On Day 19 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, two more outstanding teams were sent home in dramatic fashion.
The Super Falcons ended their tournament with a loss to England on penalties. Despite the heartbreak, Nigeria proved it compares to some of the world’s top-ranked teams and should be proud of its valiant World Cup campaign.
In Sydney, co-hosts Australia secured a commanding win over Denmark. The Matildas will certainly have confidence and momentum heading into the quarter-finals.
THE RESULTS
Round of 16: England 0, Nigeria 0 – 4-2 shootout win for England (in Brisbane) – Game stats || Report
Round of 16: Australia 2, Denmark 0 (in Sydney) – Game stats || Report
MAIN TALKING POINTS
Ten-player England eliminates Nigeria on penalties
In front of 49,461 fans in Brisbane, the Lionesses progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
The stadium fell silent as Manchester City star Chloe Kelly stepped up to the spot. The 25-year-old, who scored the tournament winner at the Euros last summer, sealed the deal for the Lionesses once more.
Immediately after scoring the winning goal, Kelly consoled Nigerian keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who had an excellent match for her country. Television cameras tried to film Nnadozie’s emotional moment, but Kelly, joined by Alex Greenwood, told the media to give the goalie some space.
Truthfully, the match could have gone either way. During regular time, both teams were tested and played free-flowing soccer.
However, the momentum seemed to shift in Nigeria’s favour in the 87th minute. England’s Lauren James received a red card after she carelessly stomped on Michelle Alozie.
But despite having only 10 players on the pitch, the European champions held on and secured the win in a penalty shootout.
The Super Falcons will feel hard done by this match, as they played confident, aggressive and gave it their all. They had chances – notably Ashleigh Plumptre’s thunderous strike that hit the crossbar. But Randy Waldrum’s side proved that they can take on some of the world’s best teams. They certainly made Africa proud and have a bright future ahead of them.
England has won three Women’s World Cup round of 16 matches in a row and will face the winner of Jamaica-Colombia in the quarters.
Australia secures passage to quarter-finals after commanding win
The Matildas advanced to the quarter-finals at the Women’s World Cup, proving their dominance on the world’s stage once more. The victory is Australia’s second win in the World Cup knockout stages.
After capping off its group stage campaign with a 4-0 win over Canada, which secured a place in the knockouts, Australia had momentum ahead of its meeting with Denmark.
Tony Gustavsson’s side broke the deadlock 29 minutes in. Mary Fowler’s perfect pass found Caitlin Foord, who drilled the ball into the net in front of 75,784 fans. After 70 minutes, Real Madrid star Hayley Raso produced a clinical finish, which acted as insurance for the Matildas.
Another moment of the match saw Sam Kerr introduced as a late substitute. It was her first appearance at the tournament amidst dealing with a calf injury. The star striker brought additional spark and fluidity to her side.
However, Denmark deserves credit for its resilience and drive over a tough squad. It’s not easy to play in front of thousands of fans who are cheering for the home team.
Looking ahead, Australia will face either France or Morocco in the quarters.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
In the 87th minute, England’s Lauren James received a red card for stepping on Michelle Alozie. It seemed like a careless moment of frustration for the 21-year-old, who was sent off the pitch, solemn. James has received a one-match ban, with a possible extension to be reviewed by FIFA.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Anything that’s thrown at us, we show what we’re capable of. We dug deep as a group, we believe in our ability and we believe in what we’re being told to do. This team is special. We did it at the Euros, we did it at the Finalissima, and we’re here again tonight doing it.” -- England forward Chloe Kelly
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1. Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria: The 22-year-old keeper kept Nigeria’s hopes alive after superbly saving a strong Rachel Daly strike with 15 minutes remaining. Despite losing the match on penalties, the Paris FC star made several crucial saves during the match.
2. Caitlin Foord, Australia: The Arsenal forward slid the ball through the Denmark keeper’s legs in the 29th minute to give the Matildas a one-goal advantage. Fans erupted in the stands as the home team took the lead heading into halftime.
3. Pernille Harder, Denmark: Although Denmark was eliminated, the Bayern Munich forward tested Australia’s keeper on multiple occasions. Notably, the 30-year-old had an early run, but her low shot was saved by Mackenzie Arnold.
LOOKING AHEAD
The final two round-of-16 games kick off tomorrow. Jamaica takes on Colombia at 4 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. PT in Melbourne, and France tackles Morocco at 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT in Adelaide.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.