Canada will need laser focus vs. desperate Australia in Women’s World Cup final group game

Of all the things I have seen online about this Women’s World Cup, there is nothing more apt than a tweet from my friend Courtney that reads: “The group of death is group of death-ing.”

I couldn’t agree more. Group B, which consists of Canada, co-host Australia, Nigeria, and Ireland, was thought to be the most unpredictable coming into the tournament.

The reason is that each of these teams has a particular reputation and ability. After two games, the Group B table has Nigeria and Canada with four points, followed by Australia with three, and only Ireland eliminated from contention after losing two matches and accumulating zero points. 

After Nigeria won 3-2 against co-hosts Australia, soccer lovers flew into a tizzy. Media around the world pegged the win as a shock. But as someone who has followed the Super Falcons for a long time, I can’t say that the nine-time African champions surprised anyone.

What I can say is that they capitalized on Australia’s mistakes and showed their force even though the Matildas held the majority of possession in the match. Couple that with the fact that Australian coach Tony Gustavsson did not put in a substitute until the 82nd minute. We’d just witnessed how Canada harnessed the power of intelligent substitutes and how they can affect the energy and trajectory of a match. 

WATCH: Soccer North previews Canada vs. Australia:

Canada will play Australia in the Group B finale to see who will finish top of the table. Australia goes into the match being heavy favourites because of the home-soil advantage.

Watch Soccer North Live Monday July 31 at 8:30 a.m. ET on cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports YouTube Channel for post-match analysis of Canada vs. Ireland with Andi Petrillo and Diana Matheson.

Nigeria’s Asisat Oshola scored because she’s one of the most formidable strikers in the world and she’s the first African woman to score in three different World Cups (2015, ’19, ’23.) She’s magnificent and she’s effective. Canada had a tough match against Nigeria that ended in a 0-0 draw in their opening game.

So because Australia lost, they will be coming out with absolute fire when they play Canada on Monday (6 a.m. ET) in order to keep their tournament hopes alive. Nigeria still has to play Ireland, but the likelihood of Ireland winning that match seems low.

The Canadian players can at least put aside, if even temporarily, the uncertainty of their compensation after reaching a short-term deal with Canada Soccer. They aren’t thrilled with it, but it’s done.

Then again, I really can’t make a prediction with any certainty about this group. After Ireland’s 2-1 loss to Canada on Wednesday, coach Vera Pauw said that although they were disappointed, she was proud of the team and they would be playing to win against Nigeria. 

“We’re sports people,” she said with a wry smile. “We hate losing.” 

Let’s break down Monday’s final group-stage games. Ireland is coming with a vengeance against Nigeria, who are on point musically (they’re singing and dancing has gone viral multiple times) and on the pitch.

Australia will be playing Canada with a tenacious desperation to remain in the tournament. But what should Canada do? They should do what they do well and focus on the moment and keep in their bubble in order to win. Putting the ball in the back of the net will be crucial and Canada will rely on its superb defending but scoring will be significant. This is where mental performance needs to peak. 

If Canada wins or draws they will advance to the Round of 16. If they lose, they will need Nigeria to lose to Ireland and hope to come out on top in the tie-breakers. So Canada could advance or go home much earlier than anticipated. This is exactly what World Cup soccer is: exciting, unpredictable and yes, stressful.

The scenarios are chaotic, and, admittedly, I enjoy chaos.

WATCH: Jayde Riviere praises Canada’s character in win over Ireland:

Canadian defender speaks to team’s resilience despite a gritty Ireland side and dreary weather conditions.

There is no doubt that for Australia, Monday’s match is “do or die.” The West Australian paper declared that Australia’s loss to Nigeria was “demoralizing,” even though they are 20th in the FIFA rankings and the possibility of losing one Group of Death match was probable. 

I understand that the Matildas have been amping up to win and their country is behind them. Viewership has been at a historic highs for many of the matches, even though not all of the tournament games have been easy to access on Australian television.

Canada Soccer came under fire for limiting media access to players. A Canada Soccer representative said that due to the “accumulated load” Canada has had, the technical staff decided to give the players extra time off. But they ended up offering media access on Saturday after a gym session. It is routine for the media to have access two days ahead of games. 

For Canada, who must be trying to shut out the noise and remain laser-focused on their mission, it must be helpful to not be under all the media scrutiny that the Australian team is facing.

Canada should be focusing on their game plan and trying to forge ahead. It is great to have a country behind you, but the added pressure of hysterical media cannot be helping the Matildas. They, too, will have to dig deep and bring out all their mental strength when they face the Olympic champions.

As it is with many results at a World Cup, someone will be heartbroken and someone will be joyous. We love football for the passion and the play, but at the end of the match even the beautiful game will only concede one winner.