Women's World Cup Groups 2015: Updated Standings, Tables After Monday Fixtures
Four guaranteed slots in the knockout phase were up for grabs Monday at the Women's World Cup, including one for host nation Canada in what has been a wild and unpredictable Group A. Group B was also up for grabs, though mighty Germany seemed unlikely to give up its hold on the group coming into the day.
But did it? And which teams will be moving on?
Let's break it down with a look at the updated tables and results.
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Monday Results
| Norway | 3-1 | Ivory Coast |
| Germany | 4-0 | Thailand |
| China | 2-2 | New Zealand |
| Canada | 1-1 | Netherlands |
Standings
Group A
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| China | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 |
Group B
| Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Thailand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 3 |
| Ivory Coast | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | -13 | 0 |
Group C
| Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | -15 | 0 |
Group D
| United States | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Sweden | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
Group E
| Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
Group F
| Colombia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| England | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
Monday Recap
Germany, Norway, Canada and China all punched their tickets to the knockout phase of the Women's World Cup on Monday evening, while the Netherlands will be hoping it can qualify as one of the third-place finishers.
Germany and Norway each cruised to victory Monday, with Lena Petermann's brace pacing the Germans in their 4-0 win over Thailand and Ada Hegerberg's brace leading the Norwegians to a 3-1 victory over Ivory Coast.
The Germans dominated their group, finishing with a goal differential of plus-14. Thus far, they've lived up to their billing as the No. 1 team in the world.
Canada and China advanced in less convincing fashion, however. Canada drew with the Netherlands, holding the lead for most of the game before giving up a late goal, while the Chinese found themselves in the wildest match of the day, drawing 2-2 with New Zealand.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated was left wondering if having third-place teams like the Netherlands advance was the optimal setup for the tournament:
But advancing is advancing, and even actor Ryan Reynolds tweeted his support for Canada on the day:
It's always good when Deadpool has your back.
Still, Germany and Norway looked like the two teams that would pose threats in the knockout phase. The Germans, in particular, have looked incredibly impressive in this tournament with their skill, depth and mental strength. They are going to be a very, very tough team to beat going forward.
A few more difficult teams to beat will be in action Tuesday, as Japan and the United States both look to top their respective groups. The United States is in good position, having earned four points against Australia and Sweden, though facing a Nigeria side that drew 3-3 against Sweden will be no easy task.
The U.S. women's national team has looked sharp to this point, however, and anything less than a victory and a place atop Group D would be a major disappointment.
