Canada (John Herdman): Tancredi for #8 Diana Matheson; Wilkinson for LB #2 Allysha Chapman (and Lawrence flips to LB). ~~~~~~~~ 16 Janine Beckie, 12© Christine Sinclair, 14 Melissa Tancredi 11 Desiree Scott, 13 Sophie Schmidt, 17 Jessie Fleming 10 Ashley Lawrence, 4 Shelina Zadorsky, 3 Kadeisha Buchanan, 7 Rhian Wilkinson 1 Stephanie Labbé Germany (Silvia Neid): Identical! 11 Anja Mittag 9 Alexandra Popp, 10 Dzsenifer Marozsán, 16 Melanie Leupolz 13 Sara Däbritz, 7 Melanie Behringer 12 Tabea Kemme, 3© Saskia Bartusiak, 5 Annike Krahn, 4 Leonie Maier 1 Almuth Schult
03' 0-0 Midfield ping duel. Buchanan backpasses to Labbé. Germany defend across circle back, with Mittag and Popp(?) interchanging chasing duties at circle top. 04' 0-0 Buchanan chips upfield, intercepted. Germany swarm slowly to arc top, test box top right, square pass cleared away. 14' 0-0 Canada fk at circle top wide left, sailed high to 7m 1/3 left. Schult comes out and catches on top of Sinclair(?)'s head. 16' 0-0 Germany counter, send Leupolz through box top mid-right to 15m. Leupolz's feet slip out as she plants to shoot, Zadorsky(?) blocks over endline right. 16' 0-0 Germany right ck, back to box top wide right? Chip to 5m 1/3 right, over Labbé -- Sinclair(?) heads ball away at own 3m. 17' 0-0 Germany left throw-in, toward Popp backshielding at box top mid-left. Buchanan jumps over Popp's back, heads away, drives Popp into the grass. Däbritz(?) collects and cuts to arc top wide left, tripped. Foul on Canada for the trip? Stoppage for Popp, she limps into near touch.
I don't even know who to cheer for now. I guess I'll go for the CONCACAF team left. Go, Canada! (I hope my cheering is not the kiss of death for them.)
I would like canada to win after being cheated by the americans in 2012, but i do have a hardspot for the panzer girl Lena Goessling
Gosh Buchanan is so reckless. Had calls gone against her this could be her third or fourth penalty conceded this tournament. In the future Herdman may want to consider moving her to forward. Her physical play would be less of a liability there. And she used to be a striker.
20' 0-0 Germany pass long down box mid-left, Popp chases, Buchanan comes inside-out and slides way behind ball, trips Popp from the right flank. Foul, penalty, yellow card on Buchanan. 21' 0-1 Behringer pk, right instep to 1/3 left high haaaard (Labbé dove wrong). 23' 0-1 Mittag holds up at arc top mid-left, taps back to Popp at 22m arc left. Popp steps into it, one-touch left foot blast across mouth, just over right 90.
Just watched the PK (Italian feed had a little delay, it seems) and I have to say that I've probably never seen a... how can I put it?... a so clear, straight in the face, no-doubt-at-all PK. The players were so clearly in the box and Buchanan wasn't even close to touch the ball: she went straight for Popp's ankles. Although it's not like the German had a so neat angle at shot: I wonder, how in the world Buchanan could believe that she could have got away with such an action?
If she is going to be a world class defender (as is often purported), she needs to use her head more. Popp was going away from goal when Buchanan chopped her down.
34' 0-1 Beckie chases down wide right, long backpass? Lawrence runs on at 27m ~arc left, shoots a rocket to center head-high, Schult catches. 36' 0-1 Beckie chases to 4m wide right, taps off Kemme and over. 36' 0-1 Beckie(!) right ck, ground pass to 12m mid-right, cleared to 23m center. Somebody slides to ball and dumps it toward box left. Germany clear up wide right, Canada ping across circle back. 37' 0-1 Canada through-ball from ~mid-left bounces past spot, Schmidt chases to 8m right post but shielded off, Schult steps out and clears into near touch. 39' 0-1 Kemme fouls Beckie at midfield box right. Brief stoppage as Beckie gets up slowly, no card. 40' 0-1 Canada fk just past midfield box right, to arc tangent left, deflects wide left over 6-left foot. 41' 0-1 Off the gk, Germany flick long to box top arc right, almost get a 2-v-0 breakthrough -- but Buchanan slide-clears.
Hard to imagine a poorer decision. What was she thinking? Or perhaps that assumes facts not in evidence.
43' 0-1 Canada spin(?) past Maier at box top left touch, alone to 2m box left. Cross to Tancredi in the 3m left post scrum, bounces away to 7m. Left roundhouse shot shanked into a soft pop-up, Tancredi jumps away and volleys to keep it alive -- but she's offside. 45' 0-1 Maier crosses from 2m box right, Labbé catches at 1m right post. 45' 0-1 Beckie crosses from ~14m wide right to 8m 6-right, Bartusiak heads over endline. +1'. 45+1' (of +1') 0-1 Canada right ck, to 7m 6-left, Buchanan(?) heads past Schult to goalline 1/3 right, Kemme on goalline heads away. HT 0-1.
Canada is even worse at breaking bunkers than Brazil, so with some judicious defending by Germany, this is probably over.
I could use a thrilling goal frenzy (i.e. USA-Canada in 2012) to cheer me up, but alas I don't think this tournament has much excitement or thrills left in it.
46' 0-1 Germany subs in (1 of 3) #8 Lena Goeßling for #10 Dzsenifer Marozsán. 47' 0-1 Canada heavily foul somebody? Stoppage, German player down holding left shin/ankle, players gathered around. I dunno, I was trimming a chicken ... 52' 0-1 Beckie spins past Leupolz to 14m wide left, pushed down by a forearm across her right kidney. Foul. 53' 0-1 Beckie(?) fk at 14m just outside box left, served not-great to 7m right post, nobody there and Germany head away. 58' 0-1 Canada fk at 37m box right, to 16m mid-right, scuffed around. Schmidt shoots way wide right?
Soccer may be entering a new defensive period, like back in the late 80s. Happens from time to time. I blame Barcelona for it. Their possession-at-all-costs style, plus patiently waiting for the Error while passing the ball around in the rival's area, forced teams to re-assess defense and play in such a way that all holes are plugged.
This next cycle, all women's soccer teams the world over need to practice finishing. This whole tournament it has been absolutely woeful.
Kudos to Sara Däbritz, one of the few players to consistently play creative, enterprising, technically sound soccer this Olympics.
59' 0-2 Germany counter up wide right, Leupolz(?) passes from 35m to 27m center. Mittag spins 360 cw, lays off to Däbritz trailing at arc top mid-left. Däbritz cuts inside to box top arc left, shoots hard right instep pull past Buchanan, past Labbé's dive, just inside left post, into back left low. Fast and precise. 60' 0-2 Canada subs in (1 of 3) #8 Diana Matheson for RB #7 Rhian Wilkinson. 67' 0-2 Matheson flies down wide right to 5m, cross blocked back to 8m box right. Matheson outhustles 1 to it, Germany stop to appeal for ball-to-arm? No call, Matheson bends a short cross to 7m 3-right for Sinclair, ball rattles through 2 and Sinclair steps through the line. Krahn stretch-pokes ball over endline right. 68' 0-2 Canada soft chip to Matheson already at 8m mid-right, she cuts back to left foot and snaps a shot to right post waist-high -- Schult catches it clean.