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

Team GB played a well-organized match today. As a Brasil fan, I have to say that they deserved to win. Quite frankly, I've never seen a Hope Powell (good for her, btw) side play such inspiring football. If I'm Team Canada, I don't think this is a team that I want to meet up with in the QF. Should be an intriguing match at Coventry.

I decided not to go there in my post. But, yeah...

Also, among others, Kim Little was amazing today. I wondered why I haven't seen here before when watching England matches until I saw that she is from Scotland!

74k is special in any country. First you need a stadium that big!

Great Britain got another boost last night => early this morning after midnight, in women's volleyball (which gets even less support and funding than England women's soccer). Having never won a set in the Olympics, they won 3 to upset a wilting Algeria 3-2. That was a raucous arena. (Funny: Algeria's coach George Strumilo is a Pole, so he talks to his players in -- English )

Big result for England +1. They are solid defensively when they take the lead. And indeed they have yet to concede a goal. Finally, they have decided to mix it up a bit and play some proper football instead of the usual defensive stance.
Hopefully this will help women's football in the UK because crowd in the WSL have been small from 100 to 1000 mainly with the exception of the FA Cup final

Someone asked about Steph Houghton, the poor girl was in the WC2007 squad and got injured 2 days before they flew to China, then got selected again for the shortlist for the Euros 2009 and again got injured just before that tournament. Had no luck until the WC 2011. She is from Sunderland and has played for them Leeds and currently Arsenal. She was right back for us but since Alex Scott has come back she is a utility player and plays anywhere on the pitch.

"Home Field Effect" in a big tournament.

As horrible as Brasil played in the mid-field, Cristie and Thais still hit the crossbar at point blank range. That game was a sneeze away from 1:1.

But I give GB credit, as any team with the Olympics on their home court.

Home court is what you make of it, as the Germans will tell you. Don't give credit to GBR because they are playing at home, give credit because they played better.

I already went over what drove Japan in the WC similar to what drove the Saints to the superbowl. Natural disasters along with country, nations, the world and cities backing you can be a powerful tool. Japan got one counter against Germany late, and Germany couldn't respond. Yeah, that was complete dominance. I give GB credit, but they are apart of a weak group with a brutal USA squad which will walk thru it to the finals. That's how it is.

There were no natural disasters in this match, only a little drizzle, I am told. Surely Brasil can play in a drizzle?
Besides, a drizzle doesn't trump Korea's lightning excuse in the WWC. Sorry, excuse already used.

Funny how you can make excuses for Germany giving up a goal late, but don't credit Japan. And funny that you don't credit the USA for scoring late on Brasil and winning the shoot out.

So now you get to see if you can beat Japan in a tournament. Part of me thinks Marta disappeared today on purpose so you wouldn't have to meet the USA. good Job. At least Japan admitted it.

we can come up with all kinds of angles to suit our own preferences. that's how it works. GB won today. I'm cool with that. But they aren't getting out the group with the USA as top dog, aren't that goodd but will take care of business vs a weak Canada side. When did Canada become a world power in soccer, just like people on here singing about powerful Sweden ? Nice game yesterday with a formiga-less mid-field, great win for 70000 fans. what more do you want? Japan played for a country in the WC, but the effect doesn't last for ever. if they win the olympics, i guess i'm wrong that their dinky hold and counter style with no TRUE big time forwards is the real deal, and they are more than just a national moment for a country. well, we have a couple of games left to see what plays out of this. Brutus aka FC USWNT is still my favorite, but an upset wouldn't be that bad.

if brasil should prevail over Japan, then it was a great move putting bruna on the backline. they don't split like the red sea, as usual with her there, and formiga is the money player i think she is and will get the offense going on the 3rd.

Yes, spinning is an art you invented. The Brutus thing is especially funny coming from the ankle kicking queens of the world.

It is good you are fine with getting beat, because there is more ahead for you. Even if you by some miracle get past Japan and the winner of France/Sweden, you are also looking at the USA to get to gold.

More likely, you will get beat by GBR again to fall short of Bronze if you get that far, except now you have practice losing to them, and the crowd will be larger.


There is nothing Brasil has shown this year that indicates Brasil is capable of working through the kind of traffic ahead. Three top ten wins in a row is a bit beyond the Samba Queens.

And Canada beat you guys the last time out, remember? Brasil in in over their heads playing either them or GBR.

Brasil beat Canada in their last match, as Jorge has gotten the team to gel.

I don't remember the last match with GB, don't try to keep up with games like that.

GB isn't getting out of that group with the USA but will have an easier go with Canada than Brasil will have with Japan.

GB wouldn't get past Japan and France back - back either in that HARD group of 4, so Brasil has nothing to hang their heads about. Good thing is, they top Japan with Formiga, Maurine and Faby (esp the last 2 spreading the field on the wings) in the mid-field, so they have an idea of what line up would work against Japan. plus formiga is card-less now.

if all works out, japan and GB should move to the semis along with the USA and france. that's realistic results, not playing fan favorite.

