MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Injured striker Sam Kerr was ready to play but wasn’t required for Australia in a 4-0 win over Canada on Monday that earned the Women’s World Cup co-hosts top spot in Group B.
The Australians, under pressure after a surprising 3-2 loss to Nigeria, needed a win to guarantee a spot in the round of 16. Canada needed only to avoid defeat to avoid elimination, but the Olympic champions exited the tournament following the loss in Melbourne combined with Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Ireland.
Haley Raso scored twice in the first half and the Matildas also got goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley to finish atop the group with six points — one ahead of Nigeria and two clear of Canada.
The victory gives Kerr a full seven days to continue recovery ahead of Australia’s opening knockout game.
Kerr also missed the Matildas’ previous two group-stage matches because of a calf injury sustained in training on the eve of their 1-0 tournament-opening win over Ireland.
Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson said the decision whether or not to start Kerr had “come down to the wire.” Kerr was in her boots and ready to go on if needed, but tore off the tape around her left calf when Australia led 3-0 with minutes remaining in regulation.
Canada captain Christine Sinclair returned to the starting lineup but was replaced at halftime with her team trailing 2-0.
International soccer’s all-time leading scorer, Sinclair returned to the starting 11 after only playing half of Canada’s 2-1 win over Ireland.
Sinclair started in Canada’s group opener, a 0-0 draw against Nigeria, but missed a penalty. That ended up being her best chance of achieving her target of becoming the first player to score in six World Cups.
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Emily Dozier and Cassidy Hettesheimer are students at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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