Women's World Cup: Quarter-finals

Germany 3-0 Korea DPR
Norway 1-0 China
USA 3-0 England
Brazil 3-2 Australia

All the results in this round were pretty much as you'd expect. North Korea worked hard but were eventually dispatched with stereotypical Germany efficiency, with goals from Kerstin Garefrekes, Renate Lingor and Annike Krahn. Hosts China were knocked out by Norway thanks to Isabell Herlovsen's first-half goal, with the Chinese squandering too many chances.

England held the USA to a scoreless draw at halftime and must have been hoping for a repeat of their first-round result against Germany, but the Americans took over after the break, with Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly all scoring.

In the last of the quarter-finals, Brazil dominated the game and took a 2-0 lead over Australia midway through the first half. But the Matildas fought back and equalized, before Cristiane scored in the 75th minute to take Brazil into the semis.


I also want to go back to the draw between Canada and Australia that ended up with the Canadians being knocked out. Canada took the lead within about 30 seconds, but I think that early goal actually hurt them, because it meant that Australia came at them hard, while Canada just tried to defend. They held out until halftime but Australia equalized soon after, and Canada played much better after that, knowing that they needed a win to progress. It looked like they'd done it when Christine Sinclair headed home in a corner in the 85th minute, but then Cheryl Salisbury scored late in stoppage time to put Australia through.

A dramatic way to go out, but so disappointing for the Canadians, especially after they reached the semi-finals in 2003. I think that maybe they overachieved last time around, and this time they just weren't quite good enough. Although the battle between them and Australia was very close, I didn't see enough to suggest that they would have gone on to beat one of the other teams in the quarter-finals.

Women's World Cup: Day 5

Now that's more like it: Canada recovered from the disappointment of their opening game against Norway with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Ghana. Canada took the lead through a header from Christine Sinclair -- now Canada's top scorer at the World Cup -- in the 16th minute, and added three more goals in the second half.

In the other Group C game, a late goal from substitute Lisa De Vanna earned Australia a draw with Norway, after the Norwegians had taken an early lead with Ragnhild Gulbrandsen's second goal of the tournament, coming in the fifth minute. The draw leaves Australia still top of the group on goal difference, but tied with Norway on four points, with Canada close behind on three points. Everything comes down to the final games, with Canada and Australia facing off while Norway take on the eliminated Ghana.

Brazil continued to dominate in Group D, thumping China 4-0 with a brace each from Marta and Cristiane, including three goals in the space of six minutes on either side of half-time. Meanwhile, Denmark dominated their game against New Zealand, but it took two free kicks in the second half to earn them the win, one curled into the top corner by Katrine Pedersen and the second headed home by Cathrine Paaske Sorensen.

The Kiwis, who failed to put a single shot on target during this game, have been virtually eliminated now, but the question of which two teams will go through is still unresolved. Brazil's place in the quarter-finals is almost set, thanks to their two wins and outstanding goal differential, but they have to play Denmark, in their third game. China are level with Denmark on points and will be hoping for Brazil to help them out by beating the Danes, while they take on New Zealand in a game they should expect to win.

Group C
Canada 4-0 Ghana
Australia 1-1 Norway

Group D
Brazil 4-0 China
Denmark 2-0 New Zealand

Women's World Cup: Day 3

The Canada-Norway match was the first one I've actually been able to watch all the way through (not just highlights), because the Mothercorp in its infinite wisdom is only showing the games featuring the Canadian team during the group rounds. I realize there's probably not much of an audience for women's soccer, but come on: the matches are all at some ungodly hour of the morning. Surely they could pre-empt the cartoons for a few days.

Anyway, the 2-1 loss is a bit disappointing for Canada, but not a terrible result, as you would have expected this to be the toughest of their group games. Possession was about 60/40 in favour of Norway, but in spite of that it still felt like a pretty even game, especially in the first half. Canada had the lead at the break, with a goal from Candace Chapman after being set up by good work from Christine Sinclair, but it could have been two, had it not for Melissa Tancredi's early goal being harshly disallowed for a phantom foul on the Norwegian keeper.

Tancredi was replaced after the interval by Rhian Wilkinson, and Norway came out the stronger team in the second half. With Canada retreating into a defensive shell, Norway poured on the pressure and quickly equalized with a goal by Ragnhild Gulbrandsen. The winning goal for Norway came late in the came, scrambled into the net by Ane Stangeland Horpestad from a corner. I have to wonder if substituting Tancredi was a mistake, because her physical presence had shaken up the Norwegian defence and allowed Canada to create some good chances -- much like Gulbrandsen did for Norway. The way both teams reorganized at halftime only benefitted Norway, as they took the game to Canada, and only a few outstanding saves from goalkeeper Erin McLeod kept the score as close as it was.

Australia, surprisingly, are on top of the group after the other Group C match, beating Ghana 4-1 to earn their first ever win at a World Cup. The Matildas took an early lead through Sarah Walsh and followed that up with two more goals in the second half before Anita Amankwa scored a consolation for Ghana. It was too little, too late, though, as her team were unable to turn their share of possession into clear chances, and Australia scored again soon after to put the game out of reach.

