Canada vs. Australia – Women’s World Cup: Canada 0-4 Australia

8:48 a.m. EST

Bev Priestman: ‘It’s going to be difficult, but we have to bounce back’

For Canadian soccer, this loss will sting for some time to come. It’s some way off the worst ever – that would be the 7-0 loss against Norway in 1995 – but given the stakes, and how far Canada had come in 28 years, coming to terms with this result will be a struggle.

“Reality is setting in,” head coach Bev Priestman told TSN after the 4-0 loss to Australia. “This is the end of our World Cup road. … I’ve got no criticism of our players. … It’s going to be difficult, but we have to bounce back.”

Never before had a defending Olympic gold medalist failed to advance to the knockout rounds at the Women’s World Cup, and Canada’s attention will now turn to next year’s Olympics in Paris. The team has a crucial qualifier for those Games against Jamaica at Toronto’s BMO Field in September.

Once again, Canada’s Achilles heel, goal scoring, raised its ugly head. Priestman’s team was shut out for the second time in three games in Australia. Perhaps more surprisingly, the team’s strength – its defence – was torn asunder against Australia, which registered its biggest World Cup win.

The loss also brought the curtain down on the career of midfielder Sophie Schmidt, who had announced her retirement from the national team before the tournament. She retires with 224 appearances.

It almost certainly ends the World Cup career of captain Christine Sinclair, who was subbed off at halftime in this, her 24th Women’s World Cup appearance. After missing a penalty in the opener against Nigeria, Sinclair fell short in her quest to become the first person to score at six straight World Cups. She currently shares the record of five with Brazil’s Marta and Portugal men’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

– Paul Attfield

8:10 a.m. EST

Canada’s World Cup run over after 4-0 loss against Australia

After just three games, Canada’s time at the Women’s World Cup is over, as head coach Bev Priestman’s team becomes the first defending Olympic champion to fail to make it out of the group stage.

The final score against Australia is 4-0 – with the tournament co-host booking its own passage to the knockout rounds – but this game was over long before referee Stephanie Frappart blew the final whistle Monday in Melbourne.

Falling behind to the first of two goals from Hayley Raso in the ninth minute, Canada struggled to respond, and its misery was deepened in the 39th minute when Raso struck again.

Goal scoring and chance generation once again plagued Canada. It fell behind 3-0 to Mary Fowler’s strike shortly before the hour mark, all but sealing its fate. A late penalty from Steph Catley in stoppage time added insult to injury.

Canada, which has failed to get out of the group stage for the first time since 2011, now goes home to lick its wounds and try to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Paris.

– Paul Attfield

8:03 a.m. EST

Australia advances into the round of 16 as Group B winners

And it’s 4-0 Australia. Steph Catley beats Kailen Sheridan from the penalty spot in stoppage time to send Australia confidently into the round of 16 as Group B winners.

Video review detected that Jessie Fleming had stepped on the foot of Katrina-Lee Gorry, and that was enough for referee Stephanie Frappart to award a penalty to Australia.

Catley beat Sheridan to her right, with a well-struck shot just inside the post.

– Paul Attfield

7:58 a.m. EST

Eight minutes of injury time added

The fourth official announces there will be eight minutes of injury time – that’s how long Canada has to prolong its stay at this Women’s World Cup.

Given that it still needs three goals to do so, it’s looking like the tallest of orders.

– Paul Attfield

7:47 a.m. EST

Olivia Smith makes World Cup debut

As the substitution of Adriana Leon was for a concussion, Canadian head coach Bev Priestman is allowed one more switch, and she uses it in the 77th minute to bring on 18-year-old Olivia Smith – the youngest player on the squad – for her World Cup debut.

Smith, who was playing in League 1 Ontario last year, makes just her third appearance for the Canadian women’s national team. Now would be the perfect time to score her first goal for her country.

– Paul Attfield

7:34 a.m. EST

Canada finally registered its first official shot on target

If Canada is going down, it won’t be without a fight. It took 66 minutes, but the team finally registered its first official shot on target, with substitute Deanne Rose hitting a right-footed shot that Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold turns over the crossbar with her right foot.

