Women's World Cup 2015: Latest Group Results, Table and Schedule for Wednesday
The United States booked their place in the 2015 Women's World Cup round of 16 on Tuesday, beating Nigeria 1-0 to win Group D.
Australia's 1-1 draw with Sweden also saw them progress from one of the tournament's most competitive pools. Elsewhere, Cameroon secured a 2-1 victory over Switzerland to finish second in Group C at the expense of their beaten opponents. Japan's 1-0 win over Ecuador secured an unblemished record and top spot.
Wednesday's matches bring about the conclusion of Groups E and F. Here's a look at the upcoming fixtures:
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| June 16 | C | Ecuador 0-1 Japan |
| June 16 | C | Switzerland 1-2 Cameroon |
| June 16 | D | Nigeria 0-1 USA |
| June 16 | D | Australia 1-1 Sweden |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| China | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Thailand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sweden | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS |
| Colombia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| England | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| June 17 | 9 p.m./4 p.m. | F | Mexico vs. France |
| June 17 | 9 p.m./4 p.m. | F | England vs. Colombia |
| June 17 | 12 a.m. (June 18)/9 p.m. | E | Costa Rica vs. Brazil |
| June 17 | 12 a.m. (June 18)/9 p.m. | E | Korea Republic vs. Spain |
United States Progress Despite Bluntness in Attack
Abby Wambach has been something of a peripheral figure during the World Cup so far, but her opening goal of the tournament saw USA overcome a combative Nigeria side on Tuesday. More importantly, it secured Group D superiority and pushed Jill Ellis' side into the knockout stages with the promise of facing a third-place finisher.
Ellis' decision to start Wambach and Alex Morgan—who is still working to regain full fitness after injury—suggests exactly how the side are going to line up throughout the rest of the tournament.
Sydney Leroux and Christen Press struggled to form an effective partnership during the previous draw with Sweden, and there's no denying a fully flowing Wambach/Morgan combination can offer everything needed to win the tournament.
The former is a great reader of the ball and a constant danger from set pieces. She showed this with an excellent finish from Megan Rapinoe's corner against the Nigerians, tweeted by USA Today:
Morgan appeared rusty throughout the match, but her movement and turn of pace is enough to frighten defenders even when her touch is lacking. However, she'll gain confidence from her first start in weeks.
Right now the U.S. are doing enough to survive, but improved performances are needed quickly.
Group F Dramatics Await
Colombia's 2-0 victory over France blew Group F wide open on June 13. England and Mexico have proven extremely competitive, if unspectacular, in their two matches, but the tightness of this pool is defined by all sides being able to win the group with 90 minutes to play.
Judging on previous performances, France won't be worried by being stationed in second, one point behind Colombia. They convincingly beat the Three Lionesses in the opening match and were caught out by an ambitious, energetic South American attack in the second game. Head coach Philippe Bergeroo won't let this happen against Mexico.
Goals from Fran Kirby and Karen Carney saw England beyond Mexico in their last fixture, a match which showed Mark Sampson's side are well-organised and able to focus on the task ahead. "There's a huge amount of energy in the group and they are looking forward to showing that on the field (against Colombia)," said Sampson, reported by TheFA.com's Glenn Lavery.
Things were slow against the French, but England have the firepower to trouble the tournament's favourites if they can begin to play the ball quicker through the centre. They know a draw against Colombia is unlikely to be enough to guarantee a place in the round of 16.
Colombia proved more than happy to play aggressive, attack-minded football in their dismantling of France and are unlikely to sit back for the draw needed to at least take second. With both games kicking off at the same time, we can expect plenty of twisting storyline changes.
The conclusion of Groups E and F round off the tournament's opening stage, as we move on to knockout football from Saturday.
