He described what as a crime--the game, the way the Swiss played? Maybe it's because national teams aren't used to playing a two-leg playoff contest.
They usually play each other twice in qualifying, it's about the same. He didn't describe anything as a crime, German uses the word "Krimi" to describe a "thriller" game for some unknown reason. He was calling the game a "thriller" Full time | 🇨🇭 🆚 🇧🇪 1-1#SUIBEL #FIFAWWC#REDTOGETHER 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/EgAYw7UAxo— Belgian Red Flames (@BelRedFlames) October 9, 2018
I was disappointed by the number of fans, a mere 5700, in the stadium. It must be a treat for those teams to play away against the Orange lionesses, with a full stadium and firy spirit.
Maybe a later kickoff in Denmark would've helped a little. It was 18:00 CEST in Viborg, possibly influenced by TV. But Denmark-Sweden kicked off an hour earlier there, and got "8,182" (says Wikileakier*) ...so, ??? More rivalry, sunny weather... * Wikipedia
The KNVB has to decide in which stadium to play the match against Switzerland. They're not keen on playing in the Johan Cruijff Arena or the Feyenoord "Kuip". They think that's too ambitious, stadiums of 50 000 seats. So I guess it will be the FC Twente stadium.
The World Cup has already been stsined/two of the best current players in the world Pernile Harder & Ewa Pajor, aren't going to be in it!
They need to expand the World Cup to 32 nations. North Korea Denmark Switzerland/Netherlands Belgium Iceland Costa Rica Colombia Argentina/Jamaica won't be in it for 2019, and they would be good additions to the 24 we'll get. Those teams above won't water down the current field of 24 all that much.
I could be wrong, but it seemed to me that the player who saved that ball on the goal-line in the action you described was Lieke Martens. After failing to clear the box in the match vs Norway and basically taking the blame for that goal, this time she probably wanted to make sure to grab that ball and to send it miles away from the goal! Speaking about Dekker and Nadim, there was a moment in the middle of second half when there was quite a friction between the two players: Dekker made a foul on Nadim while heading a ball in the midfield, and the Danish player subsequently was seen having quite a lot of things to say to her marker. Not very kind words, judging by her expression... Well, choosing to play Beerensteyn over Midema required some guts from the coach, not because Beerensteyn wasn't already known as a good player, but because Miedema was one of the "sacred cows" from the Euro-winning team and one of the most symbolic players: in the end, it revealed the correct move, since Beerenseyn scored three goals in two games. Maybe Miedema could've done the same, but we'll never know and these are just "if"s: it's a fact that benching her was a bold move, but it paid in gold, and I like when coaches make this kind of brave moves despite the fact that they goes against the public expectation, because they know better what's needed for the good of the team in that particular moment. Slow clap!
In the thread in the Dutch forum I already predicted the line up as it was as I expected coach Wiegmans to go for the speed of Beerensteyn and a sub in of Miedema to make her run against Danish tired legs..
Yes it's a shame. Especially Pernille Harder could have added so much to the World Cup and tonight she kept Denmark's hopes alive almost alone. There will always be stars (especially from European NTs) who will be deprived of the World Cup stage (for one edition or permanently), because they play for some marginal or middle-of-the-pack countries. At least, this time Kim Little made it, for instance (one of the world-beaters who had missed it the last time around). I anyway hope that Netherlands will make it, since they're not a "one-player-team": they have quite a number or world-level players that would deserve to be there. On the contrary, I don't feel like Switzerland has the same number of important figures to offer who actually "need" to be represented at the World Cup. Dickenmann is very good but I guess she's somehow past her prime, by now. Bachmann, in my eyes, has always been a big bluff and basically never showed up in big games: I am curious to see if she will do this time, but I don't believe so.
It WAS gutsy to start Beerensteyn instead of Miedema--not only because Miedema was one of the stars of the Europ championship for the Netherlands but also because she's been playing very well for Arsenal and is one of the best finishers in the women's game: you get her the ball in our around the box and if she finds room to shoot there is a very good chance the ball is in the back of the net--and Miedema is a two-footed striker: she can whelp the ball from 15 yards or more with either foot, something a lot of strikers cannot do. I assume she's healthy because she played late in both games, but who knows. The switch wasn't so risky in the sense that Beerensteyn has showed over the last year or two that is a very good player herself with a style very different from Miedema's; she is strong and fast and has good ball skills and plays very much like Sam Kerr, IMO, whereas Meidema is tall and lanky and relies on good movement (and getting good service) to score. If I'm the Dutch coaching staff, I'm thinking about how, if need be, I can play both Beerensteyn and Miedema. Think of a situation as in the final group qualifier against Norway, when the Dutch were down a goal and needed a score to advance: I'd consider moving to a three back and playing Beerensteyn in an attacking, forward-lying midfield role behind Miedema, in maybe a 3-4-3 formation; that could be pretty formidable.
It would be great if the match would be played in Amsterdam or Rotterdam but you are probably right about not being able to sell all 50K seats. I think the Twente stadium is the fourth largest in the country, correct (seats 30K)? That's a decent size arena for this match.
It was neither gutsy nor surprising when you saw the tactics that Wiegman employed in both matches. They used a high pressure game against Denmark to disrupt the build up and minimize what the two slow center backs would have to do in terms of defending. Miedema cannot play that type of game and is a traditional Dutch #9. As the game went on it looked as though they shifted to a 4-4-2 with Beerensteyn and van de Sanden up front and Martens dropping back as a winger on the left to do more defensive duties and help out with Harder who likes to be on the right side. Tactically Wiegman got everything just right while Søndergaard couldn't find a way to solve this approach and you saw his frustration during the match.
What's with Van Veenendaal? She hasn't played in quite a long time--not for Arsenal and not for the national team. What's her injury?
Arsenal do not communicate much on players' injury. I believe she is not fit to play but has no match fitness after missing out so many games.
The play-off match between Netherlands and Switzerland in Utrecht (9 November) sold out the 23 750 tickets in two hours.
The Dutch fans are really good, if they could come to League games and the Dutch FA make an effort to support the League...
Uhm, it was within 0.5 hour! To be exactly, 26 minutes. Galgenwaard binnen halfuur uitverkocht voor Oranje Leeuwinnen De voetbalsters van Oranje spelen op vrijdag 9 november (20.00 uur) in een uitverkocht Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht tegen Zwitserland in de heenwedstrijd tegen Zwitserland voor een ticket voor het WK 2019 in Frankrijk. Minne Groenstege 19-10-18, 12:40 Laatste update: 12:52 De 23.750 kaartjes voor de wedstrijd in Stadion Galgenwaard waren binnen 26 minuten uitverkocht. De return in Zwitserland is op dinsdag 13 november. De KNVB gaat de komende tijd onderzoeken of de Nederlandse voetbalsters hun duels voortaan ook in De Kuip of Johan Cruijff Arena kunnen gaan spelen. The KNVB, according to AD Sportwereld is having a look whether matches in the big stadiums Feyenoord's "Kuip" or Ajax's Arena is to be considered next time.
Although next time there won't be a WWC qualification in line, so it is possible that the numbers will be lower...