Canada is running out of time, though, with little more than 20 minutes remaining in the game, and at this point it requires at least three goals to remain in this tournament.

– Paul Attfield

7:26 a.m. EST

From bad to worse: Canada 0 - Australia 3

It’s going from bad to worse for Canada. After making four changes at halftime, the Canadian national women’s team was hoping to get back into the game against Australia.

Instead, Mary Fowler nets a third for the co-hosts to put Canada in a hole that will almost certainly see its tournament hopes buried for good.

After 58 minutes, Australia forward Caitlin Foord cuts the ball back from the left-hand channel, finding an unmarked Fowler, whose initial shot bounces against the post but then over the line.

Canada concedes three goals at a Women’s World Cup for the first time since losing 4-0 to France in 2011. It now needs something special to get something out of this game.

Head coach Bev Priestman makes her last substitution, bringing forward Evelyne Viens on for Adriana Leon at the 64-minute mark.

– Paul Attfield

7:12 a.m. EST

Canada makes wholesale changes to the lineup

Canada has made wholesale changes at the start of the second half in an attempt to extend its stay at this Women’s World Cup. Coach Bev Priestman has withdrawn Christine Sinclair, Jordyn Huitema, Julia Grosso and Jayde Riviere, replacing them with Cloe Lacasse, Deanne Rose, Sophie Schmidt and Allysha Chapman.

Canada is looking for something – anything – to unlock the Australia defence, which has so far proved resolute through the first 45 minutes. Trailing 2-0, a draw would be enough for Canada to turn this game around and clinch a spot in the round of 16.

– Paul Attfield

6:57 a.m. EST

Canada needs something special to extend its stay at this World Cup

For the second straight game, it is up to head coach Bev Priestman to fix what ails Canada at this Women’s World Cup during the halftime break. But the size of the task has doubled this time around – Canada has never come from behind to win a World Cup game in which it trailed by two goals.

Against Ireland last Wednesday, Priestman injected the veteran trio of Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt and Shelina Zadorsky to wake Canada from its slumber. But against Australia, Sinclair and her 190 international goals are already on the field, and after just one shot on target through the opening 45 minutes – a hopeful cross more than anything – Canada needs something special to extend its stay at this tournament.

For Australia, everything is going swimmingly. With record scorer Sam Kerr unable to make the starting lineup for the third straight game, the World Cup co-host got two goals from Hayley Raso – in the ninth and 39th minutes – and is currently on course for the knockout rounds at Canada’s expense.

– Paul Attfield

6:43 a.m. EST

Hayley Raso scores; Canada 0-2 Australia

For a minute there, it looked as though Canada had been given a massive break just eight minutes before halftime, with video review cancelling out Mary Fowler’s goal.

But five minutes before halftime, a corner kick caroms to the foot of Hayley Raso, and the Australian forward doubles Australia’s lead with her second of the game to put Canada’s Women’s World Cup existence on life support.

As things stand, Canada is headed home.

– Paul Attfield

6:31 a.m. EST

Australia currently on track to advance

So much for taking the crowd out of the game. In front of a frenzied sellout crowd of 30,000 at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium, Hayley Raso’s ninth-minute goal has cranked up the intensity of support for the home team, with Australia currently on track to advance to the knockout rounds at Canada’s expense.

However, this Canadian women’s team demonstrated last Wednesday against Ireland that it possesses the ability to come from behind – earning its first such win at the Women’s World Cup. But to do so it will have to generate more chances in front of the goal, as Canada has yet to draw a save from Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold through the opening 25 minutes.

– Paul Attfield

6:14 a.m. EST

Canada 0-1 Australia: Australia’s Hayley Raso scores early goal

And Canada gets off to a nightmare start for the second straight game. In the ninth minute, Australia captain Steph Catley crosses from the left wing and finds Hayley Raso in the penalty area. After taking a quick tough to set herself, Raso drills a right-footed shot past Kailen Sheridan. Referee Stephanie Frappart awards the goal to Australia after a quick check with the video review official for possible offside.

