By Ian S Palmer
Brazil is set to meet Australia in the round-of-16 stage at the 2015 Women’s World Cup at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick this Sunday, June 21. These two sides have net just twice in the past with Brazil winning both games and outscoring the women from Down Under by a margin of 4-2. The winner of this knockout match will face the winner of the Japan vs Holland showdown in the quarterfinals. A loss in this stage means elimination from the tournament, meaning any tied games will go to extra time and then a penalty shootout if it’s still level after the extra 30 minutes.
Women’s World Cup Betting Preview: Brazil vs Australia
- bet365 lists Brazil as the favorites to win this match at 7/10 with Australia 4/1 and a 90-minute draw at 13/5
Australia were 3-1 losers in their first Group D match as the U.S. too them down. However, they rebounded with a 2-0 win over Nigeria and drew Sweden 1-1 to advance from the tournament’s group of death. Brazil topped Group E by going three for three with a 2-0 victory over the Korean Republic, a 1-0 win over Spain and a 1-0 triumph over Costa Rica. The Australians will need to upset the odds to win this game and it’s a distinct possibility since they should be a confident group after their performances in the group stage.
This is the third straight round-of-16 appearances for Australia in a Women’s World Cup tournament and they’ll be facing a solid Brazilian side that hosts the likes of some of the best players at the tournament in Marta, Formiga and Cristiane. However, these stars aren’t getting any younger. While Brazil is regarded as one of the top women’s teams on the planet, they’ve never managed to win a World Cup and there’s always a chance Australia can catch them on an off day.
Australia will need top defenders Laura Alleway, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Foord to closely mark Brazil’s attackers, especially Marta, who has been named the female player of the year on five different occasions. Left-winger Marta is generally regarded as the best female player to ever lace up a pair of football boots and she scored a record 15th career World Cup goal earlier in the tournament against Costa Rica. She was rested against Costa Rica to keep her fresh for the knockout stage. This means Australia’s right-back Foord will have her hands full for 90 minutes or more.
Brazilian midfielder Formiga became the tournament’s odes-ever goalscorer when she found the back of the net in the event at the age of 37 years and 98 days. She’s now played in six of the seven Women’s World Cups in a career that has spanned 20 years. This will likely be Formiga’s last kick at the can when it comes to World Cup glory, but first they have to get past the younger Australian squad.