The Matildas’ path to World Cup glory through the knockout rounds has been locked in, with their Round of 16 opponent confirmed on Tuesday night.
After finishing first in Group B, the World Cup co-hosts will take on the second-placed team from Group D, Denmark. That match will take place in Sydney on Monday night.
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Denmark beat Haiti 2-0 on Tuesday night to finish second behind European champions England, who cruised past China to finish with a perfect record of three wins from three.
Denmark is ranked 13th in the world, three places behind Australia, but are a hugely dangerous side by Sam Kerr’s former Chelsea teammate Pernille Harder.
Harder, the team’s captain, was previously the record holder for the most expensive transfer in women’s football, and has scored more than 70 goals for her nation.
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The Matildas last faced Denmark in October last year, claiming a 3-1 comeback win after conceding in the first minute.
And there’s a sense of confidence among the Australian team in the wake of their impressive 4-0 win over Olympic champions Canada.
Caitlin Foord was asked point-blank if the Matildas can go all the way and claim a maiden World Cup crown. She laughed and hit back with a straight face: “That’s why we’re here, right?”
Breakout midfield star Kyra Cooney-Cross was similarly focused, saying: “To win the World Cup, that’s our main focus … But for now, we’ll just take it one game at a time.”
Another young gun, winger Cortnee Vine, said after the game: “It’s a good bounce back from defeat, I think if we keep playing the football we’ve been playing we can go all the way.”
For now, all eyes turn to Denmark – with the Matildas hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Socceroos, who beat Denmark in the Round of 16 in the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year.
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MATILDAS’ KNOCKOUT PATH
Here’s when the Matildas would play every knockout game (all times AEST).
Round of 16 (Game 53)– 1st Group B (Australia) v 2nd Group D (Denmark)
– Monday 7 Aug 20:30, Stadium Australia (Sydney/Gadigal)
Quarter Final – Winner of Game 53 (Australia/Denmark) v Winner of Game 55 (1st Group F vs 2nd Group H)
– Saturday 12 Aug 17:00, Brisbane Stadium (Brisbane/Meeanjin)
Semi Final (Game 62) – Winner of Game 59 (Australia, Denmark, or 1F or 2H) v Winner of Game 60.
– 16 August 20:00, Stadium Australia (Sydney/Gadigal)
It’s obviously a while away, so we can’t know who Australia’s semi-final opponent would be – but it would come from the quarter of the draw that includes: First from group D vs second from Group B (Nigeria) who face off in the R16, while 1H vs 2F also do battle in the R16.
The winner of those two matches face off in the quarter finals (Game 60) for a place in this semi-final.
Third-place match (Game 63)
Runner-up of Game 61 (first semi) v Runner-up of Game 62 (Australia’s semi)
– 19 August 18:00, Brisbane Stadium (Brisbane/Meeanjin)
Final (Game 64)
Winners of the two semi-finals (games 61 and 62)
20 August 20:00, Stadium Australia (Sydney/Gadigal)
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