In Group D, China and Denmark played out one of the most engrossing games so far. Denmark fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the 87th minute, but it was there was to be an even more dramatic ending to the match, as Xiaoli Song scored again for China just a minute later to secure the win. In the final match, New Zealand were comprehensively beaten by Brazil, who put five goals past them, including two from Marta. Still, at least the Kiwis managed not to capitulate as thoroughly as Argentina had in the tournament's opening game.

Group C
Norway 2-1 Canada
Ghana 1-4 Australia

Group D
New Zealand 0-5 Brazil
China 3-2 Denmark

Today's a rest day, and the second round of group games resumes tomorrow.

If you haven't seen any of the games, you should at least check out some of the highlights on the FIFA website, because there are some very good goals in there.

And a few other links:

• The Global Game has an interesting article about Marta and the state of women's soccer in Brazil
  
• The New York Times' Goal blog is covering the World Cup, albeit from an American-centric perspective
  
• Canada's Rhian Wilkinson is also blogging from China
  
• And finally, I don't believe I forgot to mention this earlier, but I have to pimp Kickster, an excellent new site covering women's football

Women's World Cup Preview: Group D

BRAZIL
Nickname: Canarinha
Current world ranking: 8
Coach: Jorge Barcellos, who previously led the U20s to the bronze medal at the world championship in 2006.
How they qualified: Runners-up to Argentina at the South American qualifying tournament in November 2006.
Past record: Have qualified for every World Cup – the only South American team to do so. Their previous best was a third-place finish in 1999.
Other results: Five-time South American Champions. Silver medalists at the 2004 Olympics.
Why they could win: The Brazilians have a skilful, fluid style of play and have also been working on improving their defence. On the other hand, they also have a relatively young side, and the lack of experience could bring them down.
Key players: Marta, the 2006 FIFA Women's Player of the Year, is essentially the female Ronaldinho. You've all see that YouTube video where she's basically dribbling around players for the fun of it, right? She's complemented up front by the left-footed Cristiane, who scored 12 goals in 7 games during their qualifying campaign, and the veteran Katia, appearing in her third World Cup.
Predicted finish: Quarter-finals

CHINA
Nickname: Steel Roses
Current world ranking: 11
Coach: Marika Domanski-Lyfors, who formerly coached Sweden, became China's first foreign manager when she took over this spring.
How they qualified: Qualified automatically as hosts, but also won the Asian championship in July 2006.
Past record: Runners-up to the USA in 1999, they were eliminated by Canada in the quarter-finals in 2003.
Other results: Eight-time AFC champions.
Why they could win: China have home-field advantage, which should give them an edge, but on the other hand there's a danger that they could crumble under the weight of expectation. The team will be trying to bounce back after a disastrous performance at the Algarve Cup earlier in the year.
Key players: Striker Han Duan, already a veteran at only 23, is speedy and good in the air. Ma Xiaoxu, another striker, is only 19 but was the AFC Women's Player of the Year in 2006. She won the golden ball and the golden shoe at last year's U20 world championship and is known as "Lady Wayne Rooney" in China – presumably for her goal-scoring prowess rather than any other similarities.
Predicted finish: Quarter-finals

DENMARK
Nickname: Nothing that I could find, but Wikipedia tells me that the men's team are called the "Danish Dynamite," which is…kind of lame, actually
Current world ranking: 6
Coach: Kenneth Heiner-Moller, who took charge last year after previously coaching the women's team at Brondby.
How they qualified: Narrowly won their UEFA qualifying group, with a 6-1-1 record.
Past record: Have made it to the quarter-finals twice, in 1991 and 1995, but failed to qualify in 2003.
Other results: Semi-finalists at Euro 2001; won the silver medal at the Algarve Cup this year.
Why they could win: Denmark have plenty of experience and are solid from back to front. They struggled through qualifying, though, and have never managed to set the world alight at this level.
Key players: Katrine Pedersen in defence, Anne Dot Eggers Nielsen in midfield, and Denmark's top scorer Meret Pedersen up front are the core of the team. They're complemented by attacking midfielder Catherine Paaske Sorensen, who was the top scorer in the Danish league last year.
Predicted finish: First-round elimination

NEW ZEALAND
Nickname: Football Ferns
Current world ranking: 23
Coach: John Herdman, who moved up to become the senior team's coach in March after guiding the U20s through the world championships last year.
How they qualified: Easily won the Oceania championship in April 2007, finishing with a +20 goal differential.
Past record: Qualified only once before, back in 1991, when they lost all three group games.
Other results: Not much; they were perennial runners-up in Oceania until Australia moved to the Asian federation.
Why they could win: Let's face it, they probably won't. New Zealand have a relatively young side, leavened by a handful of more experienced players. They'll just be looking to pick up their first points in a World Cup tournament.
Key players: Veteran Maia Jackman, making her first appearance at the World Cup, is a versatile player who can play as a striker, centre back, or right-sided midfielder.
Predicted finish: First-round elimination

Group Predictions
I originally picked Group B as the group of death, but I actually think it's this one, because Group B has the USA as clear favourites whereas here there are three teams all with an pretty equal chance of finishing on top. Denmark are ranked higher than both Brazil and China, but they're the weakest of the three Scandinavian teams and getting out of the group could be tough. I picked Brazil and China to go through, partly just for the sake of balance so that there'd be a South American and an Asian team in the quarter-finals.