Auf Wiedersehen, Germany

During the pre-game show, much was made of Sweden's futility against Germany since 1995. Somebody forgot to tell Sweden that they were "destined" to lose today.  There's an old NFL saying that "defense wins championships".  Sweden's defense was stellar today.  Germany's defense was not.  Germany had not surrendered a single goal throughout the World Cup tournament, but today Sweden cracked the code and scored twice.  As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, Germany needed a miracle to survive.  They didn't get one.

How did Sweden "crack the code"?  It was the long ball.  Things began promisingly enough for Germany.  Lina Magull gave Germany the lead in the 16th minute after a great finish from a typically fast and direct German attack. But only six minutes later Germany's defense let them down when Linda Sembrant launched a long ball downfield.  Sweden's Sofia Jakobsson outran two German defenders to catch up to the ball, and lo and behold she was one-on-one with German goalie Almuth Schult.  Jakobsson didn't waste the opportunity, shooting past Schult and grabbing the equalizer for Sweden.  Suddenly Germany looked dazed and confused.  The score was tied 1-1 at the half.

This was a very entertaining game.  Both sides were getting up and down the field and attacking in numbers.  This game was played end-to-end, but Sweden's front line were more athletic than was Germany's backline.  Germany has world-class attackers, but inexperienced defenders.  Only two minutes after the second half began, a header toward the far post from Fridolina Rolfo was saved well by Schult, but she couldn't control the rebound.  Stina Blackstenius found the ball at her feet and an empty net in front of her,  Sweden led 2-1.  The Germans look rattled, and that didn't change for the rest of the game.  To these eyes, it also looked like the Swedes handled the scorching heat better than the Germans.

The Germans tried to mount a comeback.  Twice they had shots come tantalizingly close.  Both times they here headers that sailed just over the crossbar.  The chances were there, but Germany failed to capitalize.  Despite getting six extra minutes of stoppage time, Germany couldn't find that tying goal to force extra time.  Given the 90 degree heat, it's just as well the game didn't go to extra time.  The Swedes appeared to have more gas in the tank.  They were the better team.

Sweden now face the current European champions from the Netherlands in the semi-final.  The winner faces the winner of the US/England semi-final.

Megan Rapinoe 2, France 1

There they were, in the belly of the beast.  The defending champions faced off against the host country, roughly 30,000 screaming Parisians (lots of Americans were there, too) and 90 degree heat.  The Americans came off an unconvincing win against Spain. Pressure? What pressure? Spain gave France the game plan - play rough with the Americans. But France had a different plan - kill the Americans with speed.

The French have some very fast players - winger Kadidiatou Diani, left-back Amel Majri (whose natural position is midfield), and center-forward Valérie Gauvin (Diani's favorite target).  Opposing Diani would be Crystal Dunn, who would like to forget the game she had against Spain. On the other side of the field was Kelley O'Hara. The American defenders were slower than the French attackers, but both Dunn and O'Hara bent but did not break.  The Americans didn't deliberately play an offside trap, but it sure seemed that way as the French were caught offside several times.

Megan Rapinoe had other ideas.  She ran the French right flank ragged.  Her play on the left flank opened up opportunities for the Americans in the middle.  Alex Morgan was a non- factor against Spain. Having a fullback draped all over you for an entire match will do that.  But today was a different story. French defender Griedge Mbock Bathy, who saved an all but certain goal against Brazil, got caught in a footrace with Alex Morgan early in the first half and lost.  Knowing she was beaten, she dragged Morgan to the turf, resulting in an American free kick. Rapinoe took the free kick, which went through a lot of legs (both French and American) and found the back of the net.  The Americans led after only five minutes, 1-0.

The rest of the first half was entertaining to watch.  It was end-to-end until halftime. One would think given the intense heat and the physical game against Spain would put the Americans at a disadvantage.  But several American players play their club football in places like Orlando and Houston. They're used to oppressive heat.

