Women’s World Cup: Canada beats Ireland, Spain and Japan in the round of 16

Canada – Ireland 2:1 (1:1)

Ireland lost 1:2 (1:1) to Canada in the Women’s World Cup and were eliminated from the tournament. Katie McCabe’s early lead (fourth minute) was followed by a poor first half for both teams. Canada’s first goal came from an own goal by Irish Megan Connolly in the added fifth minute of the first half. At the beginning of the second half, Adriana Leon (53′) turned the score in favor of the Canadian team.

For Ireland, this second defeat in a Group B match means the end of the World Cup. Canada currently leads Group B, four points ahead of Australia, while Nigeria ranks third.

Spain – Zambia 5:0 (2:0)

The Spanish national team defeated the Zambian national team with a score of 5-0 (2-0), thus reaching the round of 16 in the World Cup early. World Cup hopefuls Spain took an early lead thanks to a beautiful long-range shot from Teresa Abillera (ninth). Jennifer Hermoso (20th) increased the score shortly afterwards with a header. After an unexciting first half, the Zambian national team, which was participating for the first time in the World Cup, was able to leave its mark, but the Spanish double goal quickly decided the match. First Alba Redondo (69th minute) made it 3-0, and shortly after Hermoso (71st minute) scored again. Redondo (85) made it 5-0 with her second goal of the game.

The Spanish team, which includes international footballer Alexia Putellas, will now play in the last preliminary round match against the Japanese, who also reached the round of 16, to achieve group victory. Zambia has already been eliminated after the defeat.

Japan – Costa Rica 2:0 (2:0)

Japan The female soccer players also won their second match in the World Cup. In the New Zealand city of Dunedin, the 2011 world champion defeated Costa Rica with a score of 2-0 (2-0). Hikaru Naomoto (25th) and Aoba Fujino (27th) scored in quick succession for Japan. Despite the good performance, Costa Rica was unable to catch up.

After Japan’s clear victory in the first match of the group stage over Zambia 5-0, its qualification to the round of 16 was also confirmed after Spain’s victory. On the other hand, Costa Rica, like Zambia, exited early after losing its first match to Spain 3-0.