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Incredibly, there was another level of noise for the crowd of over 75,000 at the Olympic Stadium to reach. The loudest roar of the night came when Australia were already through. Leading Denmark by two goals, the Women’s World Cup and its co-hosts got the moment they had been waiting for. Sam Kerr, the face of the tournament, had finally arrived. Ruled out of the group stages due to injury, Kerr got her first minutes of the World Cup as the Matildas stood with one foot already in the quarter-finals. With the game won and Denmark well beaten, Kerr’s touches were inconsequential; that her only shot from the angle flashed over the bar did not matter. But Australia have their star back, the final piece for a team who are delivering for their country and are growing with the competition. Kerr’s introduction came moments after Hayley Raso had sent the home crowd into a frenzy, doubling Australia’s lead with a crisp finish from another clinical counter-attack. The crowd in Sydney had been electric when Australia attacked, a rolling wave of noise that grew from Caitlin Foord’s sublime opening goal. Nothing, though, could compare to the welcome Kerr received and what it represented for a team who are starting to believe they are contenders again. For so long at this World Cup, Kerr had been forced to watch on as a kind of mascot: the star who could not play. A calf injury had cruelly ruled the Chelsea star out of Australia’s opening game, an absence that grew to three matches as the Matildas were forced to find a way to survive the group stage without their leader. But Australia’s performance in thrashing Canada 4-0 also ensured that Kerr did not need to be used. Once again without Kerr, this time in the last-16, their display against Denmark meant the game was won when she finally arrived. Because with Kerr sidelined, Australia have managed to adjust, instead becoming a different side entirely. It clicked against Canada, a 4-0 win that not only saved their World Cup but sparked their tournament into life. Players who looked lost without Kerr were suddenly released, and they have now grown with the responsibility. Foord was outstanding once again against Denmark, a constant, driving threat on Australia’s left. She was released for the opening goal by the brilliant Mary Fowler, the 20-year-old who excelled as she manipulated the space between the lines, while Raso scored again with another clinical finish. Suddenly Australia now have goal threats across the front line, with the best striker in the world still to add against either France or Morocco in the quarter-finals. “It’s the icing on the cake,” beamed the Australia manager Tony Gustavsson, but Kerr also returns to a team who have changed in her absence and where actually she isn’t guaranteed a start in the quarter-final given how the side has performed. Australia now have multiple goalscorers and other players have taken some of the weight off her shoulders. “It’s a massive boost,” Foord said. “For other teams looking ahead, it’s pretty scary for them that she’s back with us.” The question now, though, is how and when Kerr returns to the starting line-up, and who drops out. Without Kerr, Australia have settled on a 4-4-2 system that is devastating on the counter-attack, an unassuming loaded gun of formation that is built to spring into life on the break. In the atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium, this sort of gritty, counter-punching team, willed on by a wall of sound, looks so dangerous. Foord fits it superbly. A forward with guts and spirit and as well as skill, who has found her confidence since her underwhelming opening displays against Ireland and Nigeria, she was Australia’s player of the match for the second match in a row. She was released by Fowler’s stunning turn and pass for the opener: Foord, with so much time in which to find the finish, kept her head to bury the shot through the legs of Lene Christensen. Australia’s second was also played out to the soundtrack of a team crashing forwards. The break developed on the left, with Kyra Cooney-Cross’ overlapping run from midfield. Emily van Egmond laid it back to Raso, a player who has found her scoring touch. The finish was fired low into the corner for her third goal of the World Cup. Kerr had called to warm-up only a couple of minutes earlier, the excitement rippling around the stadium, yet Australia did not need her really. This was a composed and confident performance, entirely measured, and avoiding the sort of draining emotional energy that accompanied England’s penalty shootout victory over Nigeria earlier in the day. Denmark barely threatened after going behind. Their early chances invariably came through Pernille Harder, their roaming menace who Denmark are just unable to support. Harder went through twice in the opening stages - driving at a retreating Australia defence, first she went to the outside and shot wide, before then ducking inside and firing straight at Mackenzie Arnold. On both counts she knew she should have done better. Denmark were largely forgotten about here as the hosts cruised through and the Kerr mystery was solved. The theories that the extent of Kerr’s injury was being covered up would have grown when she only watched on during Australia’s warm-up, wearing her boots but wrapped under a heavy coat that did not come off. At half time she was not among the players loosening up on the pitch. But for Australia, getting Kerr back was the final step of a tournament that has been defined by their reaction to overcome challenges. After the chaos of the group stage, where they stood on the brink of an early exit, there was finally a comfortable win. This is a team who are galvanised, coming together, and just at the right time. Read More England survive penalty drama to reveal vital quality in Women’s World Cup dream Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Chloe Kelly: England’s woman for the biggest occasion strikes again A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card?

