At one end was Chiamaka Nnadozie, the 22-year-old goalkeeper of Nigeria. Facing her on the sun-drenched turf of the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium was a woman with more international goals than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Canada captain Christine Sinclair, with 190 goals to her name, the most in the game for any man or woman, was expected to convert from the spot in this Group B encounter on Friday.
But Nnadozie leapt to her left and stopped Sinclair's shot in the 50th minute. Nigeria, known as the Super Falcons, held the Olympic champions to a 0-0 draw.
Had Sinclair found her target, she would have become the first player to score in six World Cups. But Nnadozie had other ideas.
“She's one of the best,” Nnadozie said of the Canadian. “The last time we played against them, she scored on me. I was very angry. I told myself, This is the opportunity to make things right.' So it's 1-1 for me and Sinclair.”
Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, watching from the other end, said Sinclair would have scored in this situation “nine times out of 10” but said, “that's just the game.”
“You just have to be ready. It's an incredible save," said Sheridan. According to her, Nnadozie is "an incredible keeper.”
In the Super Falcons' last major international tournament, the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria lost to Morocco in a semifinal penalty shootout, 5-4. Nnadozie was in goal and was disappointed after the match. But she emerged from it stronger and wiser.
“I think she's one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now,” Nigerian coach Randy Waldrum said. “Just by the performance today, people around the world are seeing that from her too, because she deserves it.”
In the 2019 Women's World Cup, at just 18, Nnadozie became the youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the tournament’s history, when Nigeria beat South Korea 2-0 in the group stage.
After the crucial save off Sinclair, Nnadozie pointed to her head. She said after the match that the reason behind the gesture was to remind herself to stay focused: “Come on, girl, come on. This is another game. We still got some minutes to play. Don't relax.”