Both teams got off to a fast start in the second half.  Exactly an hour after her first goal, Megan Rapinoe scored her second.  Alex Morgan once again was a factor. After an unforced error by France and the resulting throw in, Morgan found a streaking Tobin Heath sprinting down the French left side.  Heath got deep into the French penalty area and made a cross to Megan Rapinoe, who buried it. The Americans led 2-0.

At the 80th minute Kelley O'Hara committed a hard foul on French team captain Amadine Henry, the heroine in France's victory over Brazil.  O'Hara's foul resulted in a French free kick. French defender Wendi Renard, at 6'2" the tallest player in the tournament, head the ball home and drew France to within one goal (2-1).  But it wasn't enough. While the French tried to make it all the way back, the Americans were effective at killing the clock. One of the match commentators made a very telling comment she attributed to US coach Jill Ellis - “France doesn’t want the ball”.  Accordingly, after the US took the 2-0 lead they switched to a 5-4-1 formation. They packed in the defense and they let France have the ball. I was critical of Ellis after not making any tactical switches in the game against Spain, but her switch to the 5-4-1 was very smart.  France had no answers, although they controlled possession 60-40.

Megan Rapinoe was the star of the game (again), but credit must be given to the American defenders.  Their defense was exceptional. Take a bow, Crystal Dunn.

Megan Rapinoe is brash, she's outspoken, but like a good team captain her play has been sterling.  She has been the American offense, scoring four goals in the last two games. Rapinoe is the first woman to ever score two goals in two consecutive knockout games.  Right now it's Megan's world and we're just living in it. Color me "impressed".

Up next on Tuesday in Lyon - England.

USWNT can be beaten today

I watched the USWNT against Spain the other day.  The US women learned something - Spain isn't Thailand.  If the US could throw a punch, Spain could hit back. The US took the lead on a penalty kick, then a brain fart by the US goalie promptly gave up that lead.  The US kept the ball for 61 percent of the first half, but that possession dominance didn't turn into any goals.

Spain did what no other opponent did during this World Cup - they made the US nervous.  The Spaniards committed 17 fouls during the course of the game. By comparison, Thailand committed only 5, and the 13-0 result speaks for itself.  Like Brazil against France, they played tough, but not dirty. They attacked on defense, especially in the Americans' half of the field. In the second half, Spain reversed the US possession dominance.  By the end of the game, the US still had more possession time (54-46). Compared to that first half (61-39), that tells me Spain had it a lot more in the second half.

Spain shut down Alex Morgan, who hasn't scored since that annihilation of Thailand.  The US took 12 shots the entire game, only three of which were on target. Other than Megan Rapinoe's two penalty kicks, Spain's goalie had a quiet day at the office.  The second penalty was dubious. Yes, Rose Lavell was tripped - she definitely did NOT take a dive. She was not in a position to score - not even close. But since the foul on her happened in the penalty area, FIFA's rules are such that the US was awarded a penalty.  That was the difference in the game.

US coach Jill Ellis didn't make any tactical changes during the entire game.  In this game, Spain brought the game to the US. And the US just let it happen. The Spaniards seemed to swarm the US half of the field in the second half.  The US defense bent, but to their credit did not break. The Americans demonstrated they could take a punch. If they are to beat France today, the US needs to dictate the play.  If they let France play the way Spain did, the US team won't have to worry about a White House visit.

This Weekend in the Women's World Cup

Group play in the Women’s World Cup is over.  Now the tournament is in the knockout stage.  It is literally “win or go home” time for everybody.  There were four Round of 16 games played this weekend in the Women’s World Cup.  I saw the Saturday games live, but I slept in on Sunday, knowing that those games were being recorded.  DVR is such a wonderful device. 😊 The Video Assistant Referee [VAR] didn’t play a part in Saturday’s games, but Sunday’s games are another story.  More on that later.

