The Australian and Danish women's teams both finished the 2023 Women's World Cup group stage with 2 wins and 1 loss. However, Australia was considered the better team, scoring 7 goals and conceding 3, while Denmark was somewhat lackluster with 3 goals and conceding 1. Last October, the two sides played a friendly match and Australia won 3-1 on the opponent's field.

Entering the match, Denmark took the initiative to attack from the start. Captain Pernille Harder was the most active player on the Danish attack line with many dangerous attacks.

Caitlin Foord opens the scoring for the Australian women's team. Photo: Getty Images

However, the home team showed efficiency when taking advantage of rare opportunities. In the 29th minute, from Fowler's pass, Caitlin Foord scored accurately to open the score for coach Tony Gustavsson's team.

After conceding the goal, Denmark lost control of the game. Coach Lars Sondergaard's players played very poorly in the remaining minutes of the first half.

Denmark women's team captain Pernille Harder is a lonely figure up front. Photo: Getty Images

In the second half, the Nordic representative tried to rise up. Captain Pernille Harder was still the one who diligently controlled the ball and shot but could not make it difficult for Australian goalkeeper Arnold.

Similar to the previous half, because they were too focused on attacking, Denmark paid a heavy price. In the 70th minute, in a situation where Australia organized a quick counter-attack, Van Egmond passed the ball just in time for Raso to finish low and dangerously into the Danish net, surprising goalkeeper Christensen, thereby doubling the gap for the host team of the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Raso sealed a 2-0 win for the 2023 Women's World Cup co-hosts, advancing to the quarter-finals. Photo: Getty Images

In the remaining minutes, Australia took the initiative to play slowly and steadily to preserve the score. On the contrary, Denmark had the opportunity to attack but could not penetrate the tight defense of the Kangaroo representative.

The only highlight was the appearance of star Sam Kerr on the Australian side for the first time since the 2023 Women's World Cup finals began.

In the end, Australia won 2-0 against Denmark.

Thai Ha

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