World Cup round-up
Wednesday’s games
Group C: Japan v Costa Rica, UTV, 6am.
Group C: Spain v Zambia RTÉ 2 and UTV, 8.30am.
Group B: Canada v Republic of Ireland RTÉ 2 and UTV, 1pm.
Ones to watch
Japan v Costa Rica:Saki Kumagai (Japan).
Quite possibly the most successful Japanese player of all time to play football in Europe (including the men). Her penalty won Japan the World Cup way back in 2011 and the defensive midfielder has amassed 26 major trophies since then. Now at Bayern Munich, she is Japan’s captain and will be hoping to lead them to a second successive win and book a place in the next round.
Spain v Zambia:Alexia Putellas (Spain).
Barcelona’s back-to-back Ballon D’Or winner is potentially the best player in the world but after needing ACL surgery, she is only now just starting to return to action. She featured in Spain’s opening game and given that they were expected to win easily here, she is likely to get more minutes as she steps up her recovery. She may even feature on the scoresheet.
Canada v Republic of Ireland: Abbie Larkin (Ireland).
We have to pick an Irish player here, don’t we? Given her exciting cameo off the substitute’s bench against Australia, Abbie Larkin has been tipped to start. But even if she doesn’t begin the game, the 18-year-old, who is now Ireland’s youngest-ever World Cup participant, is sure to feature at some stage, especially if the Girls in Green need a goal.
Yesterday’s highlights
Group H
Colombia 2
South Korea 0
Linda Caicedo scored on her debut at the Women’s World Cup as Colombia beat South Korea 2-0.
The Real Madrid forward, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15, fired in her country’s second goal of the match at Sydney Football Stadium before racing
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