This is our third recap of the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup from Tuesday’s games.
France and England 1-0
The first game of the day on Tuesday was a bit of a let down. I expected to see more tenacity from England, but unfortunately the Three Lionesses just looked flat. France looked strong, despite both teams having to battle some rough weather conditions. The only goal of the game came when Eugenie Le Sommer took advantage of the England defense’s hesitation, and rocketed a brilliant shot from outside the box in the 29th minute. By the end of 90 min, France had 16 shots to England’s three which pretty well explains the run of play, much more so than the 58/42 possession split.
Spain and Costa Rica 1-1
Spain and Costa Rica fought the match I hoped they would in both teams’ respective World Cup debuts. Spain looked stronger to start, scoring at the 13th minute when Vicky Losada received the ball in the box from her right wing, turned and fired into the lower left corner of the goal. Costa Rica immediately responded with a slick goal of their own in the 14th, from Raquel Rodriguez Cedeno. From there the game was tense, but the scoreline would remain, with each team walking away with one point.
Colombia and Mexico 1-1
Colombia and Mexico found themselves in a 1-1 tie as well on Tuesday after a physical 90 minutes.
The game was the source of the first use of goal-line technology in the Women’s World Cup as Veronica Perez curled in a corner kick that Colombian keeper Cecilia Santiago couldn’t quite save in minute 36. Mexico held on and the tension fell a bit, but Colombia wasn’t done fighting. In the 82nd minute, Daniela Montoya dashed Mexico’s hopes of three points with a screamer into the upper left corner from the top of the box. The tie puts both teams in the middle of Group F with France at the top and England in last after the first round.
Brazil and Korea Republic 2-0
This match was a bit disappointing after what we saw from Korea against the US just before the tournament. Brazil dominated this game with more than 60% of the possession and Korea just looked intimidated. Despite several chances right in front of the goal, Korea could not score. Brail didn’t have quite the goal scoring one would expect with that possession line, but broke records anyhow. The first of two goals was scored by the oldest player to score in a Women’s World Cup, Formiga, taking advantage of a terrible backpass by Korea in the 33rd minute. Just on the other side of halftime at minute 53, Formiga was fouled in the box by captain Cho Sohyun, leaving a penalty for Marta to cooly place in the corner netting. The goal made Marta the leading goal scorer in Women’s World Cup history with 15 goals. Brazil now leads Group E ahead of Costa Rica, Spain, and Korea.
Tuesday rounded out the first series of games for everyone involved. Teams that won gain three points, those that tied get one point, and those that lost get zero points, with ties primarily being resolved on goal differential. These points are used to rank each team within their group to determine who will move on to the knockout round. The second round of the three group stage games begins at 1pm PT on Thursday, June 11 with Germany versus Norway.
Today’s Matches:
Germany v Norway 1pm PT
Two big, powerful teams face off to start round two. Both won their first matches, and will certainly be each other’s biggest challenge. Whichever side can come away with the win will likely win the group, and I’m expecting that to be Germany.
China PR v Netherlands 3pm PT
China looked strong in their first match against Canada, but couldn’t secure a win. This will be a tight game, and may very well come away as a tie. If I had to pick a team, I’ll side with Netherlands who bring momentum coming off their first match win.
Côte d’Ivoire v Thailand 4pm PT
Both teams in this match got beat convincingly, despite their respectable efforts. This should be the most even match that these two teams will see in this group stage, but if Thailand can avoid being out muscled, I think they have the skill to beat Côte d’Ivoire.
Canada v New Zealand 6pm PT
Though New Zealand dropped their first game to the Netherlands, it wasn’t by a large margin. And, while Canada came away with a win, it wasn’t the convincing victory the host nation probably wanted. This match should be a good game all around, with what I expect will be a lot of midfield play. I’d guess the team with the better fitness will take it, and I’m expecting that to be Canada, if it’s not a tie.
Current Group Standings
Group A
Points
Canada
3
Netherlands
3
China PR
0
New Zealand
0
Group B
Points
Germany
3
Norway
3
Thailand
0
Côte d’Ivoire
0
Group C
Points
Cameroon
3
Japan
3
Switzerland
0
Ecuador
0
Group D
Points
USA
3
Nigeria
1
Sweden
1
Australia
0
Group E
Points
Brazil
3
Costa Rica
1
Spain
1
Korea Republic
0
Group F
Points
France
3
Colombia
1
Mexico
1
England
0
