It was so short it wasn’t even touching. In a decisive game without a future on Monday, the Canadians were beaten 0-4 by the Australians. The scoreline does not illustrate how dominant the Matildas were and never put in danger by the Reds during the encounter.

The scenario was simple for the Maple Leaf: a win or a draw meant qualifying for the round of 16. It didn’t come close.

Australia took the lead from the 9th minute and never looked back. In fact, the Canadians had a golden chance to get back into the game.

The hostesses netted another late in the first half, but the video referee intervened to disallow the goal. Canada could recover. However, a few seconds later, he screwed up this second chance by letting Australia double their lead, this time for real.

Despite four changes at halftime, the result in the second half was the same: the Australians were easily heading towards the opposition net while the Canadians struggled to snatch a single shot.

Australian star Sam Kerr, who is recovering from a calf injury, did not even have to be called up in the game. She could have a good laugh on the bench as her nation finally finished atop Group B. Nigeria finished second and advanced to the knockout stage.