What is your greek-to-me-language when you dont understand a thing? For more info, check this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_to_me
That's quite surprising how many languages have an idiom that targets either Spanish or Chinese as their "I don't get it"... And Spanish in particular strikes me as odd considering how common Romance languages are.
Which languages use Spanish as their "Greek"? Actually no-one has hit "Spanish" yet in the poll from this thread. Edit: nevermind: I now read it on the Wiki page that was linked. (By the way, props to @footyfan933 for finding an odd way to stimulate the discussion on a thread before we even talk about the game itself ).
🇨🇳 #China: 12-Peng Shimeng; 6-Han Peng, 5-Wu Haiyan (C), 3-Lin Yuping, 2-Liu Shanshan; 7-Wang Shuang, 13-Wang Yan, 20-Zhang Rui, 17-Gu Yasha; 10-Li Ying, 11-Wang Shanshan. #SteelRoses #CHN pic.twitter.com/CqO4G3wzZF— China Women's Football - 中国女足 (@CHNWNT) June 17, 2019 🚨 ¡YA TENEMOS EL ONCE CON EL QUE BUSCAREMOS HACER HISTORIA Y CLASIFICARNOS PARA OCTAVOS POR PRIMERA VEZ! 🚨🇨🇳-🇪🇸 #CHNESP @FIFAWWC ▶️⏰18:00h#JugarLucharYGanar pic.twitter.com/TaT6vCF6UT— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) June 17, 2019
Spain had a pair decent chances in these first 10 minutes, but China is not refusing to attack anyway.
China PR: Identical, but 4-4-2 instead of 5-3-1, with #13 Wang Yan and #20 Zhang Rui as HMs. Spain: Liela for RB Marta (and Corredera => RB); Patri Guijarro for Alexia; Lucia García for Meseguer.
Wang Shang Shang had an injury, but after medications and a bandage to the ankle she's back on the pitch. She's potentially one of China's main threats, but of course at HT the coach will have to assess if it's really ok for her to continue. Meanwhile not much happening: Spain's shots come, but no-one of them seems to be on frame...
And once again, at 34', a speculative shot way high over the crossbar by Spain: almost looks like they shoot because "they have to", not because they're really willing and persuaded that they can score!
Finally Hermoso manages to frame an header, but it's so tame that the keeper can catch it. Spain attack all the time and possess, but they're toothless. China seem content to defend. A pre-destined 0-0 if there ever was one. I must admit at this point that I'd be quite surprised if the final score would be different. I chose to watch the match that had more at stake, but all of the goals are happening in the other one.
08' 0-0 Hermoso left throw-in at 7m, throw-and-go off Mariona down wide left to 3m, left outstep between 2 to Mariona, to 14m wide left. Mariona crosses to 5m 1/3 left, Peng dives out, L.García front-cuts LB Liu Shanshan and hop-volleys, ball glances off left foottop and lands just wide right low. Peng gets credit for that by completely changing García's shot difficulty. Just wide!!!Some nice build up play between Hermoso and Caldentey sets up the cross that nearly puts Spain out in front. pic.twitter.com/GlESUyOp7A— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2019 39' 0-0 L.García backpass to Torrecilla at box top wide right, she touches forward to 15m wide right, crosses to 10m right post. Hermoso heads down to right post low, Peng dives horizontal and catches it cleanly. What a save by Shimeng Peng!She blocks Hermoso's header and keeps things scoreless in the first half. pic.twitter.com/a1Ogj6IfdN— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2019
HT 0-0. China 0(0)-(2)9 shots(sog), 0-0 corners, 1-1 offsides, 6-8 fouls, 9-14 clearances, 38% possession, 67% (121/181) - (242/308) 79% passing. Spain's possession is strangling China's offense. When China do have it, their back-and-forth wide passing for surprise crosses can go long stretches without winning corners or getting shots, and it can lull a defense into thinking there's no threat. (Then suddenly, an unexpected cross from a run going away, to an unexpected inside cut, and bam!)
Apparently, Spain is dominating, but out of their 9 shots, just 2 were on target and no-one actually very dangerous. their ponderous possession is relatively harmless. China, despite their 0 shots, could be a well orchestreted counter-attack away from blowing up Spain's staid architecture.
Spain played well--completely bossed the first half and had a couple of decent chances. Thought the Spanish player could have/should have gotten a stronger foot on that cross. Of course Spain's dominance was partly due to the fact that China, when it plays a solid/good opponent, tends to sit back and be defensive and then look for chances to counter. As Gilmoy notes, like most counter-attacking teams, China can lull the possession-superior opponent into complacency at times and then pounce--that has been their pattern of play for quite some time--and they are capable of scoring on the counter. It's hard to to score against a well-organized team that sits back, but that is Spain's challenge today.
I wouldn't call their possession "ponderous" at all--it has been very impressive. One can say that Spain lacks a cutting edge in attack---but it's also true that it is very hard to score against a well-organized team that's got 9 players, at least, behind the ball much of the time. We see this in football all the time. It's math--as there are more defenders than attackers.
46' 0-0 China PR subs in (1 of 3) #9 Yang Li for #11 Wang Shanshan. 46' 0-0 Spain subs in (1 of 3) #21 Andrea Falcon for #9 Mariona Caldentey. 52' 0-0 Corredera passes out of own left corner, to Hermoso(?) 1-v-2 at own 30m right touch, almost trapped. Backheel up right touch springs a counter to midfield box right, L.García through-ball sends Nahikari 5m behind the line, through box top mid-right to 14m. Right instep shot on the run, wrong angle, wide left low through 6-left foot. 55' 0-0 China PR subs in (2 of 3) #16 Li Wen for #9 Wang Shuang.
You can be right about Spain's possession, but their disappointing finishing could cost them dearly at this World Cup. We have just seen Spain in a nutshell: a wonderfull back-heel pass by Hermoso to elude two Chinese players in Spain's half, a good run in Chinese half, a promising pass to Nahikari Garcia and... a weak shot wide off by one mile! Just complete these beautiful actions with decent shots!
So in the end Wang Shanshan had to give up. Could have been an important weapon for Chinese potential counter-attacks.
Waiting for FIFA to step in here and say “Umm... we’ve decided that neither of you are good enough to advance.”
They need to rework this. Having 16 of 24 teams advance is ridiculous and makes group play nearly pointless. It should be 6 winners and 6 second place with best 4 getting a bye. Neither of these teams are good enough to advance at World Cup level. And then take a team like Brazil. Choking against AUS should put them under pressure, but it doesn’t. They will advance regardless