Group B still up for grabs as Australia takes on Nigeria on TSN

After Wednesday evening's clash between heavyweights the Netherlands and the United States, two more important games are on offer from the Women's World Cup as teams begin to jockey for position ahead of the Round of 16.

In Hamilton, two teams that lost their openers will hope to avoid elimination as Vietnam meets Portugal.

A loss by either team will doom them to a group-stage exit.

You can catch Portugal vs. Vietnam in Group E action from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Hamilton with coverage getting underway at 5:45am et/2:45am pt on TSN1/4, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.

In their opener, Vietnam was thoroughly defeated 3-0 by the USWNT as Sophia Smith bagged a brace and set up Lindsey Horan's goal.

Despite the loss, Vietnam manager Mai Duc Chung says he liked what he saw from his team in terms of their performance.

"I am very pleased with the team's fighting spirit today," he said. "Before the match, we promised that we might be outmatched in terms of skills, but we would definitely not be outmatched in determination and spirit."

Chung says he expects the same from his team against Portugal.

“We feel comfortable at this World Cup," Chung said. "We’re not scared in any way or feel any kind of obligation in any game. We’re going into them with the mindset that we’ve got nothing to lose. That’s how we took on USA and that’s what we’ll be doing again this time.”

Portugal lost their opener, 1-0, to fellow UEFA side the Netherlands on a 13th-minute goal from Stefanie van der Gragt that was initially ruled offside before a VAR review. Portugal had trouble getting their offence clicking with Fatima Pinto's late shot that was stopped by Daphne van Domselaar their best opportunity of the match.

"We knew we would suffer a bit in this match, as we were facing one of the best teams in the world," Benfica forward Jessica Silva said. "They are one of the main candidates for the title. We entered a little anxious, it's normal, with it being our first match in the competition, but in the second half we managed to play more in their pitch, we were closer to the goal, but we couldn't score."

Manager Francisco Neto knows that a similar kind of game against the Netherlands won't cut it against Vietnam if his team wants to collect three points.

“Above all else, we need a Portugal that goes out and dominates possession, occupies the last third, and plays an attack-minded game, with lots of people getting into the box and having shots on goal," Neto said. "There are still six points up for grabs and we have to go for them and make our dream of reaching the next round come true.”

Group E's final matchday is set for Tuesday.

Canada's 2-1 come-from-behind win over Ireland on Wednesday made the path to the knockout round a little bit clearer, but Group B is still up for grabs as hosts Australia meet Nigeria to finish the group's second matchday on Thursday morning.

After falling behind on a Katie McCabe Olimpico just four minutes into the match in Perth, Canada battled back and forced an equalizing own goal in first-half stoppage before getting a winner through Adriana Leon in the 53rd. The win provisionally moved Canada atop the group on four points after an opening scoreless draw with Nigeria. The loss, their second in two matches, eliminated Ireland from advancing.

The Matildas can become the first team from the group to earn passage to the Round of 16 with a win over Nigeria in front of what will undoubtedly be a raucous home crowd in Brisbane.

You can catch Australia vs. Nigeria in Group B action from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brisbane with coverage getting underway at 5:45am et/2:45am pt on TSN1/4, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.

While it was a battle, Australia managed to win their opener with a 1-0 victory over the Girls in Green on a 52nd-minute Steph Catley penalty after Hayley Raso was knocked over in the area by Marissa Sheva.

Catley chalked up the Matildas' struggles at points during the match to opening night jitters at home and pressure from an Irish team that also gave Canada a run for their money.

"We were nervy and probably didn’t play as calmly as we normally do," Catley said. "But to be fair, Ireland were fantastic. They put us under pressure, they won corners, they played their game really, really well. There were some nervy moments we’ll look to clean up.”

While the Matildas were already expecting superstar Sam Kerr to miss her second match of the tournament with a calf injury, there are fresh injury concerns for the Nigeria match. Both Manchester City striker Mary Fowler and defender Aivi Luik picked up "mild" concussions in training and are unlikely to feature. With Kyah Simon still being eased back from an injury, Arsenal's Caitlin Foord might be the only recognized striker available for Tony Gustavsson.

Still, Raso believes you will see a more composed Matildas against Nigeria.

“This first game was about getting over the nerves and the hype and getting that out of us," the Real Madrid winger said. "We’ve done that, we won, we’ve got that box ticked. I think we’ll go into this next game against Nigeria on Thursday a little bit more prepared and ready.”

The Super Falcons head into the match knowing that their fate remains in their own hands, but a loss against the Matildas will put their backs up against the wall.

"It’s going to be a difficult game," Atletico's Rasheedat Ajibade said. "We’re playing against the host team, in a packed stadium. We’re going to come up against a lot of factors on that day. But I think we’ve got this. We’ve done it in big games, we’ve done it against big teams, and I trust the whole team. We have the capacity, we have the talent, we have the energy, we have the strategy. We just have to bring in our A-game and it just might be a very fun game."

A loss against Australia would leave Nigeria needing to defeat the already eliminated Ireland on the final matchday and hope that Australia defeats Canada. A win would position the Super Falcons well heading into the Ireland game.

Group B's final matchday is set for Monday.