Well curently all quartefinalist except NZL have a good chance to reach the semis, but yes Japan, France and UK is probably slighlty favored to win the three close games.

The only issues I see, is if France gets gun shy and lets Sweden stay around late or Formiga ignites Marta and Cristie similar to the recent match between those two. Outside of that the other group is cake and ice cream, can't believe someone said that was the hard group. Anyone can hang around, but NZ, GB or Canada couldn't win that other half, would be awesome, if one could steal a qtr final game.

another thing that got me, is when people were posting how japan was tanking their game to avoid an early match with the usa, but swore france didn't do the same in the WC, tanking the germany game. the only difference is japan was tracking the other game live, and france was thinking before hand that the usa would beat sweden.

I think Sweden is in better form than us to be honest and last year 3rd place paly-off went Sweden's way. Not sure our girls like to play against Sweden

i would say it was due to the necib injury, but she has been missing-in-action the whole olympics.

I'm really glad we're finally out of the group stage where the real competition can begin. I just wish that with only 12 teams playing in the Olympics, that 2 additional European teams (Germany and maybe Norway) were chosen over Cameroon and perhaps a playoff match between NZ and Colombia for 1 spot. I don't mind African teams getting more than one spot in the future, but they need to get better results than they did in these Olympics. I just felt that most of the groups were already decided by the 3rd match and teams were resting players and playing for positioning, which made it a bid boring. This would not have happened if 2 additional stronger teams were in the tournament.

As far as the quarterfinals are conecrned, my gut tells me that we'll see a different Marta against Japan. She will leave it all out on the field (no, not Cheney style ) and will probably score at least one goal for her team. This could very well be an overtime game, with Brazil prevailing 2-1.

I truly believe that France is a better team than Sweden, but I really hope that they don't have any mental lapses and allow Schelin to score on a breakaway similar to the 4th US goal. France should win this game, but my gut tells me that Sweden will win 2-1 in regular time.

The US need to score early against NZ in order to coast to a victory. If NZ scores first, then the US could be in trouble. However, I do think the US will probably win 2-0.

The last match between Canada and Great Britain will also go into overtime at 1-1, but GB will win on penalty kicks.

As far as the scoring leaders are concerned, I'm definitely a bit surprised that some of the favorites like Schelin, Marta, Morgan, Delie, Sinclair and others are stuck at 2 goals and way behind Tancredi. I think it's safe to say that at least one of these girls will break out and score some goals.

So you don't think the English pk curse applies to a GB team? Or you think Powell's inappropriate comments about her team after their knock out via pks in the WWC won't impact this group (made up of mostly the same players)? For the GB players' sake, I hope their game does not go to pks.

I get your point, but maybe the crowd effect will help them in OT or the penalty shoot out. I just feel like Canada is being underestimated. They are playing with a lot of heart now, and Sinclair is always dangerous whether via scoring or passing.

Gotcha. Canada's comeback vs Sweden should give them a boost. I'm not underestimating them. I just think the GB team wants to avoid penalties given the history of the England team and (more specifically) what happened last summer. Powell's comments about her players after they were eliminated via pks was highly problematic. And players did not appreciate it.

But they've managed to get a massive win against Brazil in front of a huge crowd. That's something that can really lift them and bond them together. Many congratulations to team GB.

Yah, Brasil had great chances. (I think Cristiane's header hit the vertical part of the left post) USA and New Zealand hit some wood, too.

Also Spain's boys vs Honduras (watch the highlights, you'll scratch your head)

Hence football 2020 will use two sticks like cricket, no net behind them. Hit the wood from any direction. It's a harder shot!

It wasn't Beuhler for the USA blocking Marta from ball that nobody could have gotten to. So why give a red?

Can't wait to see Sonia Bompastor win an academy award for best actress on the pitch

Cross-topical (watching it live): women's volleyball, Brasil's libero Fabí chases a shanked dig 8m behind the baseline, with no angle to get arm power. She deliberately slides down on her left hip and bicycles the 2nd contact perfectly back to the 3m line. Brasil free ball high, soft-block + dig Korea's spike, and tool the block (to tie set 2 at 11-11).

South Korea calls time-out. Fabí takes a victory lap in the huddle. Greatest libero play ever!! (FIVB legalized deliberately kicking the ball a couple of quadrennials ago, positively influenced by beach digs. It's never the best way to play the ball -- except when it is )

This is such a crazy vb play, it will surely become highlight fodder. In two sports!!

23 21 Brasil (defending gold medalists, but in a real dogfight)
25 25 South Korea (the bigger dog so far)

Brasil already lost to USA, and still has to play China. A 2nd loss here would seriously complicate their quarterfinal cross-over ... (a 3rd loss to China and they couldgaspgeteliminated)

23 21 21 Brasil (world #2)
25 25 25 South Korea what ... heck? kick me again Fabí