Women's World Cup 2015: Latest Group Results, Table and Friday Schedule
Not even a week has passed since the 2015 Women's World Cup got underway and already the 30 competing nations are almost halfway through the group phase of the competition.
Friday sees the representatives of Groups C and D reclaim the stage, with a high-stakes encounter between the United States and Sweden sitting as the pick of the bunch.
Following Germany's 1-1 draw against Norway on Thursday evening, all tournament hopefuls will have been handed a substantial boost in their bid to challenge for the top places.
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Read on for a breakdown of the latest group-stage results and table standings, along with a closer look at some of Friday's biggest matchups.
| B | Germany | 1-1 | Norway |
| A | China | 1-0 | Netherlands |
| B | Ivory Coast | 2-3 | Thailand |
| A | Canada | 0-0 | New Zealand |
| Canada | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| China PR | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| Norway | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Thailand | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 3 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -11 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -6 | 0 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| Brazil | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Colombia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| D | 10 p.m.BST/4 p.m. local time | Australia vs. Nigeria | Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg |
| C | 12 a.m. BST (Sat., June 13)/4 p.m. local time | Switzerland vs. Ecuador | BC Place, Vancouver |
| D | 1 a.m. BST (Sat., June 13)/7 p.m. local time | United States vs. Sweden | Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg |
| C | 3 a.m. BST (Sat., June 13)/7 p.m. local time | Japan vs. Cameroon | BC Place, Vancouver |
United States vs. Sweden
Sweden coach Pia Sundhage faces a conflicting reunion with some familiar faces on Friday as she prepares to clash against the United States, the team she managed to great success between 2008 and 2012.
A recent interview with Sam Borden of the New York Times saw Sundhage shed some light on her opinions of her former charges, including Carli Lloyd, whom she described as "a challenge to coach, by the way."
According to Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, the Stars and Stripes star will take that supposed critique and turn it into a positive when she takes on her old mentor's new crop:
Jillian Ellis' women currently sit two points clear at the top of Group D and a win over the Swedes on Friday could see them open up a four-point cushion, depending on the result of Australia's meeting with Nigeria.
As pointed out by Steven Goff of the Washington Post, Nigeria's 3-3 draw with Sweden in the last round of group fixtures was highly advantageous for the Americans:
Despite that result, Sweden will have learned a lesson in complacency and be far more wary of the United States' impending threat.
Australia vs. Nigeria
The Matildas remain the only Group D combatant that failed to take a point from their opening fixture, but Nigeria will be no pushovers in what's likely to be another demanding test.
NBC's Jeff Kassouf quotes Australia coach Alen Stajcic when outlining just how tight the pool is, asserting that any one of these teams may have gone far in the tournament had their draw panned out differently:
It's a justified comment considering Group D is one of only two groups that doesn't contain any Women's World Cup debutants and a great aggregate in experience between the four teams.
The Nigerians' point against Sweden was a valuable one, but both sides will be desperately vying for victory on Friday as a share of the spoils could lead to neither team progressing:
Australia initially showed much promise in their United States opener, keeping level at 1-1 for a long period only to fall away as the fixture progressed, something they must correct.
Nigeria showed an opposite demonstration in stamina, clinching a late equaliser against Sweden and hoping to showcase that perseverance once more as they hunt a first win of the contest.
Japan vs. Cameroon
Reigning Women's World Cup champions Japan got the start they desired in this year's competition, but a close-fought 1-0 win over Switzerland perhaps wasn't as flashy a beginning as they had hoped for.
Cameroon, on the other hand, were surprisingly clinical in their 6-0 demolition of debutants Ecuador, but will be fully aware that Friday's opposition offer an entirely new difficulty in obstacle.
It's no wonder Japan have the motivation to keep improving as they have done over the past decade, with Bleacher Report's Jerrad Peters illustrating just how much home support the Japanese are receiving:
Friday's encounter between these two sides will be an odd one in that we may find neither outfit produced a true account of their ability in the opening round, setting the mind wandering as to what will unfold when they clash.
