USA-Nigeria Live: Team Wins On Abby Wambach's Goal, Tops 'Group Of Death'

Final, 1-0 United States: It’s all over at BC Place. Team USA wins the game and the “Group of Death.”

Team USA is through to the Round of 16 as Group D winner after beating Nigeria in Vancouver. Wambach scored the game’s only goal, volleying home a corner kick just before halftime. Team USA controlled possession and territory throughout and handled 10-woman Nigeria’s dangerous attack with composed, and sometimes desperate, defending.

Team USA will play its Round of 16 game Monday.

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Nigeria’s World Cup journey ends at the group stage, but the Super Falcons can be proud of their performances in Canada.

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That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.

USA-Nigeria postgame analysis >>

Wambach’s goal vs. Nigeria (video) >>

90th minute, 1-0 United States: There will be three minutes of added time in the second half.

88th minute, 1-0 United States: The teams are sharing possession in the final minutes. It looks like 10-woman Nigeria has run out of steam, and Team USA is defending comfortably, as the clock ticks toward the 90-minute mark.

83rd minute, 1-0 United States: Boxx shoots wide from 25 yards out.

79th minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA makes its final substitution. Rampone comes on for Heath. Johnston could push into the midfield or the United States could see out the game with five defenders.

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77th minute, 1-0 United States: Nigeria makes its final substitution. Nku replaces Ordega.

75th minute, 1-0 United States: Johnston blocks a shot from close range, as Nigeria has a golden opportunity to tie the game.

75th minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA makes its second substitution. Rapinoe exits. Boxx, 37, enters.

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71st minute, 1-0 United States: Holiday’s free kick reaches Dede, who collects it.

69th minute, 1-0 United States: The referee cautions Nnodim for the second time and sends off the Nigerian defender. Nigeria now is down to 10 players.

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68th minute, 1-0 United States: Okobi is cautioned for a foul on Rapinoe. Nigeria now has earned four yellow cards in this game.

65th minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA makes its first substitution, replacing Morgan with Leroux.

Morgan helped stretch the field, but her finishing wasn’t up to her usual standard.

62nd minute, 1-0 United States: Morgan runs onto Krieger’s cross but misses her chance from close range. Dede saves Morgan’s shot, but the American striker should have done better.

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60th minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Chukwunoye for a foul on Wambach. Both players are hurt on the play. Wambach walks away. Chukwunoye is down and receiving treatment.

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57th minute, 1-0 United States: Wambach heads Krieger’s cross on goal, but Dede scoops it on the bounce.

55th minute, 0-0: Oparanozie shoots a free kick from 40 yards out. It lands on top of Solo’s goal.

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50th minute, 1-0 United States: Nigeria makes two substitutions. Ayinde and Oparanozie enter. Sunday and Dike exit.

48th minute, 1-0 United States: Morgan has another chance after racing behind the defense but she shoots tamely, and Dede saves it.

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47th minute, 1-0 United States: Team USA has an early chance, but Morgan slices her shot wide.

46th minute, 1-0 United States: The second half is underway.

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Halftime, 1-0 United States: That’s the end of the first half. Team USA leads by one.

Team USA outplayed Nigeria for the entire first half but had to wait 44 minutes for its breakthrough. Wambach volleyed the Americans ahead, giving them their reward for their first-half dominance. Team USA might have scored earlier but missed calls denied both goals and penalty-kick appeals. Wambach’s goal added gloss to a fine half for Team USA.

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Nigeria also had its chances. Oshoala had the best of them, but Solo and Johnston repelled them with focus and determination.

45th minute, 1-0 United States: Wambach puts Team USA out front just before halftime.

Rapinoe floated a corner kick into Nigeria’s penalty area. Wambach attacked it and volleyed it home.

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43rd minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Ebi for a professional foul on Rapinoe, who might have had a breakaway if she wasn’t taken down by the Nigerian defender.

38th minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Nnodim for a foul on Heath.

34th minute, 0-0: Team USA wants a penalty kick after Rapinoe’s cross appeared to hit the out-stretched arm of a defender.

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33rd minute, 0-0: Rapinoe tests Dede with another long-range shot. This one has the same result as her earlier effort, as Dede turn it away for a corner kick.

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25th minute, 0-0: Nnodim misses the target with her shot.

24th minute, 0-0: Oshoala races behind Team USA’s defense, but Johnston blocks the Nigeria forward’s shot.

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Nigeria is ceding possession and territory to Team USA but the Super Falcons quick counter-attacks have been dangerous.

21st minute, 0-0: Team USA has dominated possession and territory so far. It also has created a number of early scoring chances, which it didn’t do in the two previous games. Team USA hasn’t scored yet, but its attack looks like it’s finally starting to click.

18th minute, 0-0: Wambach has a great chance, but her header from Rapinoe’s corner kick is off target.

17th minute, 0-0: Rapinoe fires a shot on goal, but Dede palms it out for a corner kick.

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12th minute, 0-0: Nigeria’s first sustained spell of possession produces a shot on goal. Oshoala hits it toward the far post from 15 yards out, but Solo saves it with no trouble.

Eight minute, 0-0: Johnston appears to score the opening goal, but the referee’s assistant rules her offside.

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Johnston’s effort came seconds after Holiday drove a free kick into Nigeria’s penalty area. Dede saved it, and a defender half-cleared it.

Third minute, 0-0: Team USA is on the front foot early on, lofting passes into Nigeria’s penalty area at will. Only offside calls have prevented the Americans from turning their possession into scoring chances.

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Kickoff: USA-Nigeria is underway.

History is on Team USA’s side in this matchup.

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Pregame: Team USA head coach Jill Ellis has tweaked the starting lineup again, opting for Morgan and Wambach as starting strikers. Sydney Leroux and Christen Press drop to the bench.

Morgan starts a World Cup game for the first time in her career. She was a substitute in 2011 and played the same role in the United States’ first two World Cup games in 2015, as she works her way back to full fitness after suffering from a bone bruise in her knee in the lead-up to the tournament.

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Wambach started and went 90 minutes in Team USA’s World Cup opener, but Ellis benched her against Sweden. Wambach said Saturday the artificial surfaces are responsible for her goal-scoring woes. Wambach’s finishing will be under scrutiny against Nigeria.

Ellis makes another change at right midfield, as Heath appears in the starting 11 for the first time this tournament. She came on as a substitute in the United States’ win over Australia and helped turn the game in her team’s favor.

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7:30 p.m.: Here are the lineups:

United States

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Nigeria

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5:30 p.m. ET: The United States women’s national soccer team has one last chance to work out the kinks in its game before the stakes at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup escalate.

Team USA faces Nigeria on Monday at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver in its final game in Group D play. Team USA can clinch both the top spot in the group and a favorable opponent in the Round of 16 with a win over the Super Falcons.

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Nigeria has surprised many with its performances against Sweden and Australia. Nigeria’s forward progress mirrors that of many teams in the women’s game, as the gap between the best and the rest narrows with each passing year. Head coach Edwin Okon and forward Asisat Oshoala said Monday at their pregame press conference Nigeria would continue to ignore the political situation in the country and focus on playing its game and demonstrating the players’ abilities.

Team USA is satisfied with how it has opened the tournament, according to midfielder Megan Rapinoe. But Team USA also knows it must overcome potential distractions and focus on reaching a higher level if it is to win its first World Cup since 1999. Nigeria is the next sign-post on Team USA’s road to its World Cup destiny.

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USA-Nigeria kicks off at 8 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from BC Place Stadium.