The first game on Saturday was Germany vs. Nigeria.  It was a controversy-free game as Germany cruised to a 3-0 victory.  They have yet to allow a goal in the tournament.  They’re currently the world’s #2 ranked team, behind the United States.  They await the winner of Sweden vs. Canada.  The most entertaining game of the weekend came in the afternoon, with Norway vs. Australia.  Like the Germany/Nigeria game, this game was fairly free of controversy.  VAR allowed the referee to overturn one call [correctly, I might add].  But more on that later.  In the opening minute the Australians threatened early. 

Australian forward Sam Kerr took a pass from Caitlin Foord and raced along the left side, beating her defender.  But, her shot on goal went left, barely.  The game’s first goal didn’t come until the half-hour point.  Norwegian forward Karina Saevik found forward Isabell Herlovsen, who right footed a shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.  Things remained thus until just before halftime.  A ball bounced off Norwegian defender Maria Thorisdottir's right shoulder in Australia’s penalty area.  The referee awarded Australia a penalty.  Sam Kerr placed the ball on the spot ready to take the penalty shot, and then came the VAR.  And the players and the spectators waited. and waited some more.  Upon further review, Thorisdottir had her right arm tucked into her side.  No penalty.  The score at halftime had Norway ahead, 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 until seven minutes from the end of regulation.  Australian midfielder   Elise Kellond-Knight scored on a corner kick to equalize.  The Australians were still alive.  At the end of regulation, the score was tied 1-1.  Under FIFA rules, there were two be two extra fifteen-minute periods.  There is no ‘golden goal’ in the World Cup.  If after the two extra periods and the score is still tied, then it’s on to penalty kicks.  Despite the extra time, the play was at a furious pace on both ends.  Australian goalie Lydia Williams seemed like she was singlehandedly keeping Australia in the game, She blocked shot after Norwegian shot.  She came up limping after one play.  I wondered how that would affect her if the game went to penalty kicks.  Australian defender Alanna Kennedy received a straight red card in the first extra period and was sent off.  Norway couldn’t capitalize on the one-person advantage, so the game ended 1-1.  It was on to penalty kicks.

Caroline Graham-Hanson took the first shot for Norway.  She made it look easy.  Sam Kerr took the first shot for the Australians.  Until this time, she hadn’t had a bad game, but she didn’t have a particularly good one either.  She took her shot and it ended up in the seats behind goal.   Norway ahead on PK 1-0.   Guro Reiten was up next for Norway.  She made it look as easy as Graham-Hanson.  Emily Gielnick for Australia was next.  She took her shot to the left, but Norwegian goalie Ingrid Hjelmseth guessed right and made the save.  Norway was up 2-0.  Norway’s Marin Mjelde stepped up and made it 3-0.  As the late Stuart Scott would say, the Norwegians were “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”  Australian Steph Catley needed to score to keep Australia in the World Cup, and she did just that for a couple of minutes.  Norwegian Ingrid Ergen stepped up and scored.  There was no need for a fifth penalty shot since Australia missed twice.  Norway won the PK shootout 4-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.  They meet the winner of the England/Cameroon game on Sunday.

The England/Cameroon match was chaotic, and things got very ugly.  The first goal came at 14 minutes.  In something one doesn’t see very often, England were awarded an indirect free kick about six yards from goal because of a back pass to Cameroon’s goalie [it didn’t look deliberate to me].  Cameroon had almost everyone on the goal line.  But England’s Toni Duggan passed the ball to English captain Steph Houghton, who curled a low shot into the bottom right corner.  England led 1-0.  England dominated play in the first half.  Seven minutes of stoppage time was tacked onto the end of the second half.  Four minutes in, Ellen White scored the second goal for England.  The referee waved it off for offside.  Out came the VAR, and the ruling was overturned.  Cameroon players were furious. They argued that Toni Duggan was in an offside position for the goal [she was], but she clearly wasn't interfering with play. They acted like they didn’t want to resume play.  They did, finally, but the referee blew the whistle for halftime.  England led 2-0 at the break.  Cameroon players and coaching staff accused the match officials and FIFA of racism as they left the field at half time.