Greek lenders took a step closer to being able to access a deeper pool of debt investors after

Bill Simmons took time out of vacation to rip the USWNT.

Greg Rutherford’s fiancée Susie Verrill has shared that she had to rush the British track and field athlete to the hospital on Saturday (5 August) after an unknown illness left him “clawing at his skin and just screaming”. Verrill, a social media influencer and blogger, posted about the incident on her Instagram page on Monday morning (7 August) and described it as the “scariest time” of her life. Alongside a photograph of Rutherford, 36, sitting up in a hospital bed and appearing to grimace, she explained that the day began normally and that she went to their friend’s house for a roast dinner with their three children. Verrill said she later received a text message from Rutherford informing her that he might be having “an allergic reaction to something and felt itchy”, but she did not think it was an emergency. However, he called shortly after “screaming” on the phone, she wrote, adding: “And I mean SCREAMING. He shouted, ‘YOU NEED TO GET HERE NOW’ and so I drove back to our house while calling an ambulance, terrified I was about to get home and find him not breathing.” The blogger said she was told that an ambulance would take 40 minutes. Once home, she “ran into the house” and found Rutherford inside, “screaming” and “acting like one of those people you see in videos where they’ve taken bath salts”. “He was clawing at his skin and just screaming. Repeatedly. He ran to our car and while I rang 999 again to say I’d have to take him, we had to run every red light and I had to focus on not crashing while he screamed and tried to grab the wheel,” she recalled. “He was delirious and I looked like I was kidnapping him. I was on the phone to the 999 call handler and the poor girl just kept saying, ‘OK yeah he doesn’t sound good, please be safe but hurry’ and I was like OK well this is a nightmare because I’ve been driving like three months. It was AWFUL.” She continued her story in another slide, which showed a close-up of Rutherford’s skin on his thighs. It appeared red with raised bumps, like hives or a rash, covering the surface. Verrill said she “threw [Rutherford] out” of the car in front of the A&E and went to park her car. Once inside the hospital, she was told that staff had sent him to “Resus”, which is a term used for the resuscitation area of the department. “I think [they sent him there] mainly because he was a six-foot-three bloke acting like a psychopath and they didn’t want to scare anyone,” she wrote, adding: “They also pumped him full of steroids and antihistamines and it seemed to work pretty much immediately. Thankfully by the time I got there he’d stopped screaming and raking himself.” In the next slide, she showed Rutherford still sitting up in a hospital bed, but appearing calmer. She said that they were allowed to leave the hospital three hours after they arrived. Verrill added that she “felt close to having a heart attack” but reassured followers that she was fine otherwise. “My question is – we did nothing differently yesterday in terms of eating/drinking but the only snack Greg ate was nuts – could he have developed an allergy, do we think?” she asked her fans. “Have any of you had this? Hospital recommended we get him tested but said it could have also been viral. I appreciate rashes can appear with a viral illness but his body went MAD. The doctor who suggested the viral thing hadn’t seen how Greg had been on arrival; I can’t explain how much pain he was in.” She recalled a time when Rutherford “shrugged off a grumbling appendix” in comparison to how he reacted to the recent illness, and asked followers to let her know if they had ever experienced something similar. In her most recent Instagram Story, Verrill addressed suggestions from fans that Rutherford may have come into contact with a plant on his run that may have caused the reaction. “We don’t think it was any sort of plant because the reaction began before he went on his run (although we appreciate this may have exacerbated symptoms with the sweating),” she wrote. “Greg’s having some tests this morning so hopefully it can start the ball rolling and if I don’t get back to you just yet, I’m so sorry. I’ve had about 500 messages already! Really, really appreciate all the advice.” Rutherford, who participated in Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, also shared Instagram Stories about his experience. In one slide, showing a close-up of his skin from another angle, he wrote: “I suddenly had a massive allergic reaction to something (no idea what) and had to get Susie to rush me to hospital. Thankfully they pumped me with a load of stuff and calmed it down. But it was HORRIBLE. This rash was covering my entire body.” In a second Story, he shared a photograph of himself and added: “I’m not home. A little [itchy] still, but nothing like earlier. I was trying to get my skin off it was so bad. I’m going to get some tests done to figure out what it was, as I NEVER want to experience that again.” The sportsman thanked the hospital staff for helping him, adding: “I was screaming at one point… So apologies for that too.” Rutherford and Verrill have been together since 2012 and share a daughter named Daphne, two, and sons Milo and Rex, eight and five respectively. The couple were due to be married in May, but postponed their wedding because of the death of a family member. Read More Marina O’Loughlin is wrong – there’s joy in solo dining Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston issue statements over ‘antisemitic’ Instagram post Will Smith says daughter Willow’s ‘mutiny’ changed his view on success What is Lyme disease? Bella Hadid reveals ’15 years of invisible suffering’ Study reveals how muscle cells deteriorate with age, hampering injury recovery Bella Hadid looks back on ‘15 years of invisible suffering’ with Lyme disease

