FRANCE, JUNE 20,
Florencia Bonsegundo’s twice-taken penalty completed Argentina’s dramatic fightback against Scotland on Wednesday.
Also in Group D, England and Japan were already through to the last 16 before meeting in Nice, where two goals by Ellen White secured a 2-0 victory and first place with a maximum nine points.
Argentina fought back from three down to draw 3-3 in Paris to eliminate the Scots as it climbed to third. But it only has two points and is weakly placed in the battle to finish as one of the four best third-place teams. England will head to Valenciennes in northern France for a last-16 tie on Sunday against a third-placed side with China, Cameroon, New Zealand, Chile and even Thailand all potential opponents.
Scotland looked to be going through as one of the best third-placed sides when Erin Cuthbert’s 69th-minute goal put it 3-0 up against Argentina after earlier strikes from Kim Little and Jen Beattie.
However, Milagros Menendez replied with Argentina’s first goal of the tournament in the 74th minute, and then Bonsegundo’s shot went in off goalkeeper Lee Alexander to set up a grandstand finale. With two minutes left, after an agonising VAR review, Argentina was awarded a penalty.
Alexander saved Bonsegundo’s tame first attempt, but VAR caught the goalkeeper straying off her line and the Argentine converted her second effort in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The draw left Scotland on one point, bottom of Group ‘D’ and eliminated. .“We gave it our all for 70 minutes of the game. We were very good but we didn’t manage to see the game out, but at this moment in time we feel hard done by,” said Scotland’s disconsolate coach, Shelley Kerr.
England’s coach Phil Neville was happier.
“We’ve got another clean sheet, we’ve won another game, we’ve played three and won three, and we’re just where we want to be, in the last 16, and ready to attack the business end of the tournament,” he said.“We have this thing now, we need to do what we need to do to keep this thing going in the competition and then whoever we have to play we will be prepared.”
Hat-trick for Kerr
Kerr became the first Australian woman to score a World Cup hat-trick when she tapped home in the 69th minute following two first half headers, and her fourth was the goal that secured second spot.
Italy meanwhile will take on one of the four best third-placed finishers after topping the group ahead of Australia on goal difference, while Brazil has to wait to know its opponent.
“It’s hard to think of such a thing as a ‘good defeat’, but you could say that we’re happy for qualifying and finishing first in the group,” said Italy coach Milena Bertolini.
