Sam Kerr got here off the bench as Australia surged into the Ladies’s World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Denmark in entrance of practically 76,000 followers in Sydney on Monday. The co-hosts will play France or Morocco on Saturday in Brisbane within the final eight after making pretty mild work of a toothless Denmark. To cap a superb night time’s work for the Matildas, talismanic striker and captain Kerr got here on with 10 minutes left to large cheers for her first motion of the event after a calf harm. The damaging Caitlin Foord terrorised Denmark all through and scored a nice first after being arrange by Mary Fowler on 29 minutes. Hayley Raso grabbed a second to make the sport protected 20 minutes from time.
Denmark had been contesting their first knockout recreation on the World Cup since 1995 and so they had the primary sniff of objective, however Rikke Madsen simply failed to attach with the ball whereas sliding in at objective.
The Danes, ranked thirteenth on the planet to Australia’s 10, might have taken the lead on the quarter-hour at Stadium Australia however Pernille Tougher shot straight at goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.
Australia had been on the again foot early on however took the lead in opposition to the run of play when Fowler threaded an outstanding lengthy go down the left to play in Foord.
The Arsenal ahead nonetheless had a lot to do and he or she did it brilliantly, taking one contact together with her proper foot to information the ball into her path after which firing with the left via the legs of goalkeeper Lene Christensen.
Foord was everywhere in the Denmark defence together with her tempo and motion down the left.
Minutes later she rampaged down the wing once more, chopped again inside and let fly together with her proper foot, the ball taking an enormous deflection and whistling simply past the highest nook.
Into the second half and Foord gave the impression to be in every single place, sliding in to cease a Denmark counter-attack and incomes vigorous applause from Australia coach Tony Gustavsson.
Simply previous the hour and Denmark coach Lars Sondergaard had seen sufficient, bringing on forwards Signe Bruun and Mille Gejl as they went searching for the objective they wanted to maintain their World Cup alive.
Defender Janni Thomsen determined she had had sufficient of Foord and was booked for crudely pulling her down as she arrowed in direction of the Danish field.
The group sensed a second may very well be coming and it duly did, Fowler once more enjoying a key half to arrange Emily van Egmond, who teed up Raso to fireplace into the underside nook.
However the greatest cheer of the night time was but to come back as Australia’s Chelsea predator Kerr belatedly got here to the World Cup occasion in its place.
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