Cohost Australia have leveraged home advantage by qualifying for their fourth World Cup quarterfinal in how many tries and will be meeting France in a match that is sure to test the capabilities of both teams. The match will be played on August 12 just hours after the England vs. Colombia match on home soil at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Both teams have offered solid, if not spectacular, runs to the quarterfinal, and will be looking to go all the way and claim bragging rights alongside.
Australia started their World Cup campaign solidly with a not-so-solid one-nil win against debutants Ireland, scoring through a penalty. Nevertheless, it was a surprise to have suffered a setback by losing to Nigeria 3-2 in a tense match. They however bounced back with a shock four-nil win over Olympic champions Canada to claim top spot and set up a meeting with Denmark in the knockout rounds. A comfortable two-nil win over the Danes has now given the Matildas just their second knockout win and a chance to surpass their best-ever record at a World Cup. Sam Kerr was sidelined throughout the group-stage matches but was able to come on against Denmark and finish the game unscathed. She will surely be needed against France to boost their chances of causing problems to the French back four who have been more than solid in the tournament.
On the other hand, France have been superb all tournament, backing up their deep-run credentials with a strong group stage campaign and a dominant performance against Morocco in their knockout round meeting. France drew against Jamaica (who surprisingly conceded no goals in their group stage campaign) on their first outing, beat top team Brazil in a close encounter, and defeated Panama in a lopsided 6-3 win. They then beat debutants Morocco four-nil, dashing the hopes of a continent after having scored three times without reply in the first twenty-three minutes. France will be looking to serve a cold revenge dish in this match, having lost to them in a July 14 pre-tournament fixture, and this is bound to increase the allure of this match as neutrals will want to see if revenge can be a good motivation for a World Cup quarterfinal. After all, this is the first time, both teams are meeting in a competitive fixture.
Kadidiatou Diani and Eugenie Le Sommer will be key for the French as they partner each other upfront in a 4-4-2 formation, different from the 4-3-3 that was undone in the pre-tournament friendly. However, Australia have proved to be formidable with or without Sam Kerr and will be looking to see if they can pick up a win in much tougher circumstances. Caitlin Roord, Mary Fowler, and Hayley Raso will be looking to give Australia its first-ever quarterfinal win, and a win would also boost their morale into the end of the tournament and beyond.
I recommend you watch this with family and friends to enjoy it better. Make your calls today!