MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — When Nigeria scored its third goal in the Women’s World Cup match that now has co-host Australia on the brink of elimination, the hundreds of Matildas fans watching on a giant screen in Melbourne’s Federation Square sent up a chorus of groans.
In the sea of yellow and green jerseys, though, a few spectators cheered and exchanged high-fives.
“You can see the joy all over here,” Nigeria fan Juwon Fayomi said.
The Matildas’ 3-2 loss to Nigeria sent the tournament co-hosts into a must-win group-stage finale against Olympic champion Canada on Monday in Melbourne. So there’s a chance Australia could be knocked out in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup, a fate that no host country endured in the first eight editions.
That undoubtedly could dampen some local enthusiasm. But because of…