In a highly anticipated match, the Matildas, Australia's national women's football team, will aim to make their first semi-finals appearance in a Women's World Cup (WWC) as they host the tournament on home soil. With a record-breaking crowd of 80,000 expected at Sydney's Olympic Stadium, the pressure on the co-hosts is immense, despite their history of losing their opening group-stage game in the previous three WWCs.

Australia, currently ranked tenth by FIFA, has faced criticism for underachieving in recent major events, including exiting the previous WWC in the round of 16, reaching only the quarter-finals in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, and failing to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. However, their outstanding lead-in form, with nine wins from ten fixtures since October 2022 and victories over higher-ranked opponents such as France, England, Spain, and Sweden, has instilled confidence in the team.

The Republic of Ireland, making their first-ever finals appearance, qualified for the WWC through a playoff victory in Scotland. Managed by Vera Pauw, the team achieved their highest-ever FIFA ranking (22). However, their hopes of making a significant impact in the tournament have been tempered by being placed in Group B alongside two top-ten nations, Australia and Canada. Additionally, their warm-up fixture against Colombia was abandoned due to overly physical play that resulted in midfielder Denise O'Sullivan being hospitalized.

For Pauw, qualifying for the WWC was a remarkable achievement following a series of seven straight losses in 2020 and 2021. She emphasizes the need for realism while prioritizing solid defending, which was evident in their qualifying campaign where they conceded only 11 goals in seven matches, excluding the lopsided victories against minnows Georgia.

Two players to watch in this match are Caitlin Foord and Katie McCabe, teammates at Arsenal. Both players had outstanding seasons, with McCabe being named Arsenal's 2022/23 Player of the Season and Foord making significant contributions with 21 goals and assists combined for the Gunners. The match will also feature a hot streak for Australia, as their last 12 matches have all produced a winner, with seven of the last eight victories coming with a clean sheet.

As Australia looks to overcome their past shortcomings and capitalize on their recent form, and with the Republic of Ireland aiming to make their mark as debutants, this clash promises to be an exciting encounter in the Women's World Cup.

在一场备受期待的比赛中，澳大利亚国家女子足球队玛蒂尔达斯(matilda)将在本土主办世界杯，目标是首次进入女足世界杯半决赛。悉尼奥林匹克体育场预计将迎来创纪录的8万名观众，尽管在前三届世界杯赛小组赛的首场比赛中失利，但联合主办国面临的压力还是巨大的。

澳大利亚目前在国际足联排名第十，因在最近的重大赛事中表现不佳而受到批评，包括上届世界女足锦标赛16强出局，2022年女足亚洲杯仅进入1 / 4决赛，以及未能在东京奥运会上获得奖牌。然而，他们出色的领先状态，自2022年10月以来的10场比赛中取得了9场胜利，并战胜了法国、英格兰、西班牙和瑞典等排名较高的对手，这给球队带来了信心。

爱尔兰共和国，首次进入决赛，通过在苏格兰的一场季后赛胜利，获得了参加WWC的资格。在维拉·波夫的带领下，这支球队取得了有史以来最高的国际足联排名(第22位)。然而，他们与澳大利亚和加拿大这两个前十名的国家一起被分在B组，这使他们在本届世界杯上取得重大成就的希望变得渺茫。此外，他们与哥伦比亚队的热身赛也被取消了，原因是他们过度的身体对抗导致中场丹尼斯·奥沙利文住院。

对于保罗来说，在2020年和2021年连续七连败之后，晋级WWC是一项了不起的成就。她强调了现实主义的必要性，同时优先考虑稳固的防守，这在他们的预选赛中很明显，他们在七场比赛中只丢了11个球，不包括对小鱼格鲁吉亚的一边倒的胜利。

在这场比赛中值得关注的两名球员是凯特琳·福德和凯蒂·麦凯布，他们是阿森纳的队友。这两名球员都有出色的表现，麦凯布被评为阿森纳2022/23赛季最佳球员，而福特则为枪手贡献了21个进球和助攻。这场比赛也将是澳大利亚的一个亮点，因为他们在过去的12场比赛中都取得了胜利，最近8场胜利中有7场零封对手。

由于澳大利亚希望克服过去的缺点并利用他们最近的状态，爱尔兰共和国希望在首次亮相中留下印记，这场冲突有望成为女足世界杯上令人兴奋的相遇。