WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Kerr returns off the bench as Australia down Danes to reach quarter-finals
Co-hosts Australia welcomed captain Sam Kerr to the fray for the first time in the tournament as they beat Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup at Stadium Australia on Monday.
Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso scored the goals either side of halftime before Kerr, who has been absent with a calf injury, came on as a 78th-minute substitute to a huge roar from the crowd of 75,784.
Denmark dominated the early exchanges with Pernille Harder looking particularly dangerous but faded as the game went on with their first World Cup campaign since 2007 destined to end in the last 16.
Australia, who have reached the last eight at three previous World Cups but never gone further, move on to meet either France or Morocco in Brisbane on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals on the line.
The Danes looked far the better side in the first 20 minutes with their press disrupting Australia’s attempts to build any fluency and Harder roaming up front probing for gaps in the home defence.
The Matildas forwards were being crowded out when they did make inroads into the Danish half and it was when their midfielders pushed forward from deeper positions that they looked most dangerous.
Fowler took the ball in such a position in the 29th minute and produced a stunning pass that carved through the Danish defence and found Foord streaking down the left channel.
Foord’s touch took the ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where she slid it between the legs of Denmark goalkeeper Lene Christensen for her first goal of the tournament.
The pace of Foord down the left wing continued to cause problems for Denmark after the break and Emily van Egmond nearly turned her drilled pass across goal into the net in the 65th minute.
A huge roar went up four minutes later when Kerr was shown on the big screen putting on a match shirt but Australia had doubled their lead before she came on.
A Fowler pass into the box found Van Egmond with her back to goal and the midfielder controlled the ball well before sliding it out to Raso, who lashed it into the net from an angle.
Kerr’s first touch was a wild crossfield pass to no-one but she was soon bursting in to the box with the ball at her feet to fire a shot over the bar.
-Reuters
Japan survived a late scare against Nigeria to set up a re-match of the 2022 final with Spain in Sunday’s quarter-finals.
In rainy Bogota, Miyu Matsunaga’s free header just after the half hour was enough to send Japan to the break with a lead, as they have done at every match at Colombia 2024.
Maya Hijikata then doubled the advantage midway through the second term, tucking home a cross from substitute Chinari Sasai at the back post; that goal taking her joint-top of the adidas Golden Boot race with Brazil’s Vendito.
Olushola Shobowale did manage to pull one back for Nigeria in stoppage time but they couldn’t find a second as Japan hung on to close out the 2-1 win and set up that epic quarter-final clash with Spain. It is a re-match of the final match of the last edition in Costa Rica two years ago.
Africa’s biggest hope for podium appearance at the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals, Nigeria, have returned to the Colombia capital, Bogota, ahead of Friday morning’s Round of 16 clash with Japan.
Japan, one of the strongest forces in women’s football globally, topped Group E that also included Austria, New Zealand and one of Africa’s flag-bearers Ghana. Ghana crashed out of the tournament after losing to Japan and Austria, and a narrow win over New Zealand.
The Falconets reached the Round of 16 after pipping Korea Republic 1-0 and losing 1-3 to Germany, and then earning a fabulous 4-0 win over Venezuela in Cali.
“The girls have worked very hard to get to this stage, and we are proud of their efforts. We will be taking the knockout stages one match at a time. I must tell you that we are excited at the prospects of facing Japan and what that brings forth,” Coach Chris Musa Danjuma said on his team’s return to the capital on Wednesday night.
The clash between Nigeria and Japan will hold at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota – where the Falconets played their first two matches of the group phase against Korea Republic and Germany – starting from 2am Nigeria time (8pm, Thursday in Colombia) on Friday, 13th September.
Nigeria Super Falconets gave Nigerians additional joy after their 4-0 defeat of Venezuela in Cali, Colombia in their last group match. Their victory followed up with an earlier 3-0 win by the Super Eagles in their opening Group D match with Benin Republic in Uyo.
The Falconets’ win means they have qualified for the Round of 16 where they are most likely going to face Japan when the group games are completed on Sunday.
Both Nigeria and Germany tied on six points, but Germany have one goal better than Nigeria on goal difference.
The Super Falcons made early hays when Amina Bello put Nigeria ahead after 16 minutes. Chiamaka Okwuchukwu doubled the lead in the 28th minute before Flourish Sebastine put in the third five minutes into the added time of the first half. Joy Igbokwe put in the back breaker four minutes into the added time of the second hald.
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