What a brilliant reflex save by Daniele! Edit: I don't believe it... another short goal-kick, another goal for Spain. Actually I think that should have been called a foul from Spain. Rather poor officiating in this game so far, compared to the rest of the tournament. As long as Spain win I'm not gonna complain though...
the FIFA stats say 58% (Spain) v 42% Brasil possession - does it look like that to you ? not the Brasil way to play !
Game's over, Spain's through, Brazil's out! Edit: Yes, it did look that way. Actually it says 56-44 here.
The big 3 of women's soccer of the past! Is this stream working for you? Eurosport It looks like there's also a Sopcast channel this time: Link
No I tried it, that and others listed on MyP2P. This event is so far remarkable in that FIFA seems to have shut down these links. They do list, but many will say "blocked by admin" and that's rthe end of that. I have not seen a single USA or NA poster say that they found a live feed. Also I have satellite with maybe 500 channels, and last weekend I even found a "girls college soccer" game televised nationally - but it is as if this WC does not exist. It reminds me of when Iran beat the USA in WC'98 - that was a major setback here for televised soccer, for many years.
Tackle from behind in the box, PK, 1-0 Japan! A very well placed penalty kick. In the first 10 minutes Ireland played better and had more of the possession, but after that Japan had found their rhythm and they're pretty much dominating Ireland now. They've had more and better chances so far, and now they have the lead as well.
Asia is dominating this WC. They may be the powers of the women's game in the future, too. I remember back in the day how China, Japan and both Koreas were the powerhouses in women's volleyball. So agility and technique can defeat power and speed.
It is. You don't want to see that "highlight" later, trust me. Haha, it was 1-1; now it's 2-1 Japan. Yokoyama, who else.
They certainly were when compared to Germany, but got better later. In fact, most of the teams in this World Cup are underdogs to Germany. Greece did that same mistake before the Men's World Cup. The two Koreas are a very different team from each other. They evolved seperately from each other.
"The Caribbean sun continues to shine on the land of the rising sun!" Japan win 2-1 against Ireland and are through to the semifinal. Ganbare Nippon!
From the FIFA description, all 3 were messy goals ? The Japanese finally managed to break down the Irish defence. Campbell made light contact with Yokoyama inside the area and the Canadian referee pointed to the spot amid fierce Irish protests. No highlights yet.
This time unlike in New Zealand no miracle goals ruined Japans progression to the semis. But now Korea DPR can show once again how to play limited stifling football agianst a more fluid side. Get ready for the UFC beat down DPR is about to put on Japan. I hope Japan can win the semi for the sake of the final, but I can forsee alot of long balls and overly physical DPR play knocking Japan out of any kind of rythm.
LOL. This Campbell girl was going right through Yokoyama from behind at full speed. Yes she got the ball, but she got Yokoyama's legs as well. I'm actually surprised she didn't get cautioned for that. It was a deserved and well taken penalty kick, but there was no real need for the tackle, so you could call that a messy goal. The equalising goal was as messy as messy can get. If you know that the Japanese GK and a CB played a part in it, you probably get a pretty good picture already, so I need not say any more. The match winner was a well-placed shot into the top left corner of goal from just outside the box which you could call lucky if you hadn't seen a name on the back of the shirt: YOKOYAMA
Yes its going to be one hell of a game. I fancy Spain to beat So Korea, who yeilded 5 goals yesterday, but who knows.
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I like the way the DPR Koreans play. They know how to break the fluidity of the other team. That's a valid tactic, Netherlands used it to get to the final of the men's WC.
And look how great South Africa's world cup was Poor football left the damm horns as the only thing people will remember. Its a U-17 WWC, why the hell should stifling tactics and a limited offence be so admired in an age group that should still be about learning to become better players. Of course its a valid tactic used by many teams in the world of football, but to see such a cynical style used by a current U-17 champ in a world event is fustrating. If Korea DPR had a female Robben, or Sneijder, it would soften and then maybe justify the harsh nature of their play. In 2006 at U-20 level they were great, but since then every side is pretty ordinary. Once agian other teams seem to be finding players that will be great to watch, while Korea DPR win but produce robots. The USA lost to a Canada side using very similar tactics to Korea DPR, and the tournement lost a good side and gained a poor one. The future of senior womens football looks to be a very athletic player, with a teams nature based on a strong defence, ballanced with a clever fluid offence. Building play from the back and controlling their oppositions tempo. Other than defending, I dont see Korea DPR having the tools for the next step for senior success.
A good side is a side that wins. Flourishes without results means wrong tactics. The objective of the sport is to score goals, not to accumulate points for visuals. The style played by some of these countries is quite risky and requires brains. You can stop the flow, but not so much that you lose a woman while the other team does not. The Dutch did it with the men, but in the final they definitely overdid it. Yet, in the previous games, stopping the flow of a team with more flourish was done to perfection. The DPR Koreans may not be at that level, but it's a wise tactical decision when your team is not one to have "stars" that can make spectacular plays. All they do is render those plays useless, and be effective. It's an intelligent way to play.
Yep, a team can only maximise the potential of their players. If you don't have an attacking side, you don't go with all guns blazing or you are just suicidal. Proper team defending is an art actually, ( I mean not kicking the opponent and the ball into touch, real defending). And it is true it is not always nice to watch.
Presume you are joking. It was singularly one of the worst referring decision I have ever seen at any level anywhere. She clearly won the ball and the lineswoman gave a corner. None of the Japanese players even appealed. Having said that the defending for the winning goal was awful. We're out but these girls can be proud of what they have achieved. KOH