Australia’s Sam Kerr Says She Expects to Return Against Canada
As the World Cup wraps up its first full week of matches, the main target has shifted to groups’ vying for place in tightly contested teams. For Sweden, Italy, France and Brazil, a win on Saturday will almost certainly go a great distance towards figuring out if they’ll end first of their teams, and thus who has a neater path ahead within the match.
Sweden vs. Italy
Sweden barely got here out of its first match with a win, snatching one solely when Amanda Ilestedt scored in stoppage time to supply a 2-1 victory over South Africa, which had shocked the Swedes, one of many match favorites, by taking an early lead.
Italy additionally struggled in its World Cup opener, solely scoring within the 87th minute to greatest Argentina, 1-0. This matchup will in all probability determine who wins their group. The groups met most not too long ago within the last of the 2022 Algarve Cup in Portugal, the place Sweden beat Italy in a penalty shootout.
France vs. Brazil
France is underneath strain. After months of intrasquad turmoil, a teaching change solely months earlier than the match and a scoreless draw with Jamaica to open the World Cup, the French have to win or (at worst) to not lose in opposition to Brazil. If the French fall, their path to the knockouts get extra sophisticated, and the finger-pointing will start.
Brazil, alternatively, might be setting itself as much as get on a roll. It opened play with a 4-0 victory over Panama, and a win over France would put the Brazilians atop Group F with some maneuverability of their last recreation in opposition to Jamaica.
Panama vs. Jamaica
This recreation is a rematch of 1 within the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship, the place Jamaica beat Panama on penalties within the bronze medal match. Jamaica’s win despatched it to the 2019 World Cup, and despatched Panama right into a playoff for a World Cup place that it will definitely misplaced. That delayed Panama’s World Cup debut till this 12 months, when the sector was expanded to 32 groups.
Unfortunately for the Panamanians, Jamaica appears to be in high type, and it’ll solely be emboldened by its displaying in a draw in opposition to France in its opener. Jamaica has its personal issues, although: Its high participant, Khadija Shaw, the striker extra acquainted to followers as Bunny, obtained a purple card within the France recreation and is suspended for the Panama match.
