Cortnee Vine of Australia celebrates victory with her team mates after she scores her team's tenth penalty in the penalty shoot out during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Quarter Final match between Australia and France at Brisbane Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.
This year's FIFA Women's World Cup has now entered its semifinal phase, with England's Lionesses and Australia's Matildas facing each other off Wednesday (August 16) in what was reported as a continuation of the two Commonwealth nations' rivalry in two other games, Rugby Union and Test cricket.
English striker Alessia Russo told The Mirror the unbreakable bond of her team would help them win against this year's remaining qualifying co-host on their own home turf.
The 21-year-old Lioness, who also plays for Arsenal, scored the winning goal during their match against Colombia 2-1.
Russo added her team's bond, even off the field, would make a difference in waltzing past the Matildas.
The Australian side's ticket to the semifinals was not easy as they had to clutch a 7-6 penalty shootout against powerhouse team France after a scoreless draw. The win made their journey one of the country's greatest sporting moments, earning them spectacular headlines in local publications such as "Magnifique Matildas" and "Mathrilldas."
Read Also: HNGN's Coverage of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Rundown of Knockout Stage, Quarterfinal Results
With teams being whittled down one by one in the competition, here is a rundown of what happened during the round of 16 knockout stage and the quarterfinals:
Spain won their match against Switzerland 5-1 and advanced to the semifinals after beating the Netherlands 2-1.
Japan advanced all the way to the quarterfinals when they defeated Norway 3-1 but was eliminated after losing to Sweden 2-1.
While their knockout game was a scoreless draw, Sweden pulled the greatest upset of the tournament after they defeated the US Women's Soccer Team 5-4 on penalties.
As the remaining co-host in the tournament, Australia was packing the punches after they eliminated Denmark in the knockout stages (2-0) and made the latest upset by defeating France in the penalty shootout (0-0, Matildas win 7-6 on penalties).
Colombia made it to the quarterfinals after winning against Jamaica 1-0 but was eliminated after bowing out to England 2-1. Meanwhile, the Lionesses had a scoreless draw against Nigeria in the knockout rounds but won 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Other knockout stage exits included South Africa (0-2 vs. the Netherlands) and Morocco (0-4 vs. France).
Aside from the Matildas and the Lionesses facing off, the other semifinal match would be between Sweden and Spain. The losers of both matches would play one last game in a battle for third place, while the winners would face off in the finals.
Related Article: Lineup of Top 16 FIFA Women's World Cup Teams Complete
