In front of 75,784 spectators in the former Olympic Stadium in Sydney – where the final of the ninth final round will also take place on August 20th – the “Matildas” set the course for victory in the first half. Foord put Australia ahead in the 29th minute and Raso finally turned Stadium Australia into a madhouse in the 70th minute.
This means that the Australians, who also had superstar Sam Kerr as a substitute in the final stages of this World Cup for the first time, are in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 and for the fourth time in total. In 2007 and 2011, however, the round of eight immediately followed the group stage. The next opponents are the winners of the game between France and Morocco (Friday, 1 p.m., live on ORF1).
Raso increases to 2-0
After a nice action by the Australians, Hayley Raso shot low into the far corner and made the decision.
Denmark, on the other hand, will have to wait for a win in a knockout game. The Danes, who qualified for the finals for the first time since 2007, made it through the group stage as they did in 1991 and 1995, but once again fell at the first hurdle.
Foord breaks the spell
The Danes, led by superstar Pernille Harder, got off to a better start and were much closer to scoring the first goal. However, the Australians took the lead, to the delight of the fans dressed in yellow and green. After a long pass from Mary Fowler, Foord completed the goal to make it 1-0. The hosts took the initiative in the game. A few minutes later, the goal scorer just missed her second goal and the preliminary decision.
Best of Australia – Denmark
The hosts celebrated a clear 2-0 (1-0) win over Denmark in the round of 16 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia thanks to Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso.
With the lead behind them, the “Matildas” were in control after the break. There was no sign of a Danish rearing up. Raso’s low shot after a nice combination to make it 2-0 made it clear (70′). Ten minutes later there was more cheering when superstar Sam Kerr came on. The Chelsea captain enjoyed her first World Cup minutes of the tournament on the pitch just before the opening game against Ireland after suffering an injury.
“I’m very proud of the team,” said Kerr, who was struggling with a lower leg injury, after the convincing promotion. The 29-year-old and Australia’s record scorer with 63 goals did not want to comment on how far the hosts’ World Cup journey could go. “We have a big dream, but we take it one game at a time. We said this is just the beginning of our journey.”
Football World Cup, Round of 16
Montag:
Australia 2-0 Denmark (1-0)
Sydney, Stadium Australia, 75.784, SR Welch (ENG)
Torfolge:
1:0 Ford (29.)
2:0 Satin (70.)
Australia: Arnold – Carpenter, Hunt, Kennedy, Catley – Gorry, Cooney-Cross – Van Egmond (80./Vine) – Raso (80./Kerr), Fowler (90.+1/Polkinghorne), Foord (90.+5/ Yallop)
Denmark: Christensen – Sevecke (63./Bruun), Ballisager Pedersen, Boye Sörensen, Veje – Möller Kühl (73./Hasbo), Holmgaard (82./Troelsgaard) – Thomsen, Harder, Madsen (63./Gejl) – Vangsgaard (82) ./Snarl)
Yellow card: Thomsen
