Group E (GBR, NZL, CMR, BRA) [R]

Groups A, B, C and D are for the men tournament?

 

I will say Brazil and Cameroon

 

As far as team GB is concerned, I have only looked the first half of yesterday's game late last night but, their football style seems slightly less direct than England but their use of Kim Little so far is amazing. Shame we dont have the stats but she must have liked 10 touches of the ball which is ridiculously low for a playmaker. No one seems to use her as a preferred passing option, they either use J Scott or Smith. I will have a look in the second half if the football improves.

Hope Powell also said in her pre-game interview that she wont change her coaching and it was also a new squad...yeah right adding 2 players makes it a new squad. Players dont think so, some commented the other way lol. Same squad with 2 new players who added quality.

 

I see this as being the weakest "defensive" group (in terms of the team defenses), out of all the groups. I don't see any 0-0, or even 1-0 matches, from this group.

Predictions:
25.07.12 Great Britain - New Zealand (Great Britain and New Zealand draw 2-2)
25.07.12 Cameroon - Brazil (Brazil wins 3-0)

28.07.12 New Zealand - Brazil (Brazil wins 4-1)
28.07.12 Great Britain - Cameroon (Great Britain wins 2-0)

31.07.12 New Zealand - Cameroon (New Zealand wins 2-1)
31.07.12 Great Britain - Brazil (Brazil wins 3-1)

Standings
1.) Brazil (9 points, Goal diff: +8)
2.) Great Britain (4 points, Goal diff: even)
3.) New Zealand (4 points, Goal diff: -2)
4.) Cameroon (0 points, Goal diff: -6)

Brazil, Great Britain, and New Zealand advance

 

I wanted to slap the BBC commentators, who on the one hand pointed out that Little wasn't getting the ball so went deep to try and fetch it, then at the end of the game said they wanted to see Little get more involved. Too bad - your coach is crap and some of your players need a slap around the gills.

 

yeah Hopeless Powell is rubbish and 9 out of those 18 players shouldnt be there really.

 

Great Britain 2:0 New Zealand
Cameroon 0:2 Brazil
New Zealand 1:3 Brazil
Great Britain 4:1 Cameroon
New Zealand 1:2 Cameroon
Great Britain 1:1 Brazil

Great Britain 7 pts +5 gd
Brazil 7 pts +4 gd
Cameroon 3pts -4gd
New Zealand 0 pts -5 gd

 

[GBR-NZL]
40' 0-0 Britain sustain massive pressure and possession. New Zealand is packed into their own 1/2, rarely see the center circle -- surely by design, to keep the home crowd down until halftime. Britain misses 3 clean header chances: off the right post, just over the left upper 90, just over crossbar center.

43' 0-0 Britain chip long to goalline center, Bindon catches face-high. One-way traffic.

44' 0-0 NZL break the other way through midfield left touch, long roller finds #17 Hannah Wilkinson splitting 2 defenders at 25m arc left, but she overruns ball, fouls to regain it. Yellow?

 

45+1' 0-0 Britain (England + who else?) chip long into left corner, Aluko wins a 1-v-1. Rolls a low cross through box left 6m, #12 utterly eludes the back line and runs on alone, gathers and dribbles to 6-left 2m. Tries a short flick-pass with Bindon frozen near-post, last defender pokes it away and NZL hoof it into touch. HT.

 

I see Cameroon pulling through and ending up in 3rd over New Zealand. It all comes down to if they or Canada(3rd place in Group F) advance to the quarterfinals.

 

Brazil provided the first blowout comb of the tournament with their 5-0 win over Cameroon.

We also have a new Olympic scoring leader

 

Congrats to Cameroon for finding a back door entrance into the Olympics, but Cameroon is meh.
Their defense is horrible, especially on set pieces.
Great Britain and even New Zealand will beat them by at least 2 goals or more.
I can see Great Britain beating them at least 3-0, and New Zealand beating them 3-1 (if they can find some offense and finishing, and can get at least one or two goals on set pieces with their height). Cameroon has no organization, and you can get goals on set pieces or crosses against them. Or score on any chaos in front of the net. They just aren't disciplined at all defensively. Just run and kick it in the air toward net, and either head it on frame, or let it ricochet in front.

