It is match day 4 of the World Cup, with the match off to a flyer with upsets galore already.
We’ll convey you the most recent from the dwell motion, the drama and the most recent news in in the present day’s dwell weblog under.
In in the present day’s fixtures, match heavyweights Sweden begin their marketing campaign in opposition to South Africa within the early kick-off at 3pm, earlier than the Netherland and Portugal conflict in Dunedin at 5.30pm and world No. 5 France tackle Jamaica within the late sport at 8pm.
FIFA’S RAINBOW RULES DEFIED ONCE MORE
Another girls’s participant has cheekily protested in opposition to FIFA’s controversial banning of the rainbow armand on the World Cup.
FIFA prohibited the WWC groups from displaying the rainbow-coloured armbands after the identical band was boycotted within the males’s World Cup in Qatar final yr
Thembi Kgatlana, who performs as a ahead for the South African facet, confirmed off a rainbow streak by her hair as her facet ready to tackle Sweden in Wellington on Sunday.
This was not the primary occasion of such an announcement, with American-born New Zealand participant Ali Riley portray her fingernails within the satisfaction colors for his or her opener in opposition to Norway.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson admitted Australia would have preferred a rainbow armband choice to be out there for captains on the Women’s World Cup, with Aussie skipper Sam Kerr additionally voicing her help.
Obviously, we might like to put on it … like a lot of the groups in the entire world, everybody has voiced that they’d like to put on it,” she mentioned.
5:15PM: SWEDEN SURVIVE ULTIMATE SCARE
Sweden, one of many favourites for the match have survived an enormous scare from a sport South African facet in Wellington.
The 54th-ranked South Africans gave the notion {that a} boilover was on the playing cards, scoring the primary objective of the match.
But Sweden wouldn’t be denied, urgent till the ultimate whistle and scoring the profitable objective simply earlier than damage time.
Arsenal’s Amanda Ilestedt rose above the pack straight in entrance of objective to go residence the winner, and break South African hearts.
3:30PM: SICK MATILDA’S VIDEO GAME PREMONITION
Rookie Matilda’s defender Charli Grant was again coaching at QSAC this morning after lacking final weeks classes with an sickness.
The 21-year-old performs within the Swedish league and was one of many final Matilda’s to affix the camp – as a result of their season nonetheless operating.
Grant, whereas speaking to the media in the present day, mentioned she might need picked up a bug on the airplane or simply been knocked round by jet lag. Either approach she was caught in her lodge room, in poor health, for 2 complete days.
Unable to coach Grant used the time to residence her abilities on-line, enjoying FIFA23 on the CBox console gifted to all gamers by Ellie Carpenter.
Grant mentioned she was enjoying the brand new World Cup function within the sport and Australia has received in opposition to Ireland and Nigeria – a feat she hoped to repeat “in real life” on Thursday evening in Brisbane.
1:30PM: SWEDEN LOOK TO SEND MESSAGE TO USWNT
-Tilly Werner
There can be loads of eyes on Sweden as they put together for his or her marketing campaign opener in opposition to South Africa in Wellington this afternoon.
One of probably the most extremely favoured groups to contend for the title, third ranked Sweden have change into a powerhouse of ladies’s soccer over the previous decade after boasting one of many earliest skilled leagues for ladies, the Damallsvenskan.
Sweden have been at each version of the World Cup, with their finest place end coming in 2003, the place they misplaced within the last to Germany 2-1 to finish up second.
Led by veteran Caroline Seger, who has been battling accidents to return for her fifth World Cup, there’s greater than satisfaction at stake for the Swedes, who’ve had issue performing constantly in match soccer.
”It’s been a tricky highway for me, and the final couple of months I’ve been injured, so my preparation hasn’t been the perfect. I haven’t talked to all of the Swedish press for a very long time. That’s additionally why I’m right here [at the press conference] now. I usually don’t do that,” Seger mentioned in Sweden’s pre-match press convention.
“I’m happy to be in the World Cup. At the moment I’m training, and my body is feeling good.”
There will even be loads of consideration on Fridolina Rolfö, who received the Champions League with FC Barcelona final month and has change into one of the recognisable faces in European soccer and Sarah Blackstenius, who performs alongside Matildas Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord at Arsenal.
12:00PM: KERR ON MEET-AND-GREET DUTIES AS TEAM TRAINS ON
-Erin Smith
Matildas’ captain Sam Kerr’s calf damage didn’t cease her taking part within the meet and greet with a choose group of followers at QSAC this morning.
Kerr and the crew meet the gamers from the under-12s and under-15s Mt Gravatt Hawks women groups earlier than coaching.
They handed out goodie luggage, posters and signed autographs.
Kerr didn’t take part within the crew coaching session however Tameka Yallop, who was injured within the heat up match in opposition to France, returned to the primary group for the primary time.
Defender Clare Hunt additionally sat out the session as a result of load administration. And Kyah Simon additionally watched on.
