NEW DELHI: Co-hosts Australia secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Denmark in a thrilling match at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Monday.
Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso were the heroes for Australia, scoring a goal each on either side of halftime. The goals proved to be crucial in propelling Australia to the next stage of the tournament.
The standout moment of the match, however, came when Australia's captain, Sam Kerr, made her much-anticipated appearance in the tournament. Kerr had been sidelined with a calf injury but returned as a substitute in the 78th minute. The crowd of 75,784 erupted with joy at her comeback.
Despite Denmark's strong start to the game, led by the dangerous Pernille Harder, they couldn't maintain their momentum as the match progressed. The loss meant the end of Denmark's World Cup campaign, which had seen them reach the last 16 for the first time since 2007.
Australia, aiming to go further than ever before in the tournament, will now face the winner of the match between France and Morocco in the quarter-finals, scheduled to take place in Brisbane on Saturday. The stakes will be high, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
In the early stages of the match, Denmark's pressing game caused problems for Australia, disrupting their attempts to find a rhythm. However, the Matildas found success when their midfielders pushed forward from deeper positions, creating more dangerous opportunities.
In the 29th minute, Fowler showcased her skill by delivering an impressive pass that sliced through Denmark's defense and found Foord running down the left channel.
Foord calmly finished the chance, slotting the ball between the legs of Denmark's goalkeeper, Lene Christensen, to open the scoring and secure her first goal of the tournament.
The pace of Foord down the left wing continued to cause problems for Denmark after the break and Emily van Egmond nearly turned her drilled pass across goal into the net in the 65th minute.
A huge roar went up four minutes later when Kerr was shown on the big screen putting on a match shirt but Australia had doubled their lead before she came on.
A Fowler pass into the box found Van Egmond with her back to goal and the midfielder controlled the ball well before sliding it out to Raso, who lashed it into the net from an angle.
Kerr's first touch was a wild crossfield pass to no-one but she was soon bursting in to the box with the ball at her feet to fire a shot over the bar.
(With Reuters inputs)
