France midfielder Kenza Dali says Les Bleues are ready for the anticipated hostile reception in Brisbane on Saturday when they face off against Australia in their Women’s World Cup quarter final clash.
After dispatching Morocco 4-0 in the Round of 16 in Adelaide on Tuesday, Dali is under no illusions about what France can expect from the home crowd.
The Aston Villa playmaker said each time France have stepped out onto the park this tournament, it has felt like an away match – the perfect preparation for squaring off against the Matildas on home soil in a knockout World Cup fixture.
“The crowd is going to be against us,” Dali said.
“I feel like this World Cup everywhere we played the crowd was against us and at the moment it’s good (preparation) for us, so it’s up to us to handle the pressure (against Australia).”
Dali, who scored France’s second goal in the near-flawless performance against Morocco, kept a close eye on Australia’s 2-0 Round of 16 victory over Denmark on Monday.
The 32-year-old praised the Matildas and singled out Caitlin Foord who was instrumental in Australia’s win. Dali also cautioned about reading too much into the pre-tournament friendly encounter between the two sides where the Matildas defeated France 1-0.
“When we played this game, we were still in preparation, even Australia; it’s going to be a completely different game Saturday night,” she said.
“It (Australia) is a fantastic team and they play with a lot of freedom. They look like they really enjoyed it and they handled the pressure well.
“They played really good football as well and scored amazing goals. I think Caitlin Foord is the best player at the moment; she has been unbelievable and it’s going to be great.”
Dali is also expecting Sam Kerr to have an impact after the Chelsea attacker played her first minutes of the tournament on Monday when she was introduced off the bench in the 80th minute against Denmark.
Kerr played in the pre-World Cup friendly against Les Bleues but injury on the eve of Australia’s opening group match kept the Matildas’ skipper on the sidelines until the Round of 16.
“I think she’s a great player and I hope for her, she’s going to play,” Dali said.
“It must have been really sad and frustrating for her to watch from the side.
“I do believe she’s prepared herself for us and she’s going to be there, I’m a hundred per cent sure.”
Colombia are through to their first Women’s World Cup quarter-final after downing Jamaica 1-0 on a night when Melbourne erupted into a mini-Bogota.
In just their third appearance in the tournament, the world No.26-ranked Colombians find themselves in the final eight along with heavyweights England and Spain.
Colombian captain Catalina Usme broke the deadlock in the 51st minute on Tuesday night to send the 27,706 fans at AAMI Park into delirium.
Crowd support rested solely with Colombia with one of the loudest and most raucous atmospheres at a game in this year’s World Cup so far.
Jamaica’s players would have been forgiven they were at a venue in South America instead of the Victorian capital, as the crowd jeered every time they had possession and passionately cheered when Colombia went near it.
After a physical and defensive first half, Usme’s neat finish broke the round-of-16 match wide open as the world No.51-ranked Jamaicans conceded their first goal of the tournament.
The Reggae Girlz’ defence with unflappable goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer had stood firm in group games against powerhouses France and Brazil.
But once they went behind, Jamaica were forced into attacking for the first time in the tournament and even had the better of large sections of the second half.
Immediately after Usme scored, Drew Spence had a gilt-edged opportunity to level for Jamaica only for Colombia to have another golden chance down the other end moments later.
In the 82nd minute an open Spence saw her header hit the post ensuring Colombian fans had to endure a few nervous moments right to the end.
Colombia will meet Euro champions England at Stadium Australia on Saturday night as they seek to cause an upset and win through to a semi-final.
“We came here to play seven finals,” Usme said.
“We’re dreaming big, we know we can do it.”
The result ends a brave run for Jamaica, who secured a knockout spot in just their second appearance in a World Cup and were forced into starting a GoFundMe page to fund their trip to Australia.
“We have some decent young players coming through so we need to have a transition and start preparing for the future – tomorrow,” Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson said.
“Maybe with some help from the (Jamaican) government, even though FIFA and government don’t really mix. We need to figure something out.”
Lauren James has apologised to Michelle Alozie for the incident which led to her being sent off during England’s last-16 World Cup win over Nigeria and vowed to learn from the experience.
The forward was dismissed for deliberately standing on the back of Nigeria defender Alozie with three minutes of normal time remaining in Brisbane.
England survived the dismissal to advance to the quarter-finals 4-2 on penalties after the game finished goalless following extra time.
In response to a tweet from Alozie, James posted: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened.
“Also, for our England fans and my teammates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”
James became the fourth England player to be sent off in a World Cup knockout match after David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and current Lionesses captain Millie Bright.
England boss Sarina Wiegman admitted James had “lost her emotions” during a moment of indiscretion which could see the 21-year-old miss the remainder of the World Cup through suspension.
Opponent Alozie had earlier tweeted in defence of James.
She posted: “Abeg, rest. We are playing on the world’s stage. This game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments. All respect for Lauren James.”
James faces an automatic one-match ban, which could be extended to three games by FIFA’s disciplinary committee.
England take on Colombia in the last eight on Saturday in Sydney.
© AAP
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