After a triumph over Japan in their opening match, Spain will now take on Nigeria, with the game kicking off at 8pm on Sunday 28 July.
Their narrow defeat to Brazil in their first Olympic game in 16 years, means Nigeria have now lost nine of their last 10 Olympic matches.
Nigeria have a great task on their hands if they want to defeat world champions Spain – while the country has done consistently well in continental African tournaments, they have failed to achieve success on the world stage.
Nigeria’s performance at the World Cup last year, where they finished in the round of 16 and held current Olympic gold medallists Canada to a 0-0 draw, had given some fans high hopes of what the African side could achieve in the Olympics, but optimists were left disappointed by a 1-0 draw to Brazil.
Spain, however, have been playing consistently well since their win at last year’s World Cup, losing just one of their last ten games.
For Spain, defeating Nigeria seems an easy chance to secure their spot in the quarterfinals, but for Nigeria they know that they need a point at the very least to have a chance of qualifying from their group.
Both Spain and Nigeria have strong defence sides, with Nigeria’s defence playing especially well in the previous Olympic match. Nigeria also has some solid strikers, but Spain’s stars such as Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas promise power.
In their first game against Japan, Spain commanded 69% of the possession, so Nigeria could face challenges in taking the ball or having any control of the play. But as Nigeria has typically been coached to play more defensively anyway, this may not upset their play too much.
Spain and Nigeria have never met in an international fixture and as both teams have motivation to win, this promises to be an exciting match.
As Spanish defender Laia Aleixandri said: “Any game in the Olympics is a battle, but it’s true that with Nigeria we are expecting a very physical match. We are prepared.”
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