10:30AM: USWNT ON AUCKLAND MASS SHOOTING: “WE’VE DEALT WITH THIS FAR TOO MANY TIMES”
-Tilly Werner
USWNT striker Lynn Williams has delivered a poignant response to news of the mass taking pictures in Auckland final Thursday, lower than a kilometre from the place the crew is staying for the World Cup.
Speaking on the crew’s press convention, which went forward simply hours after the incident, Williams mirrored that the taking pictures is one thing she and her USA teammates are far too aware of.
“Unfortunately we’ve dealt with this far too many times,” Williams mentioned.
“There was definitely a sense of let’s come together. We still have a job to do, but also recognising that there were lives lost and that is very real and devastating.”
“We were just thankful that we were safe, that he first responders came and everything was very quick, Our security was very swift to say ‘we can’t go anywhere right now we need to make sure you are safe.’
“There is a sense around the team that we recognise that this is devastating but once we were able to go to training we had to focus on the job at hand.”
Williams’ teammate Crystal Dunn mentioned it was vital to offer individuals the area they should “work through the trauma.”
“Hopefully we can just try get on the pitch and be connected again, in a tough day.”
The USWNT opened their marketing campaign with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland yesterday.
8.30AM: BETTING BOMBSHELL OVER KERR-FUFFLE
The CEO of Australian betting firm Bet Right, Anthony Walker, has agreed to refund any dropping bets positioned on Australia’s 1-0 win over Ireland, that have been made earlier than the bombshell announcement of Sam Kerr’s omission.
“Up until 6.45pm AEST, members of the public all over the world were betting into multiple markets under the impression that Sam Kerr would take the field,” the CEO mentioned.
“However, these events are characteristically a question of balance and fairness.”
Bet Right has launched numbers that present the impression the Australian captain has on a sport’s betting market is 16 per cent on common.
Kerr is Australia’s most prolific goalscorer, with 63 objectives in 121 appearances for the Matildas and was priced as a major contender to the match’s Golden Boot award.
Kerr put any fears of a chronic sideline-stay to mattress after arriving again in Brisbane following the Matildas’ win in Sydney. Asked if her World Cup was over, she replied: “Definitely not.”
Will we see you for the Canada sport?
“Of course I will be there.”
– With The Daily Mail
7AM: ‘BONE ACHES, MOUTH ULCERS’: KIWI’S GRUELLING ROAD TO GRANDEST STAGE
-The Sun
New Zealand and Brighton defender Rebekah Stott has bravely spoken out about her most cancers analysis and the way it impressed her World Cup dream.
The 30-year-old, who performed in in the present day’s opening sport of the World Cup, was identified with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2021, only a few months after becoming a member of Brighton within the Women’s Super League.
But simply 5 months later, following a number of rounds of gruelling remedy, she entered full remission.
In an episode of the Discovery+ documentary, ‘World at Their Feet’, Stott opened up about her analysis and her unbelievable journey again into soccer.
“Obviously, I came to Brighton all excited and ready to go,” she mentioned.
“I had a little bit of a lump on my neck. It kept growing and getting bigger and bigger. I had surgery, I had a needle biopsy.
“Finally, after about three or four months, we got the diagnosis that I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“‘Why did this happen to me?’, has definitely gone through my head a lot, but I know that I will never know the answer to that.
“‘Yes, this sucks, but I have a good prognosis. In a c**p situation, I am lucky’.
“It was all quite rushed. I was straight in for my first day of chemo. The first cycle was bad. I was throwing up everywhere.
“And then bone aches, headaches, dizziness, mouth ulcers, they were probably one of the worst because you were trying to eat, and it would just be impossible.”
Despite the tough circumstances she endured, Stott remained upbeat as she stored followers up to date by social media and her weblog, ‘Beat It by Stotty’.
The defender additionally remained decided to return to soccer and used that, together with household and buddies, to encourage her by months of remedy.
She added: “My family was great. My friends were really there for me. I had a lot of people looking after me.
“The thought of getting back to football when I finished my cancer treatment was always there and that was always my goal, to get back on the field, so that was a huge motivation for me.”
In July 2021, only a matter of months after being identified, the New Zealand star introduced that she was in full remission.
In a weblog put up, she wrote: “This is the blog I’ve been hanging out to write, I’m officially in COMPLETE REMISSION. It’s surreal and I’m still not quite sure how to describe the feeling, but I’m filled with so much happiness and I’m so appreciative to everyone who has helped me along the way.”
Within only a few months of coming into remission, Stott rejoined Melbourne City earlier than signing a two-year take care of Brighton in 2022.
And her World Cup dream got here true final month when she was named in Jitka Klimkova’s 23-woman New Zealand squad.
Stott made historical past with New Zealand on the opening day of the match this week, serving to the nation to it’s first-ever World Cup win.
The Football Ferns earned a shock 1-0 win over Norway, who’re ranked twelfth on this planet by FIFA.
Hannah Wilkinson broke the impasse simply after half time following a wonderful passage of crew play.
Ria Percival had the chance to double New Zealand’s lead late within the sport, however her penalty rattled the crossbar.
Originally printed by The Sun UK
Originally printed as FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule day 4: Scores, outcomes, teams
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
