Prior to the second round of Group C matches, Spain and Japan both defeated Costa Rica (3-0) and Zambia (5-0), respectively, to put themselves in a commanding position.
In Group B, the Republic of Ireland takes on Canada in search of their first victory.
Here are the key developments for Day 7 of the competition in Australia and New Zealand.
Tanaka put Japan ahead of Zambia by scoring one goal and having two others overturned by the video assistance referee.
“The opening game was difficult. Still, we scored five goals. None were fired at them. It was great that we accomplished it together, she said.
We’re less anxious because this is our second game. Better play is something we are capable of. I want to relax more and give the team more of myself.
Costa Rica has never participated in the World Cup and has never recorded a clean sheet.
Daniela Solera, who made ten saves in goal to prevent Spain from winning by a larger margin, will be essential in stopping Japan once more.
Alexia Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, might receive Spain’s first tournament start.On Friday against Costa Rica, the Barcelona midfielder, who has been dealing with a chronic knee problem, was substituted in the second half.
“In the 15 minutes that she played the other day, she showed that everything was fine,” said Jorge Vilda, the Spain coach.
“She completed the training sessions extremely well and maintained a very high rhythm. We are delighted with her improvement, which is still a work in progress.
“I am unable to confirm whether somebody will play or not. We won’t provide the opposition with the advantage of knowing that.
Opening matches rarely get more challenging than Japan and Spain, and Zambia, who are rated 77th in the world, are making their tournament debut.
Zambia started out against Japan well, keeping them to one goal before halftime, and will be motivated to continue that performance against Spain.
But if they lose and Japan wins against Costa Rica by at least a point, they will be eliminated.
The Republic of Ireland will take on a team rated seventh in the world after losing 1-0 to Australia in their Women’s World Cup debut.Despite having a foot injury, Republic defender Louise Quinn has been practicing and is available for selection.
We gained a lot of confidence from our performance against Australia, but we also understood where we needed to work on our weaknesses to perform well against a very strong Canada squad, according to manager Vera Pauw.
The Olympic champions are Canada. We are aware of how difficult the task at hand will be because they have a top-notch head coach and several players of the highest caliber.
“This team always rises to the occasion, and that is exactly what we will do once more.”
In seven Women’s World Cups, Canada has participated, placing fourth in 2003 and reaching the quarterfinals in 2015.
Christine Sinclair, whose penalty attempt was saved, missed the opportunity to become the first player to score at six Fifa World Cups as Nigeria held them to a scoreless draw in their opening match on Friday.
Manager Bev Priestman declared, “We positively don’t want to leave this pitch without those three points.”
The Republic of Ireland is well-drilled and challenging to dismantle. We do not, in any way, enter this game with the expectation that it will be simple.
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