Kirsten Stegemann produced a face-saving winning goal for world champions Germany as they struggled to beat underlings Nigeria 1-0 in a women's Olympic football match here Saturday. It was a vital victory for Germany, keeping their campaign alive after being held to a scoreless draw by Brazil in their opening match.
However, the tournament favourites had targeted winless Nigeria for a decisive and confidence-building victory but instead were unable to put a sound game together. Despite Germany fielding a vastly experienced squad, all veterans of last year's World Cup triumph, the match degenerated into an episode of wayward passes and lack of cohesion.