Matildas confident of beating Canada to keep World Cup hopes alive
The Matildas must recover quickly from their FIFA Women’s World Cup loss to Nigeria, with their chances now resting on winning against Canada on Monday night in order to qualify
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Veteran* midfielder Emily van Egmond says the Matildas can’t afford to dwell on their shock 3-2 loss to Nigeria as they prepare to fight for survival in their next FIFA Women’s World Cup game against Canada on Monday night.
A loss to the Canadians in Melbourne will result in the Matildas failing to qualify for the tournament’s knockout stages.
A draw is unlikely to be enough either, so it’s all but a do-or-die* affair for the Australians, who are desperate to keep alive their dreams of World Cup glory on home soil.
“We stay positive, we stay true to who we are, and we get the job done in Melbourne,” a confident van Egmond said after her side’s unexpected loss to the Super Falcons at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Called into the starting side as the replacement for the concussed* Mary Fowler, van Egmond gave the Matildas a deserved lead in first-half stoppage-time, but then it all went wrong for the tournament co-hosts, who wasted a host of chances.
“The girls who were out there (on Thursday night) … they fought until the very end. Unfortunately it’s come up short,” she said.
“There’s no use dwelling on it now. It’s done. All eyes are on Canada.”
The Canadians, the reigning* Olympic Games gold medallists, were 2-1 winners over Ireland on Wednesday night Perth.
They are on four points with Nigeria, with the Australians a point back in third spot. Only the top two qualify for the round-of-16.
Van Egmond will be hopeful of another start but team success is the priority.
“It’s about the team for me and we’re all on this journey together, no matter who takes the pitch. Everyone’s so important,” she said.
Including Sam Kerr, who hasn’t played in the tournament yet due to a calf injury, and is no certainty of returning on Monday night.
“We have an amazing group of girls,” van Egmond said.
Midfielder Katrina Gorry echoed van Egmond’s sentiments*.
“It’s obviously disappointing, but still there are a lot of positives to take out of the game. We need to focus on them,” Gorry said.
“We created a lot of chances, we kept possession of the ball and we won quite a few second balls in there, so there are some positives we can take into the next game.
“We obviously came out here to win. We never want to lose on our home ground, so for us, it’s disappointing.”
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold said it was only “small margins*” that cost Australia a win on Thursday night,
“We created a lot of chances, it’s just putting them away in the goal,” Arnold said.
She said it was “miscommunication” between her and defender Alanna Kennedy that gifted the Nigerians their third goal, scored by substitute Asisat Oshoala.
“It’s just what happened. It’s football – loud crowd, hard to hear, miscommunication,” Arnold said.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- veteran: someone with a lot of experience in a certain field
- do-or-die: a situation in which you must the brave and act in order to avoid failure
- concussed: suffering the effects of a hard blow to the head
- reigning: being the most recent winner or winners of a competition
- sentiments: feelings, attitudes, views and opinions held or expressed
- margins: degrees, the amount by which something is won
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QUICK QUIZ
- What was the final score in the Matildas’ game against Nigeria?
- Which team will the Matildas play next in Melbourne?
- Why hasn’t Sam Kerr played in the tournament yet?
- What “gifted” the Nigerians their third goal according to Mackenzie Arnold?
- How many teams in this draw will qualify for the round-of-16?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.
Think about:
What is the main topic or idea?
What is an important or interesting fact?
Who was involved (people or places)?
Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.