USL at the Women’s World Cup >>

Thursday, September 20, 2007

With numerous W-League players on both sides of the ball, Canada and Australia left it all out on the field in a game that was literally filled with excitement from the opening kick to the final whistle as the two battled for the Quarterfinal spot as Norway was thrashing Ghana in the other Group C game. Group D also finished up Thursday.

Group C: Australia 2 :: 2 Canada

All the Australians needed going into the match was a draw. The Canadians could have also advanced with a draw, but would need an unlikely Norway loss, putting them in a virtual must-win situation to reach the Quarterfinals.

Things looked bright for Canada right from the start as former Atlanta Silverbacks striker Melissa Tancredi struck hit a wonderful ball from 18 yards out 32 seconds into the game for the second fastest goal in tournament history, besting the new mark of 55 set by the United States’ Lori Chalupny just two days prior.

Despite the lead on the scoreboard, it was the Matildas that were providing all the pressure throughout the rest of the half as former Boston Renegade Caitlin Munoz and her teammates put chance after chance inches wide or off the post as well as several others that forced great saves from goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

Collette McCallum would level the score in the 53rd minute on a 23-yard free kick but with Norway pulling away on the scoreboard in the other match, Canada was forced to find a winner in order to advance. A Rhian Wilkinson (Ottawa Fury) corner kick in the 85th found Atlanta’s Candace-Marie Chapman, who re-directed her header back to the corner’s near post to an awaiting Christine Sinclair (Vancouver Whitecaps) for what appeared to be the winner.

After spending much of the half trying to run out the clock, the Australians were now in the time crunch, needing an equalizer to move on and saw opportunity after opportunity fizzle until substitute darling Lisa DeVanna, who had three goals off the bench in the first two games, made a run in the box where she dribbled away from two pressuring defenders and squeezed the ball back to the center of the box where onrushing team captain and center back Cheryl Salisbury (Memphis Mercury) put it away from just off the penalty spot in the second minute of stoppage time, following in the footsteps and breaking the hearts of the Canadian squad who four years earlier had their very own Cinderella run to the semifinals.

Canada Full Report [+]       Australia Full Report [+]       FIFA Full Report [+] 
 

Group C: Norway 7 :: 2 Ghana

With Tancredi scoring the 498th goal in tournament history in the other match, it was Norway, who would put in number 499 with their fourth minute strike from Lene Storlokken in the fourth minute and Ragnhild Gulbrandsen who would notch the historic 500th on an assist from former W-League player Siri Nordby in the 39th as Norway began their easy stroll to the Quarterfinals.

Gulbrandsen added two more to take the tournament lead in scoring with five as Norway opened a 7-0 lead. Then former Northern Virginia Majestic Adjoa Bayor got Ghana on the board for the second time in the tournament in the 73rd on a free kick.

FIFA Full Report [+] 


Group D: Brazil 1 :: 0 Denmark

Only a disastrous loss and a China win could have knocked Brazil out of the tournament, but despite that the group leaders went full steam at Denmark, who did well to stem the onslaught, hoping to find a winner to advance in place of China. That goal never came and Pretinha shut the door in the first minute of stoppage to sweep the group, sending Brazil and the two W-Leaguers Formiga and Daniela through to the Quarterfinals.

FIFA Full Report [+] 


Group D: China 2 :: 0 New Zealand

Former W-League player Priscilla Duncan (West Michigan Firewomen) helped keep the hosts scoreless through the first half for the underdog New Zealand squad, who were virtually eliminated and looking for a bright spot to their tournament experience. The Chinese, however, broke through in the second half for two goals to grab the second Quarterfinal spot from the group.

FIFA Full Report [+] 

Quarterfinals:  As the top team in Group D, Brazil will face Group C runner-up Australia while Norway will take on the Chinese. Both games are Sunday.