Baltimore Orioles fan blasted.

With the MLB trade deadline squarely in the rearview mirror, which teams went up or down in this week's MLB Power Rankings?It's been nearly a week since all of the dust from the MLB trade deadline settled, and we now know which teams strengthened their rosters for a postseason run in 2...

If England are to win this World Cup, they will scarcely endure a game as testing or as tense as this. A positive spin on this penalty shoot-out victory over Nigeria is that it could again be the making of them, adding to their resolve, with Chloe Kelly once more offering a decisive kick. A negative is that this should bring a reconsideration about what is possible, especially with the likelihood that Lauren James will miss two games if not all three potential ties left. Her teammates did her a huge favour here. This World Cup still remains as hard to work out as James’ decision to stand on Michelle Alozie in the second half, receiving a red card. England came very close to another surprise elimination as Nigeria proved to be their equals throughout the match. England should have been their superiors, really. The great irony is that the red card almost served England better – at least in this situation. Before then, the system and the set-up had been all wrong, as it clearly didn’t suit the returning Keira Walsh. She picked up another injury during this arduous evening in Brisbane. This strategic misstep meant Nigeria did all the attacking and had all the play. After the red, though, it was as if Randy Waldrum’s side didn’t know how to play against 10 women. Both sides looked like they’d forgotten how to attack. That continued into the shootout as the first two were missed. It was only Bethany England that set things right. For all the criticisms and questions that could come with this game, one element should be noted. It would have been very easy for England to wilt here, especially given the very feel of this World Cup with the United States going out the night before. Instead, there was a mental resolve there, that was clearly set by last summer. It was visible in the penalties too. It does give Sarina Wiegman even more to think about, though. She must reshuffle this team again, accommodating the absence of James – maybe until the final, if England even get that far. Jamaica or Colombia will give Wiegman’s side as tough a test in the quarter-final in Sydney. It is England’s attack – and in fact their very attacking mentality – that now requires the most consideration. England had specifically prepared for Nigeria’s physicality in the tackle, seeking to step off so as not to play that game, but it quickly became apparent this was almost too meek. They were giving up too much space and too many chances. Nigeria had more shots in the first half than any team that Wiegman’s England have faced. One of them was Ashleigh Plumptre’s thunderous strike off the bar, before the former English underage international then forced a scrambled save from Mary Earps. England were looking for that spell of control, but it was almost too methodical, lacking real energy. The strangeness around the penalty decision only added to this. Even if it wasn’t a penalty in the first place, despite the fact there didn’t look to be enough obvious evidence to see it overturned. The referee made the call just as Georgia Stanway was motioning to shoot, making it all the more frustrating for England. This was the story of almost every move forward. It was also the story of Stanway’s penalty later on. James, admittedly, was being superbly shuttled out of the game by Nigeria. That surely led to the frustration she took out later. In the moment, it meant that any time England got forward there were vast differences between their attackers. On the one occasion in the first half when Nigeria’s occasional sloppiness brought a defensive error, Alessia Russo opted to smash the ball when she should have gone with more subtlety. Goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, well off her line, was just waiting to be chipped. She instead got down well to save an effort that should have made it much more difficult for her. Space was so difficult to find for James, however, that she increasingly had to drop back and get the ball. England did gradually solve one issue, mind. For the first half, and going into the second, Nigeria were creating panic every time they got into the box. There was one desperate and defiant block from Jess Carter. There were more than a few moments when the ball could have gone anywhere. That did come with a cost, though. It almost seemed like England were so concerned with Nigeria breaking – especially when the half-fit Asisat Oshoala came on – that they were too reluctant to commit players forward. The wing-backs rarely crossed the halfway line. There were no real chances created. It said much that the best of normal time was a corner, Rachel Daly’s thunderous header just a little too central. Nnadozie still reacted superbly, though. The same, alas, could not be said of James. Alozie’s own reaction said enough. It was almost one of disbelief. She was far from the only person thinking that. The oddity was that the situation served England better. It was as if Nigeria weren’t able to capitalise against 10, especially with the onus now on them. From then, penalties seemed inevitable. England going through certainly didn’t look as inevitable as many would have thought. Read More Lauren James sent off for stamping on opponent during England’s World Cup clash England vs Nigeria LIVE: Score and updates as Women’s World Cup game goes to penalty shootout How ‘arrogance’ and ‘complacency’ led to United States’ decline A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card? Keira Walsh: England’s deep-lying playmaker in profile

