All week, Australian soccer officers have urged the nation’s information media and its military of followers to deal with the gamers wholesome sufficient to take the sphere for the crew representing the match co-hosts.
These efforts have been largely futile, with the destiny of star striker Sam Kerr and her injured proper calf being the dominant narrative of the nation’s World Cup to date.
A victory over Nigeria would have assured a spot within the spherical of 16, and would have maybe given some respite and the prospect to relaxation what has develop into probably the most talked about calf muscle in Australia for a minimum of another recreation.
However a shock defeat to Nigeria, which scored 3 times after Australia struck first in entrance of greater than 40,000 followers in Brisbane, leaves Australia’s hopes of constructing it to the knockout stage dangling precariously and the necessity for a rescue act from Kerr extra pressing than ever.
Australia now faces a shootout in opposition to Canada, the champion of the Tokyo Olympics, on Monday with something however a victory prone to result in an premature and embarrassing exit for a crew that had excessive hopes of going deep within the match. For Nigeria, the trail ahead is clearer an rather more favorable: A tie with already eradicated Eire ensures progress.
Portugal appeared rather more comfy in a 2-0 win in opposition to Vietnam than it did in a gap loss to the Netherlands.
Telma Encarnação scored a aim within the seventh minute and Kika Nazareth added one other quickly after that showcased Portugal’s straightforward management of the match.
It will likely be very troublesome for Portugal to win its subsequent recreation, which is in opposition to a United States crew that’s tied atop the group standings with the Netherlands. However the Portuguese may additionally make issues robust on the People, who will wish to rating to get out of Group E in first place.
Argentina vs. South Africa
South Africa shocked Sweden in its opening match of this World Cup, scoring within the forty eighth minute to take the lead over a crew that’s hoping to contend for the title. Whereas the Swedes ultimately eked out a win, 2-1, South Africa proved its pluckiness and might be in search of its first World Cup win when it takes on Argentina on Friday in Dunedin, New Zealand (Thursday evening Jap time).
Argentina is going through a fast turnaround from its 1-0 loss to Italy on Monday. Enjoying in its fourth World Cup, Argentina remains to be looking for its first-ever win. The Argentines have arguably their greatest shot at 3 factors in opposition to South Africa, with top-ranked Sweden up subsequent.
They pushed and so they shoved. They gave in addition to they acquired. They traded photographs after which they traded targets. However via 90 supremely bodily — and at occasions thrilling — minutes on Thursday, america and the Netherlands couldn’t separate themselves on the Girls’s World Cup.
And they also walked off after probably the most eagerly anticipated recreation of the group stage with a 1-1 draw that should be adequate.
The Netherlands, which scored first, could remorse that it didn’t come away with a win. However not an excessive amount of. “I believe we’re undoubtedly not sad,” Jill Roord, who scored her crew’s aim, stated of the temper within the dressing room.
The USA, which produced much more scoring possibilities, could really feel it deserved one. Its aim, from Lindsey Horan, got here after a number of good alternatives and was adopted by a half-dozen extra. “At that time it was our recreation,” Coach Vlatko Andonovski stated. “And I’m simply disenchanted that we didn’t rating a couple of.”
The USA and the Netherlands know one another nicely, in fact. This recreation was a rematch of the 2019 World Cup last, but in addition of a second assembly, a yr later, within the Netherlands, and a 3rd on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The USA gained all of these video games. However even its playmaker, Rose Lavelle, admitted that these have been completely different groups, with completely different coaches and completely different types. So maybe it was not a shock that the end result was completely different, too.
The sport at Sky Stadium was a bruising affair, a frigid day marked by robust tackles {and professional} fouls that at occasions felt it was solely a second or two away from boiling over. In the long run, although, it was determined by two small moments.
The primary was a slip by U.S. defender Crystal Dunn within the seventeenth minute that set off a scramble completed by a tough, low shot by Roord that sneaked previous U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
The second second, america’ response, got here after yet one more laborious foul within the 62nd minute. Dropped by a deal with in entrance of her crew’s bench, Horan, the U.S. co-captain, dusted herself off, strode straight to the center of the penalty space for a nook kick by Lavelle, after which threw herself at it to ship the header that tied the rating.
The USA pressed relentlessly for a winner from there, however the Netherlands — seasoned by historical past, improved by its previous encounters in opposition to the People — hunkered down and fought off each one in every of them.
The end result left the groups tied atop Group E with 4 factors from a win and a draw, and crunching the maths that it’ll take to win the group and attain the knockout rounds. For now, that edge goes to the People on aim distinction, plus-3 to plus-1, however that might change over the ultimate group video games.
The USA will face Portugal on Tuesday, a recreation that might be performed concurrently with the Netherlands’ recreation in opposition to Vietnam. The People and the Dutch won’t see one another once more except they each attain the ultimate. Gritty performances like Thursday’s recommend that each groups could have the mettle to hold round for some time.
Nothing is 100% sure, in fact, however the likelihood is extremely doubtless that america and the Netherlands will each get via their World Cup group and into the spherical of 16. However the query of who locations first and who locations second goes to be difficult, and its implications are usually not trivial.
The aggressive a part of it is going to be of utmost concern to the groups. The primary-place crew may face a neater path within the knockout rounds than the runner-up: a recreation in opposition to a youthful Italian crew within the spherical of 16, say, moderately a showdown with Sweden, a title contender that reached the ultimate on the Tokyo Olympics and completed third within the 2019 World Cup.
Past the matchups, there are sensible and logistical points for the groups, and their followers, as nicely — from flights to resort reservations to match tickets. All of these at the moment are depending on the outcomes of the ultimate group video games on Tuesday. After which there’s the printed schedule.
For followers in America, for instance, america’ end within the group means the distinction between watching a round-of-16 recreation within the night hours, or in the course of the evening. Thursday’s tie between america and the Netherlands means none of that might be locked in till Tuesday, when the scores will set the standings, and the race to arrange for the following spherical will start.