I watched Fox halftime show. Alexi Lalas did not just blame Naeher...He also criticized Becky S. for not getting rid of the ball properly after she got the ball from Naeher... About changing the goalkeeper...Ask Coach Greg Ryan about that...He was the USWNT coach for 2007 WWC... About changing goalkeepers...I remember one game in 2014 Men's WC in Brazil. Dutch coach changed the goalkeeper when it was time for the penalty shootout...
58' 1-1 USA pass in the back, Spain's press is at circle top. Mewis dribbles through them up wide left to 35m, Torrecilla blocks ball off her foot 2-v-1. Ertz lunges at it, gets undercut and stays down momentarily. 60' 1-1 USA fk at 32m arc left, square pass right, delayed serve partially blocked high and drops at 12m mid-left. Dunn outworks Corredera(?) at 5m box left, darts into 3m mid-left, cross blocked away. Lavelle shoots from arc top left, just over bar. Best chance of the 2nd half so far falls to Rose Lavelle, but her rip from distance goes just over. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/p4YfysHuCW— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 24, 2019
Lavelle's final ball is still poor, but she's having a blinder of a game. She's winning the space battle repeatedly.
U.S defenders are now two-handed shoving Spain's attackers off the ball. At least the ref is consistent with her no-calls.
Alexi is an a$#. That was on Naeher and other defenders failing to stay until ball was cleared. Sauerbraun probably had zero expectation that the keeper would pass the ball to her in that moment. Other spain player was unmarked because other defenders were already transitioning.
Got the ball first, was unfortunate to make contact with the American player. Studs were up but at or below the ball level. No foul in my book. But, the ref forum might clarify. take this to them
Yes, here Patri Guijarro almost scored. Alarm bell for USA? If they don't score soon I see Spain beating them with the next shot.
61' 1-1 Spain get past Dahlkemper too high at box top left touch. O'Hara recovers on the inside, Ertz intercepts at own box top mid-right, outlet pass left blocked into far touch. 62' 1-1 Mewis(?) underhits a cross from 30m box left toward arc tangent left, intercepted. Spain are letting Morgan run up the centerline, and they play to deny the service. 63' 1-1 L.García slips a pass from box top wide right to Guijarro at 13m mid-right, she cuts past Ertz to 7m mid-right and shoots across mouth, just misses Nahikari at right post, just past Naeher's dive, juuuust wide left low. Those slip passes for crosses are beating us.
66' 1-1 Spain switch to L.García unmarked to 15m mid-right, one-touch right roundhouse volley try is way high wide right. 66' 1-1 Mewis passes down wide left, Rapinoe wasn't making the run. 68' 1-1 Ertz intercepts across midfield box right, pass up wide right somewhat surprises Morgan -- she accelerates to chase it. One-touch cross for Heath up centerline, deflected ahead into box and Paños collects. Heath is in the center now, Morgan is on the right.
Spain is getting into their attacking third more often over the past 10 or 15 minutes... USA is just not being very sharp. ....and as I type, penalty to the US.
Finally a foul called in the attacking part of the field, and a relatively ticky-tack one compared to earlier clear fouls.
Was there any contact on that play? I didn't see any--but hard to tell. It couldn't have been much. At most she clipped her foot a little. You can't make that call--it was not enough, if it was anything. Glad she is at least looking at it. BS call.
No foul if you didn't have an intention to hit the player and got the ball first... A tackle is permitted, contact with a player due to the carrying moment of the challenge is OK. I see this type of contact every week on EPL games. Had the Spanish player missed the ball or had her feet too high it would be a Yellow C. But again this is my understanding of the game. An actual ref might tell us otherwise
69' 1-1 Spain cross from the right to 6-top center, Naeher catches high. USA longball up centerline misses Heath, Paños gathers. 70' 1-1 USA cross to arc top left, Morgan (back in the center) flick-heads to nobody at 15m mid-right. Heath pressures, Leila(?) clears into near touch. 71' 1-1 Dunn crosses from 6m wide left to Morgan facing away at 9m 6-left. Morgan can't gather the high bounce, Lavelle chases center-to-left, shin-flicks ball leftward, Torrecilla stretches knee-high right foot for same ball and makes contact with Lavelle's right leg, Lavelle stumbles down. Foul, penalty 73' 1-1 VAR check, R1 goes to monitor ...