USWNT defeat Nigeria 2-1 before historic on-field CBA signing

It was a much more challenging game this time for the USWNT as they narrowly defeated the Super Falcons of Nigeria, 2-1. The victory extended their home unbeaten streak to 71 games, but the night ended with a historical moment.

After the game, the unprecedented CBA deal between the U.S. Soccer Federation, U.S Women's Soccer Players' Association, and U.S National Soccer Team Players Association was signed on the field.

The signing solidifies equal pay between the women's and men's national teams.

"The ink [is] finally on the paper," Megan Rapinoe said about the signing. "It's still surreal a little bit. It's been the history of the whole program, that's how I look at it. In this moment, it's going forward, but we wouldn't be here without all the players before with the groundwork they laid. So it was a full circle moment, and I'm very proud of all of us."

Rapinoe has been one of the vocal leaders in the fight for equal pay. She was the first person to sign the petition started back in 2015.

"I don't I ever knew what it meant to be on this team until I was on this team," Rose Lavelle said about being a part of the historical moment. "

In the second half, it only took her 73 seconds to contribute to the go-ahead goal, assisting Lavelle on her acrobatic header that she didn't even realize went in.

The night's first goal was an own goal deflected in by Nigerian defender Oluwatosin Blessing Demehin in the 24th minute. But, besides the costly mistake, the Super Falcons played a decent game, with much more intensity than they had in Kansas City Saturday.

Nigeria's physical play and quick turnaround could have played a role in the USWNT's slow start, but head coach Vlatko Andonovski was pleased with his team's performance.

"I was extremely happy with how the team performed in the first half," Andonovski said after the game. "The only thing we were missing in the first half was execution. We created a lot more in the first half than we did in the previous game, but we could not execute the opportunities we created."

Nigeria scored early in the second half when Uchenna Kanu sent a ball past U.S. goalie Casey Murphy into the back of the net. It was only the second goal the USWNT allowed this year, ending an 880-minute shutout streak.