MELBOURNE, Australia — Haley Raso scored her first career Women’s World Cup goals at just the right time, with a first-half brace in Australia’s 4-0 win over Canada in Monday’s pivotal group-stage finale.
The Matildas, who also got goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley in the second half, clinched the top spot in Group B and a place in the round of 16 at the expense of the Olympic champion.
Australia needed a win to guarantee progression to the next round. The co-hosts secured a resounding win. Canada, needing to avoid defeat to avoid elimination, is out of the tournament after slipping from the lead to third place in the group behind Australia and Nigeria.
After missing two group-stage matches with a calf injury sustained on the eve of the tournament, Australia’s star striker Sam Kerr was available and on the bench but did not play in the match. The closest she got to the pitch was carrying drinks for her teammates.
In front of a vocal, pro-Australia crowd of 27,706 in Melbourne, Canada became the first reigning Olympic champion to be eliminated in group play in the subsequent Women’s World Cup.
Australia’s progression ensured this year’s Women’s World Cup would not be the first without a host nation in the knockout stage.
Australia jumped out to an early lead in the ninth minute with Raso’s first goal: a shot from the back post off a cross from Catley. Initially ruled offside, the goal held up under VAR review, and Raso fell to her knees to celebrate.
The Matildas responded to a disallowed goal from Australia forward Mary Fowler – ruled offside by VAR in the 34th minute – when Raso poked in a failed clearance after Kyra Cooney-Cross’ corner, doubling Australia’s lead in the 39th.
Off another left-wing cross from Catley, Fowler added Australia’s third goal in the 58th. She returned to the Matildas’ starting lineup after missing their upset 3-2 loss to Nigeria last week with a mild concussion.
After two assists, Catley scored in stoppage time, burying her second penalty kick of the tournament after Canada midfielder Jessie Fleming fouled Katrina Gorry at the edge of the area.
Canada forward Adriana Leon, who scored Canada’s clincher in a 2-1 win over Ireland, came off in the 64th minute with a head injury.
With its win over Canada and Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Ireland, Australia finished first in Group B with six points. Nigeria finished second with five points.
The Matildas, as hosts, stay alive in a tournament that has seen record-breaking ticket sales, especially in Australia’s host cities and for the Matildas’ matches. Home fans will look to see if Kerr will make her tournament debut in the round of 16.
Co-host New Zealand’s 0-0 draw on Sunday with Switzerland eliminated the Football Ferns from knockout-round contention.
Australia will face the second-place finisher in Group D in the round of 16 next in Sydney. Tuesday’s simultaneous matches between first-place England and China and Denmark against Haiti will determine Australia and Nigeria’s round of 16 opponents. The Australians have seven days to prepare for their next match, giving captain Kerr more time to fully recover.
Nigeria 0, Ireland 0
Nigeria used a scoreless draw against Ireland to advance to the round of 16 in a match played in Brisbane, Australia. The pre-tournament underdogs finished second in Group B behind co-host Australia.
After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigerians picked up the intensity in hopes of scoring the goal that would move them to the top of the group. A diving save from Ireland’s Courtney Brosnan in the 52nd minute kept her clean sheet intact and secured Ireland’s first point in its debut appearance at the tournament.
Nigeria came closest to breaking the deadlock when Toni Payne found the head of Uchenna Kanu. A diving save by Courtney Brosnan was needed to keep the game scoreless.
Each team’s best chance to score in the first half came within the first 15 minutes from their respective star players. Ireland’s Katie McCabe was just off target with a left-foot shot in the 5th minute and Asisat Oshoala, the star of Nigeria’s 3-2 upset win over Australia last week, couldn’t convert off a breakaway that came nine minutes later.
With the point earned from the draw, Nigeria is into the round of 16. The 40th-ranked team in the world avoided defeat in all three of its group-stage matches, including the shocking win over Australia.
Nigeria’s run is all the more surprising given the turmoil surrounding the team prior to the tournament. The team was able to put an ongoing pay dispute behind it and qualify for the knockout stage for the third time in its history.
Ireland’s women’s team heads home after earning one point in its first major global tournament. The team will look to use the experience gained to its advantage as it attempts to qualify for its first ever Women’s European Championship in 2025.
As the runner-up in Group B, Nigeria will play the winners of Group D next Monday in Brisbane.
Zambia 3, Costa Rica 1
Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal at this year’s Women’s World Cup, and Barbra Banda added the 1,000th goal in tournament history, as tournament newcomer Zambia earned its nation’s first World Cup win in a match played Hamilton, New Zealand.
The victory sent Zambia home from its first World Cup on an emotional high. Both teams had already been eliminated from the knockout stage before the match.
The Copper Queens’ opening goal, the first in their history, came after just 2 minutes and 11 seconds off Avell Chitundu’s corner kick. Mweemba lofted a volley into the roof of the net over goalkeeper Daniela Solera.
Banda scored the milestone goal in the 31st minute on a penalty kick. The referee gave the penalty after the 23-year-old striker appeared to be taken down in the box by Katherine Alvarado.
The referee handed out five yellow cards and called a total of 30 fouls in the fast-paced match.
In the 47th minute, Melissa Herrera knocked a cross over the line with her chest for Costa Rica’s lone goal. Costa Rica later saw both a potential penalty and a goal taken away by offsides calls.
More than 8,000 spectators were at Waikato Stadium, which holds 18,009.
Zambia wasted no time against Costa Rica, scoring its first-ever tournament goal just 131 seconds into the match. Mweemba’s one-timer changed the momentum of the match as the Copper Queens controlled much of the first half and got their second goal on Banda’s penalty.
Rachael Kundananji sealed the victory three minutes into injury time. Banda’s through ball set up the forward, who scored easily.
Zambia returns home having won a match in its first appearance at the Women’s World Cup. It ended the tournament in third place of Group C with three points.
Las Ticas are still in search of their first World Cup win after failing to get a victory both this year and in 2015, their only other appearance.
Zambia’s next match is scheduled for Oct. 23 against Mali in the second round of Olympic qualifiers.
Japan 4, Spain 0
Japan scored three times from lightning breaks in the first half, once in the second and defended resolutely to trounce Spain and top Group C in a match played in Wellington, New Zealand.
Hinata Miyazawa scored twice, Riko Ueki scored once and both were instrumental in each other’s goals as Japan switched swiftly from defense to counter-attack and scored from its only three attempts on goal before halftime.
Mina Tanaka came off the bench to score the last in the 82nd minute as Japan, with only 22% of possession, turned on a counter-attacking master class in front of 21,000 fans.
“While the other side had the ball, in that duel and once we recovered the ball we tried to have maximum speed,” Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda said. “I think we were quite effective.”
Both teams had already clinched places in the round of 16, Japan for the fourth World Cup in succession and Spain for the second. Both had beaten Zambia 5-0 and Spain had the better goal differential after both teams beat Costa Rica. A draw would have been enough to see Spain finish atop a group for the first time in its history.
But Spain has struggled against Asian teams in World Cup matches, losing to South Korea in 2015 and drawing with China in 2019. The loss Monday was its first against Japan and its heaviest in 11 years.
Japan now will play Group A runner-up Norway on Saturday in the round of 16 and Spain will play Group A winner Switzerland.
Spain coach Jorge Vilda admitted his team’s failings were not only in defense but also on attack — it had to wait almost to the end of the first half for its first corner.
“We have not seen the best of the Spain team and I’m sure against Switzerland we will react positively,” he said. “The team is together and in a few days we have to play a round of 16 game.”
