we couldn't finish. We weren't patient enough, and we weren't clinical.

"[Nigeria] was great on the counter and they finished their chances," Catley added. "We've just got to move on as quickly as possible — on to Canada now. This is what World Cups are all about."

After controlling much of the game, Australia was stunned by the two-goal burst from Nigeria.

Australia went into the game with 10 wins in its previous 11 international matches, including an away win over European champion England, and had seven clean sheets in their previous nine games.

They had more shots on goal (28-10) and more on target (8-5) but missed the clinical finish of its world-class strikers and was rarely able to breach Nigeria's disciplined defense.

The Matildas have generated unprecedented exposure for women's soccer in Australia and were widely expected to reach the knockout rounds. Now coach Tony Gustavsson has to turn around an upset quickly.

"When it's as tough as it is now," he said, "that's when the true strength comes out in the team."

U.S.A. 1, Netherlands 1

Lindsey Horan, angry over being knocked down minutes earlier by Danielle Van de Donk, scored a revenge goal minutes later in the second half Thursday to help the United States squeeze out a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands at the Women's World Cup in Wellington, New Zealand.

The Dutch struck first with a goal from Jill Roord in the first-half to surprise the Americans, who remained unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches with Horan's second-half score.

Horan's goal on a header off a corner kick in the 62nd minute followed several minutes of jawing between the two teams: Horan was angry after she was knocked off her feet and even cursed in the direction of Van de Donk — her teammate for club team Lyon.

The Americans tried to calm Horan, who responded with her 29th international goal, fourth in the World Cup, and second consecutive in this tournament.

Before the ball even crossed the goal line, Horan's expression showed she knew she was on target.

With the draw, neither team secured a spot in the knockout round yet, with one group match remaining. Both the Americans and the Dutch sit atop the Group E standings with a win and a draw, but the U.S. has the edge for the lead with more goals.

The game was a rematch of the 2019 Women's World Cup final, a 2-0 win for the Americans in a game played in Lyon, France. It was the Americans' second straight trophy in the tournament, and fourth overall.

Portugal 2, Vietnam 0

Telma Encarnacao scored one goal and assisted on another as Portugal defeated Vietnam 2-0, a win that ensured Vietnam will not advance to the knockout stage.

Portugal jumped ahead in the seventh minute following a quick series of decisive passes through the Vietnamese defense. Lucia Alves dropped in a perfect cross to Encarnacao at the top of the six-yard box for a simple finish.

Portugal still has a shot to advance out of the group stage but will need to win or draw against the United States, with a Netherlands loss next Tuesday against Vietnam.

In the 21st minute, Portugal turned a goal kick from Vietnam into a chance, taking possession and moving downfield. Encarnacao slipped the ball to Kika Nazareth as she raced through defenders, and the 20-year-old forward slotted the second goal of the night to the left of goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh.

Portugal coach Francisco Neto held out seven starters from the team's 1-0 loss to the Netherlands, including 31-year-old captain Dolores Silva and goalkeeper Ines Pereira. Both Encarnacao and Nazareth came off the bench in the loss to the Dutch; both started in the win over Vietnam.

About 6,650 fans turned out to Waikato Stadium, which has a capacity of 18,009. The crowd was mostly Vietnamese fans, but it was the Portuguese contingent that made all the noise.

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy was the lone bright spot for Vietnam. The right winger looked threatening the few times the Golden Star Women Warriors found themselves on the attack but couldn't produce a goal.