Germany cruises past Nigeria to book spot in quarterfinals
Germany continued its quest to win a third Women's World Cup by beating Nigeria 3-0 in the round of 16 on Saturday.
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's team scored a pair of goals inside the opening half hour and added a third in the final minutes to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Alexandra Popp opened the scoring with a close-range header before Sara Dabritz converted a 27th-minute penalty to double Germany's lead. Nigeria produced a valiant effort in the second half, but Lea Schuller put the final nail in the African side's coffin with a clinical strike in the 82nd minute.
Congrats to @alexpopp11 - #PlayeroftheMatch presented by @Visa for #GERNGA! @Visa_DE | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Nd4fUFmUFA
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 22, 2019
Die Nationalelf have never failed to reach the quarterfinal stage of the Women's World Cup since the tournament's inception in 1991. Germany last won the competition in 2007 when the nation successfully defended its 2003 title.
Germany will play either Canada or Sweden in the next round.