While New Zealand has been eliminated, Australia has made it to the Quarter-Finals. This is for the second time that they have made it past the knockout stage in their six attempts. The last time they qualified was in 2015 by beating Brazil, eliminating the opponent for the advancement.
The most recent qualification comes after Australia beat Denmark 2-0. This is their third clean sheet in the tournament, with the previous two coming against Canada and Ireland. Denmark remaining goalless was a bit unexpected, considering the team was very much in the game with possession of 56%. Their defensive line is likely to introspect for improvements. The number of shots on target tally for both sides at 3; however, it works better for the co-host as their shots were just 10.
Caitlin Foord scored the opener in the 29th minute. Hayley Raso followed the trend in the 70th minute. Raso was in a closed circuit for the shot. It was the rebound that helped Egmond give a chance to Raso. Fowler’s shot was blocked, not held. Hence, the ball spun in the air for success. Egmond entered the list as an assistant.
Hayley Raso is now on the list of top scorers at the 4th position with 3 goals to her name. She shares the rank with players like Lauren James and Jennifer Hermoso.
Caitlin Foord, who scored the opener in the first half, is credited for her 2 remarkable assists throughout the tournament. That puts her in the third position with Aoba Fujino and Eva Navarro, among others. Her net was with the assistance of Fowler, who did not shy away from sliding the ball down to the left. Christensen had a confusing moment in that attack. Missing the shot was only natural and disappointing since it meant that Denmark would have to strengthen its 4-2-3-1 formation in the moments to come.
Six minutes were added to the final deadline. Substitutions were done by both sides. However, nothing yielded the result that Denmark wanted.
Co-hosts will next meet a yet-to-be-decided opponent in Quarter-Finals on August 12, 2023. It could be either France or Morocco. In all fairness, France has a better chance of competing with the Aussies. They are favorites to win the event with a predicted margin of 3-1 per betting sites of FIFA. Needless to say, the actual outcome may vary, and the odds may change later.
England have made it to the Quarter-Finals as well. They beat Nigeria in the penalty shootout by 4-2. Their opponent could be either Columbia or Jamaica. The latter has the potential to take the contest to the final moment. That is how they eliminated Brazil in the final match of the group stage.
Quarter-Final matches begin on August 11, 2023. Spain and the Netherlands will be the first ones to lock horns.