If USA played Cameroon, they would have won by more than 5-0.
Wambach and Morgan could get a hat trick each against them.
Not saying that USA is better than Brazil, but USA is better offensively than Brazil is on set pieces (where as Brazil is better than USA offensively during the run of play). Cameroon's defense is worse against set pieces even more so than they are in the run of play. That plays right into the hands of the USA, and USA would win 7-0 or better against Cameroon .... if the USA wanted to. Then again, Brazil could have won more than 5-0 if they would have finished some more of their opportunities.

Cameroon is worse than South Africa.
Neither are good.
Neither have a chance to make the Quarterfinal.

The 8th and final spot into the Quarterfinal will be whoever finishes higher between New Zealand and North Korea. These "seven" are locks into the Quarterfinal (USA, France, Japan, Sweden, Canada, Brazil, Great Britain). That's how bad Cameroon, South Africa, and Colombia area.

North Korea took a leg up over New Zealand yesterday, and with winning by two goals over Colombia, that helps toward their goal differential. North Korea will lose to both USA and France. New Zealand must beat Cameroon to get their three points, and then have to win in goal differential over North Korea. New Zealand must root for France and USA to pour it on with goal scoring over North Korea. I think France beats North Korea by about 3 gaols, and the USA by about 2 goals (USA struggles at times with putting away North Korea, as they never blow out North Korea).


Caption: Korea DPR is trying to fight their way to the last Quarterfinal spot

 

I must have seen a different match. The Cameroon I saw kept a good defensive shape and were very hard to get in behind until fatigue set in for the last twenty minutes. The two early goals they gave up were really the only good chances Brazil had in the first 70 minutes. They could be vulnerable on crosses, but they defend the wings so well that Brazil rarely got a cross in.

In attack, the style you saw from Cameroon was partly dictated by squad selection. It is true that the quick counterattack is their best weapon, but they do have players capable of holding onto the ball. Cameroon went all in for pace over possession, however. The speed trio of Onguene, Ngono Mani, and Nchout all started. Zouga and Enganamouit, who I think are their best players for keeping the ball, weren't brought in until the second half. Cameroon's tactics matched their squad, and they were always looking for the early ball played in behind (although almost never wide -- they hardly use their width at all). That *almost* worked a couple of times, but they ended up conceding possession quickly. Cameroon could have saved their legs better for the end if they hadn't been chasing so much.

Cameroon's keeper, Ngo Ndom, didn't catch much. That didn't cost Cameroon in this match, since she always ended up deflecting the ball to a safe place, but I expect that New Zealand and Great Britain will mob around her on corners.

I wouldn't hand anything to Canada just yet. Candace Chapman's injury yesterday looked serious. Without her, and with McLeod preferred in goal, Canada's defense is dire. They will have to score a bushel of goals to win anything. I'm not sure they will will even beat South Africa.

 

Agreed. I actually think that the North Korea can finish at the top of their group as well. I can see them scrapping by or at least drawing with France.

 

[NZL-BRA] Anthems! NZL in all-whites (haha), Brasil in blue.

01' 0-0 Brasil pass to #10 Marta at box arc top center. #5 Erceg comes across to block, inadvertently steps on Marta's foot as she spins away.
02' 0-0 Marta down in foot pain, must hop into touch.
03' 0-0 Marta gingerly returns. Far side of the field is in brilliant sun, near side + NZL's goal are in deep knife-edge shadow (although the contrast might be exaggerated by TV).

 

07' 0-0 Brasil switches to 22m box right in deep shadow, passes diagonally forward to #13 Francielle in the box, shoots from 11m 6-right, Bindon catches.

