World Cup NOW: Nigeria earned its spot in knockout stage

The Republic of Ireland and Nigeria went head-to-head in the Group B finale Monday. Nigeria was able to hold on to a scoreless draw, which put them through to the knockout stage as the runner-up in its group.

The “World Cup NOW” crew — Jimmy Conrad, Melissa Ortiz and Ari Hingst — discussed Nigeria’s journey through the group stage, where they proved to be a formidable opponent. They also talked about how the stakes are higher and the competition is fiercer in the knockout stage coming up.

Conrad: “Congratulations to Nigeria for getting to the round of 16, for doing what they had to do. And I think their first game, they set the tone like, ‘We’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with.’ And obviously the comeback against Australia really cemented that.”

Ortiz: “This is a successful group play for Nigeria … Oshoala has been a force, coming off the bench in some games, starting in some games. They have more depth than we ever thought.”

Hingst: “As this World Cup plays out, whoever reaches the knockout stage will now they have to give it their all. And there are no easy opponents anywhere. I know we keep on talking, “Oh this might be the easier path and this path is harder, and you don’t want to face this team and that team.’ At the end of the day, we are so close and so narrow now that any team can beat any team, any given day. … And this is what makes this World Cup so much fun to watch.”

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