Brazil Women set to dance way to quarterfinals at World Cup

Brazil will play full out in its last group match at the women's World Cup even though the South Americans are almost certain of reaching the quarterfinals.

Brazil, which scored nine goals and allowed none in winning its first two games in Group D, would have to lose by a heavy margin to Denmark on Thursday and also see China beat New Zealand by a wide margin to miss out.

The game was to have been played Wednesday but has been pushed back a day because of concerns about Typhoon Wipha, which is expected to hit the Chinese coast near Hangzhou sometime early Wednesday.

China's commercial center of Shanghai, just up the coast from Hangzhou, was evacuating 200,000 people on Tuesday ahead of the expected arrival of the typhoon, potentially the most destructive storm to hit the city in a decade.

"We will try our hardest to win our third game," said Brazilian coach Jorge Barcellos

Barcellos' only worry is yellow cards to Aline, Renata Costa and playmaker Daniela. A second yellow card would mean having to sit out the quarterfinal match.

"I haven't decided yet if they will play. We all know Daniela is an important player to our team," he said.

Two players who will definitely start are Marta, the tournament's co-scoring leader with four, and Cristiane, whose dribbling and long-range shooting have kept other teams off balance.

"I think Marta is the most important player on our team, and if she gets the chance she can win the game," Barcello said.

The Brazilian women play like their male counterparts, who have won an unprecedented five World Cups. They're flashy, open up other defenses with backheel passes and attack with one-on-one superiority.

He said Brazil was always aiming to reach the final, so there is no added pressure after becoming the only team in the 16-country tournament to win both its first two games.

The route to the quarterfinals is a little more complicated for Denmark. The Danes can advance if they beat Brazil and China wins by fewer than five goals. A draw will also do if China loses.

"We're going to prepare meticulously for this game. Even though we know it's going to be tough to beat Brazil, we'll do the best we can," said Denmark coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller.

Heiner-Moller will not be on the sidelines because he will be serving the second game of a suspension handed down by FIFA for coming into "physical contact" with a referee during the opening match against China.

Heiner-Moller said he did not remember giving referee Gyongyi Gaal of Hungary a push on the shoulder.

If Brazil tops Group D, it will probably face Australia or Canada in the quarterfinals in Tianjin on Sept. 23. Those two teams play Wednesday with Australia needing only a draw to grab second place in Group C.