Round 2 of Group play begins this afternoon, as Germany takes on Norway at 1:00pm, China faces the Netherlands at 3:00pm, Ivory Coast looks to pick up the pieces against Thailand at 4:00pm, and the host Canada returns to action, facing New Zealand to close out the day at 6:00pm.
Germany faces their stiffest challenge of the Group stage, after an easy 10-0 romp over Ivory Coast in the first round, which featured hat tricks by Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag, while Nadine Angerer was rarely put into action, only facing 2 shots on goal the entire match. Norway was not quite as dominant against Thailand, but easily cruised to a 4-0 victory over Thailand, with Isabell Herlovson netting a brace in their opener.
Ivory Coast and Thailand face off with hopes of better one another for a chance at one of the 3rd place spots that advance to the knock-out Round of 16, as either nation will looked to pour on the goals to truncate their goal differential is the easiest match for both nations.
China found themselves on the unlucky end of a late penalty call after fighting tough against a strong Canadian side, losing 1-0 after neutering the Canadian attack by throwing everyone back behind the ball. while Lieke Martens 33rd minute goal proved to the be all the Netherlands needed to get past New Zealand.
Canada comes in looking to put together a much stronger performance than they did in the opener. Despite pulling out the victory thanks to Christine Sinclair's stoppage time penalty kick, Canada struggled to capitalize on the opportunities given to them by a Chinese side that came out parking the bus and showing a willingness to play for a point. New Zealand is still searching for their first win (0-9-1 all time) in their 4th World Cup appearance finds themselves squaring off against a familiar face in former head coach John Herdman, who led them to appearances in the 2007 and 2011 editions.
Germany vs. Norway
Kickoff: 1:00pm
Watch: Fox Sports 1 or streaming on Fox Sports Go and NBC Universo
China vs. Netherlands
Kickoff: 3:00pm
Watch: Fox Sports 2 or streaming on Fox Sports Go and NBC Universo
Ivory Coast vs. Thailand
Kickoff: 4:00pm
Watch: Fox Sports 1 or streaming on Fox Sports Go and NBC Universo
Canada vs. New Zealand
Kickoff: 6:00pm
Watch: Fox Sports 1 or streaming on Fox Sports Go and NBC Universo