World Cup: Australia through as Canada bow out – DW – 07/31/2023

Australia’s journey at their own World Cup is set to continue after the Matildas secured qualification for the knockout stages, emphatically beating Canada 4-0 to send the Olympic champions home early.

In the absence of talismanic captain Sam Kerr, on the bench because of injury, Hayley Raso set the hosts on their way with two goals in a furious first half in Melbourne.

Mary Fowler secured the win just before the hour mark, a just reward after seeing a first-half finish ruled out extremely narrowly for offside by the video assistant referee.

Stand-in captain Steph Cately converted an injury-time penalty to wrap up a victory that sees Australia top Group B, crucially meaning that they are now likely to avoid European champions England in the last 16.

For Canada, it means that veteran Christine Sinclair bows out with a whimper after she missed the chance to score at a record sixth World Cup.

VAR can’t stop furious Australian first half

Not that that will have bothered the majority of fans in a packed-out AAMI Park who responded to the Matildas’ performance in a deafening manner.

With less than 10 minutes played, Cately broke away down the left wing and crossed low, the ball eventually landing at the feet of Raso, who fired home into the bottom corner. Cately looked offside in build-up, but the goal was checked and given.

VAR reached a different conclusion when Fowler’s strike was controversially ruled out after a lengthy delay.

In a goalmouth melee, Australia’s Ellie Carpenter was moving away from the ball, away from the action and away from the goal, but a fraction of her heel was still adjudged to be in an offside position and therefore interfering with the goalkeeper’s view.

The decision may have been technically justifiable but the boos from the crowd suggested that such a pedantic implementation of the laws of the game was hardly in keeping with its spirit.

Australia take control of World Cup

The positivity returned five minutes later when Raso forced the ball over the line after Canada failed to clear a corner to send Australia into halftime with a two-goal lead amid thunderous applause.

Fowler’s close-range finish and Cately’s late penalty sealed the win in the second half to ensure that, despite New Zealand’s exit, the World Cup will still have one of its co-hosts in the knockout stage.