10' 0-0 #11 Cristiane jukes around 3 at box top center, shoots between them low with medium power, Bindon smothers.

Brasil are playing the occasional long ball over the top. New Zealand are in for 90+' of defending in their own half.

12' 0-0 #8 Formiga flicks right-outstep through box top 6-right, just too long for Marta.

 

13' 0-0 Brasil cede a right corner. #2 Percival comes up and sends it long to 6-top left, header joust and NZL settle, but Brasil eventually blast it into touch.

15' 0-0 Cristiane blasts from 25m right post with double extra power, just wide right and hammers the endboard.
16' 0-0 Brasil launches another hard long shot to 1/3 left, Bindon catches face-high.

17' 0-0 New Zealand press at box top, track back to midfield, come up the right and win a thow-in.
18' 0-0 NZL continue to possess, try a high roundhouse chip over box top to 8m right post, #1 Andreia charges out and catches it. Brasil's backline will cough up some chances ...

 

23' 0-0 #2 Percival stuffs an attack deep, blasts a perfect long ball up right touch. Bounces about five times and stays in, #10 Gregorius chases it down at 10m. Cuts inside but the LB steals ball, shields her off, and passes it into touch.

 

27' 0-0 New Zealand cross(?) to #10 Gregorius, #1 Andreia comes out and tips or pokes it just enough, Brasil frantically clear. Cat Whitehill as the Former USWNT Commentator

29' 0-0 #7 Riley finally gets forward up left touch, crosses high to right post and #1 Andreia must hop and look into the sun to catch high.

30' 0-0 #17 Wilkinson dribbles down box right with long strides, leans past the LB and crosses fast over 5m center, way too high for a centerline diving header try.

30' 0-0 Brasil respond to box top right, cross high to 12m left post causes some confusion: NZL defender jumps way too soon, is landing as Brasil goes up for a header, way wide right.

 

32' 0-0 Brasil right corner, #10(c) Marta mis-curls it outside near post, headed clear (when it looked like a side-net ball). #4 Hoyle cuts out a cross at box right foot, cedes another corner.

33' 0-0 2nd right corner, to 5m 6-left, headed straight forward and down into the endzone.
33' 0-0 #10 Gregorius fouled on the run at 40m wide right. #2 Percival sends it into a scrum, cleared out and Brasil fouls again.

35' 0-0 New Zealand 2nd free kick from center circle top, pings around box top, Brasil clears. New Zealand's confidence waxes.

 

38' 0-0 NZL throw-in from their own deep right, up right touch and #6 Maurine + 1 other mug the receiver. NZL free kick to box top, Brasil muffs it and cedes a free bounce inside the box top arc. #9 Hearn panics with space and time, shanks an awful rushed right instep, weak lollipop bounces at 6-top right and Andreia doesn't even bother to collect it. Nobody's covered with glory there.

 

41' 0-0 #2 Fabiana (RB?) seems to be limping a bit. Takes a throw-in backward to #10(c) Marta, who gets challenged and kneels down, grimacing and gesturing. Brasil work it up the left, switch to box top right, Marta drives on #7 Riley and NZL cede a corner.

43' 0-0 1st right corner, NZL clears twice to box top. #8 Formiga lines up a knee-high roundhouse, screwball piledriver deflects and curls just wide right low. 2nd corner to 4m left post, headed down wide left.

44' 0-0 Cristiane(?) sprints down to endline mid-left, saves a ball across the mouth to box right. Marta chases it down, crosses to 6-top 1/3 left, snap header on-frame, #1 Bindon reads it perfectly and catches it in her basket.

HT. Brasil runs hot and cold, with flashes of brilliance amidst stretches of meh. New Zealand are steady and pushing up against their wall, with no extra gears. Open game, both sides pushing. NZL is doing build-ups just as good as Brasil.

One stark difference is that Brasil has cannons from 25m, and nobody from New Zealand can do that.