Without Sam Kerr on opener, Australia relied on home support to beat Ireland in the 2023 World Cup; Brazilian Edina Alves refereed the match
Without Sam KerrAustralia won the Ireland 1-0 this Thursday, 20, for the debut of Group B of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Stephanie Catleyfrom the penalty spot and in the second half, he scored the only goal of the match at the Sydney Olympic Stadium, in Sydney, Australia.
The host team of the tournament did not have its main player, who suffered a calf injury during training for the World Cup. Kerr will also be absent in the second round of the group, against Nigeria.
🇦🇺 @TheMatildas get their #FIFAWWC campaign under way with a victory! 🤩 #BeyondGreatness
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 20, 2023
With the victory, Australia added three important points in the fight for the knockout classification and joined New Zealand, the other host that won the World Cup debut – the country is part of Group A of the tournament
The game
The first half marked the superiority of the Australian team, which managed to control the pace of the game and had possession of the ball. However, the home team was unable to find spaces in the strong marking of the Irish.
The Australians had the best chances of the first stage. In the 27th minute, Catley took the right corner for Raso to head and send the ball very close to the crossbar. At 50, Gorry took a risk from afar and demanded a great save from Brosnan.
With no goals in the initial stage, the match was defined right at the beginning of the second half. In the fourth minute, the Brazilian referee Edina Alves scored the penalty for the foul by Sheva on Raso inside the area. Catley went to the kick and sent in the right corner of Brosnan: 1 to 0.
The duel was attended by 75,784 thousand fans in the stands of the Olímpico stadium. The mark is a record for Australian women’s football.
𝟕𝟓, 𝟕𝟖𝟒. ✨
A record home crowd for a women’s football match in Australia! 🙌#BeyondGreatness | #FIFAWWCpic.twitter.com/7O9lJIddc3
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 20, 2023
upcoming appointments
26th July, Wednesday – 2nd round of Group B
7am: Australia v Nigeria
9am: Canada v Ireland
Source: sportbuzz
I am William Jackson and I have a passion for sports journalism. With over 3 years of experience in the industry, I have worked in a variety of roles to improve the quality and accuracy of sports news coverage. As an author at Athletistic, I specialize in covering football news and providing comprehensive analysis for fans around the world.
