Centurion Popp leads Germany into World Cup quarters

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Sara Doorsoun (L) of Germany vies with Uchenna Kanu of Nigeria during the round of 16 match at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup at Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, France, June 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Xu)

Germany advanced to their eighth consecutive quarterfinals of the FIFA Women's World Cup as the two-time champions comfortably won over Nigeria 3-0 on Saturday.

"Coaches are never 100% happy, but that was a great performance. And it's fantastic to be in the quarterfinals," Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg told a post-match press conference.

"We've played four very tough matches in very different conditions, with the heat tough today, and we've dealt with all that very well," she said.

Skipper Alexandra Popp's backward header opened scoring on 20 minutes after Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita consulted with the VAR and ruled "no offside" in the Wolfsburg striker's buildup to Lina Magull's corner.

Seven minutes later, Sara Daebritz converted in a controversial penalty to extend Germany's lead, after the referee confirmed Evelyn Nwabuoku's challenge on Lina Magull to be a foul.

The game, which is the final one hosted by Stade des Alpes at France 2019, marked Popp's 100th appearance.

With just eight minutes from time, Essen forward Lea Schueller scored her first goal of the tournament, using an error committed by the Nigerian defender to seal the victory.

"That first goal gave us some safety, but then we allowed Nigeria to get back into the game a little bit. After the break, we were very dominant," commented German captain Popp, who's named the Player of the Match.

Having won the previous seven encounters against the Super Falcons, Germany came into the round of 16 match following a strong display in Group B.

The fast and strong Nigeria, on the other hand, remained dangerous and they tried to play some counter-attacks in the second half, but their final dashes all went to miss the moment.

Nigeria striker Chinwendu Ihezuo, who plays for China's Henan Huishang WFC, fought valiantly to try to break Germany's defense before she's carried off the pitch due to injury.

"I think we showed the whole world that Nigeria have a team that has improved a lot. Of course you're not satisfied to go out but you also have to know where you came from - and we're just not ready yet," Nigeria coach Thomas Dennerby said.

"So we really need to use FIFA dates to keep on working very hard and keep on playing games like this, because we have really talented players back home in Nigeria," added the Swede.

With the victory, Germany head into the quarterfinals in Rennes a week later, facing the winners between Sweden and Canada.

Furthermore, the DFB Frauen came out the only team besides the United States not to have conceded in this tournament so far.

"I'm very happy that we now have one week to relax and prepare for the quarterfinals," Voss-Tecklenburg said.

"Part of that will be working on improving our performance in certain phases of the match, gaining more ground, becoming more confident," she added.

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