group c and group d
group c:
sweden 1 north korea 0
this game once again proved that i was right about north korea not having the quality to go all the way. in a game where they needed a result more than sweden, they had much of the ball but without any penetration. on the other hand, sweden is a team that could play on the counter, and were more dangerous despite having less of the ball. in the end, lisa dahlqvist slammed the ball home to send sweden through.
colombia 0 usa 3
colombia's youth and naivete were fully exposed by the old heads of usa, who had little problem sealing their passage.
sweden v usa
sweden needs to win to go through as winners, but they look an ordinary team without lotta schelin. usa on paper are stronger than sweden, so unless sweden can come up with a good plan or usa don't show up, it is hard to see sweden pulling off an upset.
group d
equatorial guinea 2 australia 3
australia were actually so dominant that 3-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the game. but centreback servet uzunlar probably would want to forget this game in a hurry, losing her footing twice to gift anonman 2 clear passages to goals. unlike against norway, anonman was clinical with her finishing today and australia were glad to see the whistle finally go.
the difference between australia and norway is that australia have collette mcCullum, who is a brilliant passer of the ball, and a great deadball specialist as well. she should have gotten a goal, with one freekick coming back off the crossbar, and the other curling just wide. lovely left foot.
the other interesting observation is that australia made 5 changes to the starting lineup today to change their approach and style. these changes certainly paid off, and highlighted the depth and versatility of the australian squad.
leena khamis impressed me with her incisive running, scoring one and creating one. but i think the player who really made the difference was collette mccullum.
brazil 3 norway 0
while marta's first goal should never have been allowed given the clear push she gave to the defender while chasing for the ball, norway can only kick themselves for that sloppy start to the second half that saw them concede two goals in 5 minutes. from that moment on, there was no way back.
norway v australia
norway will fight australia to join brazil in the quarterfinals. norway needs to win, thanks to goal difference. it will be an interesting game, because the norwegians need to step up and be more aggressive while australia have shown that they are able to sit back and hit on the counter.
to be honest, i think only the most ardent fans will believe that norway can pull it off. australia have been quite impressive. the coach is tactically astute.
as i said, norway lacks that playmaker. perhaps an early exit will be good for them, because clearly norwegian football needs an overhaul. qualification for the world cup and a semifinal finish in euro 2009 may have glossed over the glaring deficiencies in the team, but it is clear right from the start that they are no longer a top team. they have good, young players, but no world class players, and they lack a coherent game plan.
sweden 1 north korea 0
this game once again proved that i was right about north korea not having the quality to go all the way. in a game where they needed a result more than sweden, they had much of the ball but without any penetration. on the other hand, sweden is a team that could play on the counter, and were more dangerous despite having less of the ball. in the end, lisa dahlqvist slammed the ball home to send sweden through.
colombia 0 usa 3
colombia's youth and naivete were fully exposed by the old heads of usa, who had little problem sealing their passage.
sweden v usa
sweden needs to win to go through as winners, but they look an ordinary team without lotta schelin. usa on paper are stronger than sweden, so unless sweden can come up with a good plan or usa don't show up, it is hard to see sweden pulling off an upset.
group d
equatorial guinea 2 australia 3
australia were actually so dominant that 3-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the game. but centreback servet uzunlar probably would want to forget this game in a hurry, losing her footing twice to gift anonman 2 clear passages to goals. unlike against norway, anonman was clinical with her finishing today and australia were glad to see the whistle finally go.
the difference between australia and norway is that australia have collette mcCullum, who is a brilliant passer of the ball, and a great deadball specialist as well. she should have gotten a goal, with one freekick coming back off the crossbar, and the other curling just wide. lovely left foot.
the other interesting observation is that australia made 5 changes to the starting lineup today to change their approach and style. these changes certainly paid off, and highlighted the depth and versatility of the australian squad.
leena khamis impressed me with her incisive running, scoring one and creating one. but i think the player who really made the difference was collette mccullum.
brazil 3 norway 0
while marta's first goal should never have been allowed given the clear push she gave to the defender while chasing for the ball, norway can only kick themselves for that sloppy start to the second half that saw them concede two goals in 5 minutes. from that moment on, there was no way back.
norway v australia
norway will fight australia to join brazil in the quarterfinals. norway needs to win, thanks to goal difference. it will be an interesting game, because the norwegians need to step up and be more aggressive while australia have shown that they are able to sit back and hit on the counter.
to be honest, i think only the most ardent fans will believe that norway can pull it off. australia have been quite impressive. the coach is tactically astute.
as i said, norway lacks that playmaker. perhaps an early exit will be good for them, because clearly norwegian football needs an overhaul. qualification for the world cup and a semifinal finish in euro 2009 may have glossed over the glaring deficiencies in the team, but it is clear right from the start that they are no longer a top team. they have good, young players, but no world class players, and they lack a coherent game plan.
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