Roared on by the majority of a 75,784 crowd, co-host Australia reached the Women's World Cup quarterfinals after an impressive 2-0 victory over Denmark in Sydney.

A superb counterattacking move from Australia gave the lead, with Mary Fowler springing Caitlin Foord down the left and the 28-year-old's low shot shot was too good Denmark goalkeeper Lene Christensen.

Try as it might, Denmark was unable to find an equalizer as it struggled to get back into the game and Australia doubled its lead when Hayley Raso guided the ball home into the bottom corner of the net midway through the second half.

The crowd at Stadium Australia had even more to celebrate as Sam Kerr, who had missed the Maltidas' group games due to a calf injury, came on as second-half substitute to make her first appearance at the World Cup.

Australia now faces either France or Morocco on Saturday in the last eight of the tournament.

With a spot in the quarterfinals on the line, Australia and Denmark began their last 16 clash in furious fashion, with both moving the ball slickly as the squads created half-chances to score.

Both had openings to break the deadlock, but it was the co-host who eventually took the lead midway through the first half.

With Denmark on the attack, the ball broke to 20-year-old Fowler who played a sumptuous ball to allow Foord to run through and rifle the ball under Christensen in goal to send the partisan home crowd wild in celebration.

Denmark came roaring back though, putting the Australian defense under pressure, with captain Pernille Harder at the forefront of most of its good attacking work. But the Matildas remained a constant threat on the break, with Foord coming close to getting her second of the game minutes before halftime.

One of the biggest cheers of the game came midway through the second half when cameras showed Kerr, the team's captain and all-time goalscorer, warming up on the sideline; a calf injury sustained on the eve of the tournament forced Kerr to miss Australia's opening two games and she hadn't featured before Monday's game.

Try as Denmark may, it was Australia who got the next goal to effectively book its spot in the quarterfinals.

It came through another counterattack as Australia took advantage of Danish pressure, with Emily van Egmond setting up Raso to blast home her second goal in as many Women's World Cup games.

Kerr did make her tournament debut in the 80th minute, receiving a hero's welcome as she was substituted on for Raso.

Australia fans would have had their hearts in their mouths just minutes after Kerr came on when she crumpled in an awkward-looking heap with no opposition player in her vicinity. Luckily though, Kerr seemed to be able to run off any problems and was seen joking about it after the game.

Through a combination of dogged defending, slight Danish miscues and willpower from the home fans, Australia was able to hold onto its lead and seal a place in the quarterfinals.

The Matildas have never made it past the quarterfinals stage of a Women's World Cup but, on home soil, will be looking to go one step further when they play either France or Morocco; the two teams play in their last-16 game on Tuesday.