Gold Medal Match: Sweden v. Germany

Not sure about time conversion: does it start in an half-hour?

 

Boooooo!!!!!! We don't wanna watch "cowards" play!
"The best team" in the world is not in the final.
Boooohoooo!!

 

It starts in about 70 minutes.

 

Oh, ok, then I messed up with daylights savings.

Better, I can finish watching water-polo (although Italy is losing ).

 

Starting XI:

Germany: Schult, Bartusiak (C), Maier, Krahn, Behringer, Popp, Marozsan, Mittag, Kemme, Dabritz, Leupolz

Sweden: Lindahl, Sembrant, Fischer, Dahlkvist, Schelin, Asllani, Jakobsson, Schough, Samuelsson, Rubensson, Seger (C)

 

Quite right. It's a good thing Ryan Lochte is not in the final.

 

Nike is ready and with a SWE victory they will unveil the new "Cowards Just Do It" t-shirts.

 

Does Sweden come out and surprise everyone by playing attacking and open? Or more of the same?
In a neutral contest I typically will cheer for the most entertaining team to win, but Sweden has lost to Germany so many times (Euro 2001 final, 2003 World Cup final, Euro 2013 semifinal, World Cup 2015 round of 16) you sort of feel bad for them.

 

I'd like to see an 4-3 entertaining match to whoever.

 

Does Bartusiak always play with socks worn so high that it looks like she's wearing pyjamas?

 

Sweden should stick with the tactics that got them here. Germany's backline is at least as vulnerable to the counterattack as the US and Brazil -- and that seems to be the opinion of Germany fans here and Equalizer as well.

Sweden's built up just enough good will for me over the years that they're one team I can stand seeing adopt the bunker. But it's not so good for the neutral viewers.

 

Ch26: Sweden - Germany

Sweden (Pia Sundhage): Schough for #11 Stina Blackstenius; Jakobsson for #14 Emilia Appelqvist.
8 Lotta Schelin, 10 Sofia Jakobsson, 12 Olivia Schough
17© Caroline Seger, 7 Lisa Dahlkvist, 9 Kosovare Asllani
16 Elin Rubensson, 3 Linda Sembrant, 5 Nilla Fischer, 15 Jessica Samuelsson
1 Hedvig Lindahl

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

 

I was totally joking; trying to be humorous with words from Solo, hence the quotes.

 

05' 0-0 Jakobsson(?) chases through 6m box right, Bartusiak puts it over.

06' 0-0 Asllani right ck, to 7m center, headed left and cleared.

07' 0-0 Behringer turns to 5m wide right, cross blocked over (Rubensson).

07' 0-0 Behringer right ck, outswing to 10m mid-right, nobody there but Sweden. Poor clearance high to arc top mid-right, Maier poorer one-touch chip even higher, wide right.

08' 0-0 LB Rubensson overlaps down wide left to 10m, ball poked over endline.

09' 0-0 Schelin(?) left ck, high to 9m 1/3 left, headed and flicked away. Sweden tack back, Maier long switch left -- lost. Schough chips from midfield box right, Schelin runs on and it's a footrace -- through box top right to 6m mid-right. Ground cross to 6-top right into a sliding 1-v-1 volley poked wide right. Schelin vs. Germany's CBs might be worth watching, after all

11' 0-0 Leupolz turns down wide right to 8m, ground cross through 5m skips through Lindahl's gloves. Nobody running left post lane.

12' 0-0 Sweden chip up circle right, Jakobsson offside again.

 

Last time Sweden beat Germany in a major tournament, Neid and Sundhage were on the field.

 

Hey, Sweden is attacking? What's that???

 

Despite past results, Sweden don't seem to fear Germany as much as USA or Brazil. Familiarity factor perhaps? A recognition that this is not a great Germany team?

 

Soapy-hands Lindhal is a disaster waiting to happen.... she's going to make a major blunder before the end: she was already going to do that.

 

Or perhaps they fear going to penalties with Germany, who almost never loose PK shoot outs.

 

My god, that's the maximum speed Krahn can produce? She looks like a slug...

 

Judging from speculation in Swedish press based on hints from team and coach the German team is unlike US and Brazil "disciplined and cynical" enough to bust the Swedish bunker so another gameplan was in order.

 

15' 0-0 Kemme chips from 30m mid-left to 5m 1/3 right, Popp offside in the box -- part of a contested 2-v-2 jump at 6-top, ball bounces off their backs leftward and Lindahl dives on it.

17' 0-0 Germany long serve from ~25m wide left to 14m mid-right, cleared. Sweden longball up wide left, Jakobsson offside.

18' 0-0 Mittag turn-and-shoots at 24m right post, Lindahl blocks at right post, drops it between her knees but collects.

19' 0-0 Sweden chip to box top mid-left, just too far, Schult comes up and collects. Sweden regain, chip from ~30m box right toward box top mid-left, Schelin is in behind watching over her shoulder -- Schult comes out to arc top, dive-heads clear, Schelin trips backward over her.

20' 0-0 Kemme spins away through box left back to 12m mid-left, chips to 4m 1/3 right. Leupolz outjumps Rubensson(?), twist-heads over bar.

21' 0-0 Mittag drives down box right, slide-tackled over endline.

22' 0-0 Behringer right ck, to 7m 1/4 left, headed left. Kemme nutmegs Jakobsson at box top left touch and cuts inside past her, trips self on Jakobsson's trailing left heel. Ball rolls directly to Däbritz at 9m wide left, she cuts inside to 13m mid-left and shoots way wide right. After the play, yellow card on Jakobsson.

 

Kate Margraf is terrible. Bring back Danielle, damn it!

Sweden and those jitterbug jerseys. Jackobsson and that gigantic #10 gets me each time. LMAO.

 

Germany's finishing not looking sharp so far. Sweden's goal has continuously led a charmed life in the knockout rounds.