Melbourne, Australia (AP) — Australia striker Sam Kerr was benched again but Canada captain Christine Sinclair returned to the starting lineup for a pivotal Women’s World Cup group-stage finale Monday between the co-hosts and the Olympic champions.
Kerr, Australia’s captain, missed her team’s previous two Group B matches because of a calf injury sustained in training on the eve of the tournament opener.
While Kerr was included on the bench and had indicated she'd be available for the match against Canada, Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson suggested the decision to play Kerr would always “come down to the wire.”
Despite missing their captain, the Matildas won their first match against Ireland 1-0 in Sydney. A 3-2 upset loss to Nigeria in Brisbane meant Australia's match against Canada was a virtual must-win situation for the hosts.
Sinclair, international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, returned to the starting 11 after only playing half of Canada’s 2-1 win over Ireland. Canada head coach Bev Priestman confirmed at Sunday’s pre-match news conference that Sinclair would be available for the match.
Sinclair started in Canada’s group opener, a 0-0 draw against Nigeria, then went on as a substitute at halftime in Canada’s win over Ireland.
After having a penalty saved against Nigeria, Sinclair is still aiming to become the first player to score in six World Cups.
Australia’s Mary Fowler, who scored the Matildas' winning goal against Ireland, has returned to the starting lineup after a mild concussion sustained at practice forced her out of the match against Nigeria.
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Emily Dozier and Cassidy Hettesheimer are students at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
