Women's World Cup Groups 2015: Updated Standings, Tables After Tuesday Fixtures
The 2015 Women's World Cup continued Tuesday with two fixtures apiece from Groups C and D.
Japan extended their perfect record to three wins with a 1-0 victory over Ecuador to emerge as Group C champions. The United States and Australia both had a chance at claiming Group D, but the Americans' triumph over Nigeria gave them the edge.
At least Australia can take solace in the fact that their draw with Sweden was still enough to lock up a spot in the World Cup knockout phase.
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Below is a look at the updated tables and a more detailed recap of what happened during Tuesday's action.
Tuesday Scores
| Cameroon | 2-1 | Switzerland |
| Japan | 1-0 | Ecuador |
| United States | 1-0 | Nigeria |
| Australia | 1-1 | Sweden |
Standings
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| China | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 7 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Thailand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 3 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -13 | 0 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -16 | 0 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Sweden | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Colombia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| England | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
Tuesday Recap
Yuki Ogimi got Japan on the board in the fifth minute to set the tone early against Ecuador, and the heavy favorites simply had to sit on that lead from then on to secure the Group C title.
It was Ecuador's Women's World Cup debut, so they put up a commendable—albeit allowed—fight against FIFA's fourth-ranked team and reigning tournament champions. They just didn't have enough firepower to notch the equalizer, managing to attempt just three shots as Japan dominated possession at 66 percent.
ESPN's Julie Foudy correctly predicted Japan's tactics once they took the lead so soon:
Australia saw Lisa De Vanna find the back of the net in the fifth minute on her own versus Sweden, but couldn't be so conservative thereafter when Sofia Jakobsson had a 15th-minute equalizer.
ESPN Stats & Info illustrated how significant De Vanna's goal was, which was ultimately enough to allow Australia to advance:
Since Australia only needed a draw to guarantee a top-two finish in Group D, the incentive to go for the full three points wasn't so desperate. It was therefore a rather bland match following an exciting first 15 minutes.
The United States could have bolstered their goal differential even more if not for a questionable offside penalty that denied their first goal, per USA Soccer's Ben Mata:
U.S. men's national team player Jozy Altidore nevertheless praised the effort of defender Julie Johnston on her apparent tally:
"Johnston is a beast. #USWNT
— Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore) June 17, 2015"
But eventually veteran forward Abby Wambach pulled through for the Americans to score the winner in the 45th minute. USA Today provided footage of Wambach's excellent effort off a corner kick:
ESPN's Paul Carr highlighted how decorated Wambach's World Cup career has been after her latest goal:
After falling behind 1-0, Cameroon mounted a valiant rally to stun Switzerland 2-1 on the strength of goals from Gabrielle Onguene (47') and the winner from Madeleine Ngono Mani in the 62nd minute.
NBCSports.com's Jeff Kassouf praised the job Cameroon did to make it to the Round of 16:
Seeing the likes of the United States and Japan hold their own Tuesday wasn't surprising in the least, but the other results brought about some drama. It had to be frustrating for Sweden to tie for a third straight match, and now their fate is out of their hands to see if they advance to the next phase of the tournament.
The same is true for Switzerland thanks to Cameroon's continued inspiring play and knack for rallying. Cameroon fully capitalized on their favorable matchup with Ecuador in the opener by winning 6-0, and that confidence has carried forward. There's reason to believe they will continue to roll.
Next up on Wednesday's schedule are Groups E and F. Those matches will be well worth tuning in for. Three of the top seven in the women's FIFA rankings in No. 3 France, sixth-ranked England and No. 7 Brazil are taking the pitch to continue a compelling World Cup group stage.
