Early on Friday morning, Canada and the Super Falcons of Nigeria drew 0-0 in their opening match at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Due to the heroics of goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, the Falcons and their opponent, the seventh-ranked team in the world, were able to split the victory.

Both sides showed moments of brilliance in a fiercely contested game, but the Maple Leafs held 68 percent of the possession while defeating the Super Falcons 16-11 in total shots.

Canada threatened to draw first blood early on but ultimately failed as the contest progressed.

Nigeria looked up against the challenge in the opening 45 minutes and went from strength to strength to ease back into the contest.

Ifeoma Onumonu had Nigeria’s best chance in the opening 45 minutes but her strike just outside the box forced the Canadian goalkeeper into a save.

Asisat Oshoala also got her chance but she failed in her attempt to try and find a teammate inside the box.

Two minutes into the second half, Christine Sinclair was fouled by Francisca Ordega in the box.

The Canadians protested over the strong challenge from Ordega, which ultimately led to the referee going in for a VAR check for a possible penalty.

After a thorough check on the sideline, the referee points to the spot and Sinclair was on hand to convert from 12 yards to score her 191st goal.

But Nnadozie prevented that from happening as she elected to go bottom right to stop Sinclair’s effort.

The save left fans of the Super Falcons overjoyed and left fans of the Maple Leafs with their hands on their heads.

With nothing to separate the two sides, the Super Falcons held firm for a draw, although they finished the game with 10 players after Deborah Abiodun was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence six minutes into stoppage time.

The result favours the Super Falcons, who entered the tournament ranked 40th in the world by FIFA on the back of two wins and three losses in their last five outings.

Randy Waldrum’s Super Falcons will trade tackles with Australia in their next match on July 27, while Canada will take on Ireland.

A win against the Matildas is what the Falcons need to stay on course in the competition.

The Aussies sit on top with three points having won their opener 1-0 against Ireland, while Canada and Nigeria inhabit the next few spots with a point each.