When play resumed after the half, Cameroon players were still furious.  Ajara Nchout scored three minutes into the second half to bring Cameroon back into the game.  However, VAR came out and the referee ruled Cameroon was offside and the goal was disallowed.  It looked like a clean goal to me, and the person called for being offside wasn’t nearly as egregious what Toni Duggan had done [and was allowed] in the first half.  More fury from Cameroon ensued.  At 55 minutes Alex Greenwood scored a textbook goal after a corner kick, giving England the lead 3-0. Then things got uglier.

Cameroon players committed some bad fouls.  Elbows were thrown, players were spit on.  At 10 minutes into stoppage time Cameroon substitute Alexandra Takounda made a brutal challenge on Steph Houghton painfully high on the ankle [studs up].  It should have been a red card, but the referee only booked her with a yellow card.  This was not a fun game to watch.  As a result of England’s trouble, they get to play Norway in the quarterfinal.

France vs. Brazil promised to be just as hard-fought, but more entertaining.  It wasn’t a pretty game.  It was tough, but it had none of the chaos from the England/Cameroon game.  Neither team played exceptionally well, which was a disappointment.  Brazil had more movement with the ball as is their wont.  This was going to be one of those games where the winner was going to have to grind it out, and that’s what came to pass.

In the 23d minute French forward Valérie Gauvin scored what appeared to be the opening goal.  She and Brazilian goalie Barbara collided, both she and Gauvin went to the ground and stayed there for a while.  Meanwhile, the VAR reared its head.  Upon further review, the referee determined Bárbara had possession of the ball and disallowed the goal.  I saw the same replay the referee did.  It was a bullshit call.  Bárbara never had possession.  The ball was slipping though her hands when it bounced off Gauvin’s shoulder and into the goal.  But they don’t pay me to referee the games, and play continued until halftime, where the score was 0-0.

In the 52^nd minute French forward Kadidiatou Diani drove deep into Brazilian territory, fired a cross toward the Brazilian goal, where Gauvin capitalized and scored what should have been her second goal.  France led 1-0.  In the 63^rd minute Thaisa equalized for Brazil.  At first the referee waived off the goal.  The assistant referee called Brazil offside, but upon further review Brazil was not offside.  The goal counted, and the score was tied 1-1.  In the 85^th minute Brazilian defender Tamires put the ball in the net in the 86th minute.  But the goal was immediately disallowed because three Brazilians were clearly offside.  France had dodged a bullet.

Things got very exciting in extra time.  At the 105^th minute France got a real scare when Brazil’s Debinha was all alone and took a long pass from Brazilian forward Geyse.  She had the defender beat, and she had French goalie Sarah Bouhaddi beat as well.  But French defender Griedge Mbock Bathy kept her composure and deflected what was a wide-open shot from Debinha. The first 15-minute extra period ended without another goal.  Almost immediately after the second extra period commenced, Brazil committed foul [one of many in this game] and France was awarded a free kick.  Delphine Cascarino, who substituted on for Valérie Gauvin before extra time, fired the free kick into the Brazilian penalty area.  French captain Amadine Henry broke free and put the ball in the back of the Brazilian net.  France led 2-1.  Brazil pressed but couldn’t equalize.  The game ended with France on top, 2-1.  This game would not go to penalty kicks.

Tony’s take – Brazil committed more than their share of fouls to slow down the French.  I’m surprised they received only four yellow cards.  It should have been more.  They didn’t play dirty, but they did play rough.  France deserved the win.  They showed mental toughness despite the VAR going against them in the first half.  They’re the host country this year, so there’s a bit more pressure for them to do well, if not win it all.  Brazil looked like they were running out of gas in the second extra period.  It should never have gone to extra time.  The French await the winner of the USA/Spain game.