It is not so much "clean" as it is slow and boring. If both teams are playing slow it is hard to get fouled or to foul.
45' 0-0 Rolfö stretches for a challenge, Scott slide-pokes ball away, Rolfö lands right cleats on Scott's left foot, bending it sprainward. Foul, yellow card on Rolfö, crowd boos loudly. +1'. 45+1' (of +1') 0-0 Beckie races Eriksson(?) to box right foot, stretches a foot across Eriksson to wave at ball, crashes hard into endzone, stays down a bit. Eriksson helps her up. HT 0-0. Sweden 3(0)-(0)0 shots(sog), 2-4 corners, 1-1 offsides, 3-2 fouls, 14-3 tackles, 24-8 clearances, 39% possession , 69% (117/169) - (216/279) 77% passing. Sweden revert to their resolute defense and let Canada have the space.
I want to bet about even the penalty shootout being 0-0. They will have to recur to flipping a coin to decide who advances.
I swapped Giuliani for Labbé as a starter in my Fantasy football team, because I was fearing the speed of Swedish attacker; I should have kept Labbé in my goal: no-one is going to score here!
Sprinklers! It's hot today! 29°C = 84°F! Half time #CANWNT #FIFAWWC #SWECAN https://t.co/eoWEnvJLH2 pic.twitter.com/TKNHsafZRo— hsheriff (@hsheriff_) June 24, 2019 Triste première mi-temps... on attend la deuxième pour que les 2 équipes se libèrent un peu. #SWECAN pic.twitter.com/LiDPwoeCr7— Thomas Beker (@ThomasBeker_) June 24, 2019 #PSG #SWECAN pic.twitter.com/KcQY834Kgr— Raynah Fernandes (@Lonerinyouryard) June 24, 2019 Lovely evening for it! ⚽️#SWECAN 🇸🇪🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/3DNdkkLQS5— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 24, 2019
Well, Gilmoy pointed out the reason why this is a boring game...both teams come from countries with low temps, these 29C games are just too sweltering for them to have any active gameplay!!!!
Actually, Canada beat Sweden in the Algarve Cup (3rd place match for Bronze) 6-5 on penalties. Who would've thought?
50' 0-0 Sweden hold a lengthy siege at box top right. Glas drives down box right, Beckie digs ball away. Jakobsson drives down box right and veers into 5m mid-right, Chapman recovers and blocks ball over endline right. 51' 0-0 Eriksson right ck, to 5m center, Labbé punches away. Buchanan spins ccw inside Rubensson and escapes up deep left touch, Rubensson tugs her down by a shoulder. Foul for that. 52' 0-0 Sinclair crosses from 30m box left to box top mid-left, headed away. Sinclair collects and passes to Beckie at 26m right post, Beckie shoots high wide right, Asllani slides across her front and dings her right shooting toes siedways. Foul, Beckie stays down in a four-point stance (knee, hands, forehead) for a bit. 53' 0-0 Sinclair fk at 26m 2-right, right instep shot around the 3-wall, stays wide right.
Blackstenius pulling back to avoid the offside while keeping herself right in place for a through ball there was pure intelligence.
Well, what I meant was that it was a very wise move to take Labbé off my Fantasy football team. Isn't that what I said?
55' 1-0 Beckie passes from circle top wide right to 35m arc right, intercepted by Rubensson(?). Quick pass to Asllani at circle left, Scott goes for a steal and misses. Asllani counters fast to 28m mid-left, rolls a perfect cross behind Zadorsky, outswinging to 12m 3-right. Labbé comes out and slides down, Blackstenius wins race and mini-chips over her, chest-bumps self and Zadorsky over Labbé into a 3-person pile, ball drops into center back low. The counter was fast, but Asllani's pass was 1-diameter perfect behind Zadorsky, just out of her reach. SWEDEN TAKE THE LEAD! 🇸🇪Blackstenius beats Labbé to Asllani's cross and puts it in for her first #FIFAWWC goal. pic.twitter.com/oq0yHXTCZs— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 24, 2019 #FrauenWM #SWECAN Sweden takes the lead - 1:0 pic.twitter.com/gyFNqRmTyF— Mike Law (@Birdsofbangkok) June 24, 2019
That was one of the two or tree most horrible decisions/plays by a goalkeeper in this tournament. She had enough time to call out for pizza and then eat half of it before she needed to get to the ball. She took all of that and the time to go to the fridge for a beer. Even then she should have saved but she went in standing nearly straight up instead of going through the ball with her hands. There was several other stupidities leading up to the goal but the ball should have been easily controlled by the keeper. HORRIBLE goalkeeping.
Canada has 2 shots compared to 4 shots by Sweden...It's time Canada stops building the team around Sinclair and let her retires in honor...