Canada unable to overcome 'ruthless' Australian team at Women's World Cup

Monday marked the end of the road for the Canadian team at the  Women's World Cup. Australia's Matildas came out blazing, not waltzing, and solidified their qualification to the next round. Along with Australia, Nigeria's Super Falcons also move on with the Canadians in third place in Group B. 

The sounds of Melbourne's Rectangular Stadium that had 27,706 pro-Australia spectators, coupled with the pressure of the game, was enough to motivate the Matildas to show up and work at a level to which Canada tried to match but could not. It's hard to believe that this is most likely Canadian captain Christine Sinclair's last World Cup.

It is certainly veteran Sophie Schmidt's final game with the team as she previously announced she would retire following the tournament.

Invariably momentum was on the side of the co-hosts. A goal from Hayley Raso in the ninth minute set a tone to which the Canadians could not catch up.

"Listen, football can be cruel sometimes and tonight it was cruel," Canadian coach Bev Priestman said afterward. "We got punished. We [let in] an early goal and the team lacked belief."

Priestman said credit should go to Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson and his team's preparation.

WATCH: Sinclair says early exit a 'wake-up call' for Canada Soccer:

"Australia were the better team tonight," Priestman said. "These moments are hard and harsh, but there are the moments that make you. And it hurts like hell now, but we'll learn." 

What Priestman did not do is lay blame at the feet of Canada Soccer, the national sport federation the team had battled in recent labour negotiations, a sentiment echoed by several players in the mixed zone. Canadian supporters might be critical of the federation, but when asked about