WWC19 | Final: USA v Netherlands

[jojojo]

Today's matches:
A: Norway vs Nigeria 8pm - BBC red button
B: Spain vs South Africa 5pm BBC red button
B: Germany vs China 2pm - BBC One

Hard to see any of these going against the seeding. The European game is getting stronger all the time - the leagues are getting better, a lot of the national team players are on full-time contracts. The African teams are struggling to survive at all.

China will send a decent team, but Germany are one of the tournament favourites, so even that game might look like last night's France/South Korea.

But who knows - football tournaments are seldom that simple. If they were, no one would need to actually play

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Hmm, so we have England v Switzerland men's tomorrow at 2.00pm and England v Scotland ladies at 5.00pm tomorrow.

 

[Kasper]

Today's matches:
A: Norway vs Nigeria 2pm - BBC red button
B: Spain vs South Africa 5pm BBC red button
B: Germany vs China 8pm - BBC One

Hard to see any of these going against the seeding. The European game is getting stronger all the time - the leagues are getting better, a lot of the national team players are on full-time contracts. The African teams are struggling to survive at all.

China will send a decent team, but Germany are one of the tournament favourites, so even that game might look like last night's France/South Korea.

But who knows - football tournaments are seldom that simple. If they were, no one would need to actually play

Where did you get the schedules from? The sources where I checked had them in exactly the opposite order time wise.

 

[jojojo]

Where did you get the schedules from? The sources where I checked had them in exactly the opposite order time wise.

Eek you're right. I picked it up from the BBC website a couple of weeks back - and I must have been recycling a long ago corrected typo ever since

I'll have to check the others now.

I've fixed the today's matches post now. Thanks

 

[jojojo]

Hmm, so we have England v Switzerland men's tomorrow at 2.00pm and England v Scotland ladies at 5.00pm tomorrow.

Yes, UEFA put the third place playoff and the final either side of the England-Scotland game.

They've also scheduled this week's Euro qualifiers so that for a particular country the men and women don't play at the same time. So they've at least taken a crack at making sure the TV broadcasters aren't dealing with the worst sort of clash.

 

[giorno]

My take from watching my first full game of women's football: goalkeepers are tiny. They should make the goals smaller

Pretty good game though

 

[jojojo]

My take from watching my first full game of women's football: goalkeepers are tiny. They should make the goals smaller

Pretty good game though

Most people look tiny next to Renard You're not alone in your thoughts though, the Chelsea (women's) manager was talking about the same thing a month or so back, but I don't think the Korean keeper was stopping those goals last night even if she was taller. I suspect we will see a fair few goalkeeping errors the next couple of weeks - but most will be just that, errors from poor coaching and inexperience.

The interesting thing is that the average height for (European/North American) women now is more or less what the average height for British men was when the original FA rules were written.

The trouble if they did now (literally) move the goalposts for women it could reduce opportunities to play. The top teams could afford the special kit and the hassle of changing the setup. Youth teams, lower league teams, amateur teams would all struggle to get pitches/stadia. I suspect some continents would struggle with it as well. Though I bet some of the Asian national teams would be quite pleased to see it, especially if it applied to the men's game as well

 

[Patchbeard]

Can't believe it's four years since the last one oh how time flies. France were the most entertaining last time but missed the first half last night and 2nd half was very flat, but it was all over as a contest already. Bit of a shame Thomis is no longer in the side.

The goals should logically be proportionately smaller, but there would be uproar if someone suggested it seriously.

 

[Angelinho]

Goal sizes for adults haven't changed since the 1880's. Since then, the average human height in industrialised countries has increased by upto 10 centimetres.

On average, women are shorter than men by almost 12 centimetres. So women goalkeepers are of similar stature to what the Victorians expected when setting out the rules.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Germany v China is a game I’m expecting to be a lot tighter than the bookies and pundits are expecting. China are organised and well drilled and Germany are an exceptional side, wouldn’t surprise me if it finished 2-1 to Germany.

 

[jojojo]

Casey Stoney is at the Germany/China game for the BBC. Looks like a decent crowd - not packed like Paris but not bad.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

China need to press a bit higher for me. Germany already finding far too much space and time.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

I hope the games that are on the red button are broadcasting in HD

 

[jojojo]

How did they not score! Against the run of play but that was a big chance for China.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

China should be ahead, how have they not scored?!

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Germany hit the bar with a cross/shot

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Ref made a right mess there, she accidentally took out a China player, she probably would have got to the ball and started a counter.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

It’s been a very stop/start first half, lots of added time coming I suspect

 

[Rolandofgilead]

China off the post!

 

[jojojo]

It’s been a very stop/start first half, lots of added time coming I suspect

It has, and it's been a pretty scrappy game generally. Germany doing most of the attacking but China not letting them settle on the ball - Germany not really creating many good chances. If China do score on one of their occasional counter-attacks, Germany could find it really hard to get back in it.

And China, amazingly, don't score again

 

[jojojo]

Oh good grief - China have to actually shoot when they get through like that.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Oh good grief - China have to actually shoot when they get through like that.

I actually shouted at the TV.

Half time came at the worst possible time for China, another 10 minutes and they could have scored

 

[Maestro14]

This ref is giving a lot to Germany.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Goal Germany.

China struggle to clear their lines again and a lovely volley from 20 yards.

 

[jojojo]

Germany go one up, nicely taken shot from the edge of the box.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

This ref is giving a lot to Germany.

She might as well put a Germany shirt on mate.

 

[Maestro14]

Well China were lacking any sort of quality, but Germany did a good job of making them look competitive in this match. Still, a 1-0 win in the end.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

The fitness and sharpness of the German team shone through in the end, I think of China had taken one of their chances then it could have been different. Fair result though. Now we have an hour to kill.

 

[Carolina Red]

Germany v China is a game I’m expecting to be a lot tighter than the bookies and pundits are expecting.

Good call there.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Good call there.

Thanks. I can’t say the same about the next one, expecting a 3/4-0 win for Spain.

 

[Yagami]

Aw, I wanted to watch China-Germany but missed it. I'll have to keep a closer eye on the schedule.

 

[jojojo]

The fitness and sharpness of the German team shone through in the end, I think of China had taken one of their chances then it could have been different. Fair result though. Now we have an hour to kill.

Yep, a Chinese goal could have changed the whole game - I think we'd have seen a better Germany and it could have been a really interesting contest if they had.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Aw, I wanted to watch China-Germany but missed it. I'll have to keep a closer eye on the schedule.

I feel your pain mate, I will have to miss the first two games tomorrow.

 

[Angelinho]

A narrow defeat to the group favourites not a bad result for China. If South Africa are the minnows that their ranking suggests, then Group B looks like being one of the groups from which three teams will qualify for the knockout stage,

 

[Rolandofgilead]

I expect to see a lot of nerves out of South Africa here. Spain will pass fast and often. I’ll say 3-0.

 

[jojojo]

That is the happiest referee I've ever seen.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

That is the happiest referee I've ever seen.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

Very early impression is I might have been wrong about South African nerves.

 

[RoyH1]

Other than France, I haven’t seen another team be dominant so far. Early times I know.

 

[jojojo]

South Africa are doing fine here. Spain with the possession but struggling to do anything substantial with it.