– Paul Attfield

6:08 a.m. EST

Game is under way in Melbourne

And the game is under way in Melbourne. Canada is taking aim at a fourth consecutive win against Australia and looking to raise its record against the World Cup co-host to 7-2-2 this century.

Three members of Canada’s starting lineup will have to play with a little bit of restraint, however. Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan – as well as substitute Evelyne Viens - are all sitting on one yellow card through the first two games, so picking up one more booking here will see them miss the round-of-16 game should Canada qualify.

– Paul Attfield

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5:30 a.m. EST

Christine Sinclair returns to Canada’s starting lineup for Australia match

Canadian captain Christine Sinclair has been restored to the starting lineup for her team’s do-or-die fixture against Australia on Monday morning.

The 40-year-old’s return to the Canadian national women’s team attack is head coach Bev Priestman’s only change to the starting lineup that came from behind to defeat Ireland last Wednesday. Making her record 24th appearance at a Women’s World Cup, Sinclair has taken the place of Evelyne Viens.

But while Canada’s talisman is back in the starting lineup, Australia’s equivalent, Sam Kerr, finds herself on the bench for a game that Australia absolutely needs to win to advance to the knockout rounds without requiring help from Ireland, which is playing Nigeria in the other Group B game today.

The Chelsea star – voted player of the season in England’s Women’s Soccer League for the past two seasons – has missed the first two games of this World Cup but will have to help Australia off the substitutes’ bench in her country’s crucial contest.

Canada will be more concerned with its own game, however, as it tries to ensure it doesn’t become the first reigning Olympic gold medalist to fail to get out of a World Cup group stage. The omens are not good, though: In its previous two tries, Canada has never beaten a Women’s World Cup host country, falling 3-1 to the United States in 2003 and 2-1 to Germany in 2011.

– Paul Attfield

5:30 a.m. EST

Canada and Australia face off in high-pressure World Cup game

Facing its highest-pressure game since the Tokyo Olympic final almost two years ago, the Canadian national women’s team is intent on playing on the front foot against Australia on Monday in Melbourne.

While a draw would be enough for world No. 7 Canada to advance to the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup, head coach Bev Priestman has refused to lower her sights, saying that to settle for a point means “you’re not playing on your strengths.”

Tournament co-host Australia has no such luxury. While it can still technically qualify with a draw – provided that already-eliminated Ireland beats Group B leader Nigeria in the other game Monday – playing for the win is the best strategy for the 10th-ranked Matildas. They will be looking to avoid joining co-host New Zealand as the only hosts of the Women’s World Cup to fail to get out of the group stage.

Priestman will be hoping her team can pick up where it left off against Ireland last Wednesday, with the second half of that game showing a dramatic turnaround from the first 45 minutes, which allowed Canada to pick up its first win of the tournament. Key to that about-turn was the halftime introduction of veterans Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt, who seemed to have a calming influence on their younger teammates.

Canada, Australia to face off at FIFA Women’s World Cup with elimination on the line

It remains to be seen how Priestman will set up her team, but she will be hoping for a better return in front of goal, with Canada directing just seven shots out of 30 on target through two games.

Adriana Leon certainly knows where the net is against Australia, though. The scorer of the winning goal against Ireland scored all three goals in two successive victories over Australia in friendlies last year.

Those wins extended Canada’s current win streak to three in a row against Australia, with the first of that run coming in the group stage of the 2016 Olympics.

Australia, though, has its own lineup concerns, with star striker Sam Kerr making herself available for this game after missing the first two through injury.

But while Canada is prepared for Kerr, and the threat she brings, it’s going to set up to play Australia, not just Sam Kerr.

“I think she’s just one player,” said midfielder Jessie Fleming, who plays with Kerr for Chelsea in England. “We’re preparing for the game the same regardless of whether or not she plays, how much she plays. I think they have a very good team with or without her.”

– Paul Attfield

5:00 a.m. EST

When is Canada’s third World Cup match and how do I watch it?

Canada’s third game of the World Cup is is today (Monday, July 31) at 6 a.m. The Canadian squad faces off against Australia.

Canadian fans can watch on TSN, and some matches will be available on CTV. This includes all three of Canada’s group-stage matches. French-language coverage will be on RDS.