Every Wednesday, we’ll look back on the happenings from the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, highlighting the play of Team Canada and the biggest takeaways from the past seven days.
And then there were eight…
With Japan having shut down the Netherlands Tuesday in Vancouver, the quarterfinals at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup are set with just one surprise team advancing to the second round of the Knockout Stage.
After finishing second in the Group of Death – that’d be Group D – Australia was charged with facing Group E winners Brazil in the Round of 16. Having gone a perfect 3-0 in group play without conceding a goal and boasting two of the top players in the world (Marta, Cristiane), the Brazilians were definitely favoured to advance, but an 80th minute goal from substitute Kyah Simon lifted the Australians to a 1-0 upset win and a date with Japan in the final eight.
Outside of the Aussies dispatching the Brazilians, everything else went according to Hoyle. China edged Cameroon and will face the United States, who topped Columbia 2-0. Germany continued to roll with a 4-1 win over Sweden and take on France, after the French side thumped South Korea 3-0. As previously mentioned, Australia takes on Japan and after coming away with a 2-1 win over Norway Monday in Ottawa, England will travel to Vancouver to face Canada, who advanced with a 1-0 win over Switzerland.
There has been plenty of criticism of this Canadian squad all tournament and they’ve yet to play a clean, easy game, but they’ve advanced to the final eight of the biggest tournament in the world without putting forth their best effort which is a testament to how gutsy and resilient coach John Herdman’s team is. England is a good side, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, and will be a stern test for the home team, but this is very much a winnable game for Team Canada.
If they are able to advance and reach the Final Four, that result alone has to be considered a major victory for the 8th-ranked Canadian side, who would face the winner of the match between Australia and Japan for a place in the finals. With the two three teams in the world (Germany, the United States and France) all in the upper half of the draw, Canada’s road to a potential berth in the finals is a little easier and was definitely aided by Australia knocking off Brazil.
As much as winning the whole damn thing is the ultimate goal, making the “Final Four” would be a major accomplishment for this team. A second straight Top 4 finish in a major tournament would be a testament to the effort Herdman and his staff have put into rebuilding this squad following their disastrous performance at the 2011 Women’s World Cup, where Canada finished dead last in the field of 16.
You can watch Canada take on England Saturday, June 27 on CTV, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT.