West Ham agree a deal in principle with Ajax for the signing of defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez. The 26-year-old will now head to London to undergo a medical.

YouTuber The Hardest Geezer, who is attempting to run the entire length of Africa, has shared details of his terrifying experience after being kidnapped. The Hardest Geezer, real name Russ Cook, is attempting to become the first person ever to complete the feat as part of “Project Africa”, with money being raised for charity. Cook had already been dealt a serious blow after being robbed at gunpoint earlier in his journey. However, the newest development saw him share details of recent days, which he described as “the toughest of my life.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Posting on social media, Cook said he had recently become separated from his team after coming across impassable roads along the route. “In an attempt to find the boys at a village on the plan B route, I stumbled into a rural settlement where the chief told me I must give him money. I had none,” he wrote, describing the ordeal. “So that went down well. Pretty soon I found myself surrounded by lots of game blokes with machetes. Was escorted out the village into the bush. “Emptied my bag to show I had nothing but a half eaten biscuit. Gave it to them, and ran. Spent the next few hours bushwhacking through overgrown jungle paths. Trying to stay off any tracks until I was far away. “Made it to the village on the plan B route to find the road was also impassable for the support van again. Exhausted and dehydrated, I started heading back to the last known place with passable roads when two blokes pulled up on a bike. “They spoke no English but tried to communicate I must come with them to get back to my friends. Why I was forced to LEAVE Angola - I'm Running the Entire Length of Africa www.youtube.com “What happened next was a seven-hour motorbike ride deeper into the jungle. In my head I thought this was it. Me. The self proclaimed hardest geezer. About to get held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb and eaten.” He went on to say he had been driven to a village and taken into a hut. There, his captors decided what to do with him and decided how much money they owed him. Cook was able to contact his team, though, and over the next few days his team were able to reach him. Cook added: “We made it out. And travelled back to the start point of day 102, where I ran 60km today on our new route. “My head ain’t fully there right now. But we move the same way as always, forward.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Referendum results say 95% of voters back the changes but turnout is believed to be very low.

KKR & Co. reported second-quarter earnings that beat estimates, despite falling 23% from a year ago amid a

ROME A group of airlines operating in Italy on Monday criticised government plans to curb ticket prices at