Matchday three brings the primary spherical of the ladies’s soccer occasion on the 2024 Paris Olympics to a detailed on Wednesday.
The match has to this point offered controversy and chaos, with a few of the sport’s main lights shining within the scorching French warmth.
Solely 4 groups will succumb from the group phases with three quarters of the nations competing advancing into the quarter-finals. Two of the three best-performing third-place finishers will be part of the highest two from every group within the final eight.
However, there’s at all times scope for last-gasp drama on the ultimate matchday of a bunch stage, and this is how 90min predicts Wednesday’s motion to go down.
It is all to play for in Group A heading into the ultimate spherical of fixtures with three groups boasting three factors from their opening two video games. The only outlier are New Zealand, who adopted up their 2-1 defeat to Canada with a 2-0 loss to Colombia on Sunday.
The percentages are stacked towards the Ferns heading into Wednesday’s sport towards the hosts, though France should choose themselves up once more having endured a shocking defeat to Canada final day out.
Nonetheless, the proficient French workforce are distinct favourites right here and a win over New Zealand could also be sufficient to seal prime spot within the group.
Prediction: New Zealand 0-2 France
It has been a whirlwind of a match for the Canadians, who had been rocked by ‘Drone-gate’ to kick-off their marketing campaign and had been subsequently handed a six-point deduction by FIFA.
Nevertheless, they’ve made up their deficit forward of the ultimate matchday following victories over New Zealand and France. Vanessa Gilles struck within the twelfth minute of stoppage time to seal an upset win for the Canadians over the hosts on matchday two.
Can Canada carry that momentum into the ultimate group sport and seal an unlikely quarter-final berth? They have to win on Wednesday to have any probability, however Colombia at the moment prime Group A after beating New Zealand 2-0 on Sunday.
This group is extensive open, and the bout in Good must be a belter between two sides with chips on their shoulders.
Prediction: Colombia 2-1 Canada
The bottom-ranked nation on the match actually made their mark on matchday two as Zambia pushed current World Cup semi-finalists Australia all the way in which. Main 4-2 on the break, the African nation succumbed to a second half comeback and fell to a staggering 6-5 defeat.
Development into the quarter-finals is unlikely for Zambia, however their efficiency towards the Matildas suggests Germany, who had been crushed 4-1 by the USA final day out, are in for a tricky night in Saint-Etienne.
The Germans, nevertheless, might lose Wednesday’s sport and nonetheless advance into the final eight as runners-up.
Prediction: Zambia 0-1 Germany
The Sam Kerr-less Matildas staged a exceptional marketing campaign on matchday two to bolster their possibilities of qualification, however an almighty take a look at awaits the Aussies to spherical off Group B.
A convincing defeat to Germany to open up the marketing campaign means Australia require a mini-miracle to advance. They at the moment sit third within the group however their objective distinction of -2 is significantly worse than their counterparts in Teams A and C. Thus, they might want a consequence towards a purring USA aspect to make the final eight.
Emma Hayes’ outfit, four-time Olympic champions, have made an environment friendly begin to their match. After battering Zambia on matchday one, the US crucially beat Germany 4-1 in a crunch affair off the again of a Sophia Smith brace to steer Group B. They’re in high-quality type and the absence of Kerr means Hayes’ workforce have little to concern regardless of the Matildas’ six-goal outing final day out.
Prediction: Australia 1-3 USA
Japan are nicely within the combine once more having recorded a shock victory over Brazil final day out. The Japanese workforce will certainly fancy their possibilities of making the final eight, with a mere level towards Nigeria on Wednesday being sufficient to see them progress.
The African giants, who made headway on the 2023 World Cup with some spectacular performances earlier than exiting the competitors on penalties to England within the spherical of 16, have been crushed by single targets of their two outings on the Olympics to date. It took a freakish Alexia Putellas objective for the world champions to topple Nigeria on matchday two.
A victory for the 11-time Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations winners would give them an ideal shot at progressing into simply their second-ever quarter-final on the Olympic Video games.
Prediction: Japan 2-0 Nigeria
Arguably the standout fixture of the spherical, Spain have eased into their marketing campaign in France as they intention so as to add Olympic gold to their piling-up checklist of honours.
Two-time Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Putellas was the hero towards Nigeria as her free-kick from an acute angle received the sport for Spain with 5 minutes remaining. The world champions eased previous Japan to start out their marketing campaign.
Again-to-back victories imply Spain prime Group C heading into matchday three, and so they’re hoping to be joined within the final eight by Wednesday’s opponents, Brazil. Nevertheless, after enduring a shock defeat to the Japanese final day out, Marta’s aspect, ought to they lose on Wednesday, will depend on different outcomes – probably from different teams – to proceed their Olympic dream.
