England and Australia win to make World Cup quarterfinals

It's been a fantastic evening for co-host Australia in Sydney as the team reached the quarterfinals with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Denmark.

On top of that, captain Sam Kerr made her first appearance at the tournament when she came on as a second-half substitute having been sidelined with a calf injury for the opening three games.

"We're feeling really, really happy, really positive," Australian defender Clare Hunt told CNN.

"I think, for us, it's huge to keep a clean sheet and obviously get two goals against a strong defensive unit. They've only conceded one goal this tournament, so we're really, really happy with the result."

A packed crowd of 75,784 cheered on the home side, providing the kind of support that could lift Australia's performance later in the tournament.

"I think the Sydney crowd was louder tonight than they were on our initial appearance here at Stadium Australia," Hunt added. "I think we're building momentum as a team and as a support system in Australia."

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said of the fan support: "I get emotional. I really do. The support we feel is – wow. Thank you, thank you."

We were so close to seeing yet another upset at this World Cup as England needed penalties to defeat Nigeria 4-2 and reach the quarterfinals.

Nigeria was stronger throughout the match – in particular, the first 90 minutes – and deserved more, having two brilliant efforts stopped by the crossbar and the England keeper.

The Lionesses had star player Lauren James sent off in the 87th minute after a moment of madness, stepping on Michelle Alozie’s back.

But the European champion held on in extra-time with 10 players to take the match to a shootout.

Despite Georgia Stanway missing the first penalty, England's remaining spot-kicks were close to perfect with Chloe Kelly hitting her decisive effort into the roof of the net to secure a 4-2 win in the shootout.

You can read more about the Lionesses' tense victory here.

Given some of the drama in the previous round-of-16 matches, Australia's win against Denmark seemed somewhat straightforward.

The Matildas, cheered on by a packed stadium of 75,784 loud, mostly Australia-supporting fans, looked comfortable throughout and never really looked in danger.

Denmark didn't play particularly badly, but just lacked the quality to cause the co-host any real issues today.

It was all good news for Australia which also saw its talisman Sam Kerr get her first minutes at this World Cup after missing the group stages through injury.

The co-host will now face either France or Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Things just keep getting better and better for Australian fans.

A huge roar comes from the crowd as superstar Sam Kerr is seen warming up. She comes onto the field several minutes later for the first time at this World Cup, prompting more cheers from the stands.

A calf injury on the eve of the tournament had kept Kerr on the sidelines so far, but she'll be looking to make up for lost time with Australia now firmly in command of a trip to the quarterfinals.

Goalscorer Hayley Raso comes off for the Chelsea forward with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Australia has one foot in the quarterfinals now thanks to Hayley Raso.

It's a well-worked goal from the Matildas, which is started by the brilliant Mary Fowler.

The winger finds Emily van Egmond in the box and the striker holds it up well before teeing Raso up for the finish in the 70th minute.

There are deafening screams of celebration from the home support and Australia looks to be heading through to the next round.

Australia, which lost to Nigeria in the group stages, has grown into this tournament, comfortably defeating Canada 4-0 and now on course to reach the quarterfinals with a 1-0 lead against Denmark.

The co-host has had plenty of support from the stands and today's game is no different. Maddison, Kerrie and Bradley Beer (below) made the journey from Newcastle to Sydney for this round-of-16 encounter.

Maddison, who has cerebral palsy, has been to soccer games all across the country with her inflatable kangaroo.

She “wants to be the next Sam Kerr,” according to grandmother Kerrie. 

The family was also at the group-stage game between England and Denmark and are hoping to score last-minute tickets to the quarterfinals in Brisbane if Australia goes through. 

“We’re huge soccer fans,” Kerrie added.

The second half kicks off in Sydney and Denmark has it all to do.

The Matildas are deserving of their 1-0 lead but cannot rest on their laurels. You'd think the home support wouldn't allow its team to do so anyway.

Australia's talisman Sam Kerr was warming up with the substitutes at the break. Could we see the star striker play for the first time at this year's Women's World Cup?

A day after the US was eliminated from the Women’s World Cup, TNT soccer analyst Julie Foudy told CNN that this "just wasn’t the performance the United States had hoped for."

The US, after escaping the group stage to advance to the round of 16, lost to Sweden on penalties on Sunday – its earliest ever exit at the tournament.

“They really struggled all tournament,” Foudy, a two-time World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, said.

“This performance against Sweden in this round of 16 game definitely was a better game. But still, they couldn’t score. They couldn’t finish their penalty kicks in the end.

"And it’s what’s really plagued this United States [team] all tournament: this inability to have any cohesion, to come together at the right times and, ultimately, to score goals.

"In the end, they couldn’t score the penalty kicks, either.”

When asked if the US needs to make big changes, Foudy said that it was more a reflection on the improvements made by other nations, rather than a major failure from the defending champion.

“Three of the four African teams got through [the group stages]. Jamaica got through. Colombia got through, so South America (is) doing better," she said. "You’re seeing really a rise globally of the game.

"And so, this is a situation where I think people expect the United States, because of all our past dominance, to continue to dominate. I just think that’s unrealistic because the world is getting so much better, which is a great thing, because people are finally investing on the women’s side for soccer."

Caitlin Foord's goal is the difference between Australia and Denmark at half-time, much to the delight of the home crowd.

As things stand, the Matildas are heading through to the quarterfinals and will face either France or Morocco.

Denmark has some work to do after the break.