Two comments: 1 - China looked intimidated through the first two goals 2 - We need match pbp commentators like that here in the US.
In Italy, basically no-one gives a damn about women's football, unless it involves Italian teams (and even then, a lot of people don't care anyway). So, it basically doesn't matter who has the Olympic rights, because they're not going to show women's football anyway. Thanks a lot to those who posted highlights from the missing games!
Judging from these highlights, despite the score China weren't completely outplayed by Brazil: they maybe were in First Half, but it looks like in Second Half they had their fair share of chances and they were quite unlucky not to score at least one (that could have put them back in the game, if scored during the long stint when they were behind by "just" 0-2).
Fatigue, from the absurdly tight schedule, along with the humidity are sure to play a significant role in this tourney. I suppose that's obvious. Team depth and managing player minutes are going to be huge.
The goalscoring record is going to fall if things carry on that way. Encore 28 buts à marquer en 14 matchs et ce sera la meilleure moyenne de l'histoire du tournoi féminin aux JO— footofeminin (@footofeminin) July 24, 2021
I just went looking for the China v. Zambia match highlights, but couldn't find it (yet). But NBC (our broadcaster over here) has the US highlight up. Notice how I say the US highlights, and not the match highlights. What crap they are.
Highlights Japan-Great Britain, Netherlands-Brazil and New Zealand-USA Sweden-Australia Chile-Canada China-Zambia
There were a whopping 31 goals in this last Olympic match-day (if I correctly counted them, that is! ) and, although part of the China-Zambia match's ones are missing (is anyone able to retrieve more complete highlights from that game? ), I want to try selecting a top-3. Does anyone want to join the game? I am afraid my top-3 are all from the same group (F): 1 - Vivianne Miedema's 1st goal vs Brazil: the move she made to get free in the box is something top-players only have the coldness to execute so well under pressure. A goal-machine, but also a technical master. 2 - Barbra Banda's 3rd goal vs China: ok, it's not necessarily the best one of Banda's goals, but it's the one putting Zambia ahead by 4-3, it's a testament to her stubborness and ruthlessness, it's the one completing the record-setting second hat-trick in two games and... you want to know? The dance with the team after that goal was a factor in my selection! Interesting tidbit: currently Banda has just 4 caps in Zambian Senior Team and she scored 9 goals: an average of 2,25 goals per game. 3 - Dominique Janssen vs Brazil: what a masterpiece of a FK! Curved over the wall, powerful, so accurate that even if Barbara had dove so well and so high that she had an hand on it, she could do nothing to stop it from going in just in the upper ninety! Slow clap. Honorable mentions: of the Sweden's goal, I especially liked Fridolina Rölfo's 2nd one vs Australia: it was a fast and very well-taken shot. I didn't feel like awarding any of the US goal, because New Zealand's defending was frankly very poor, but Christen Press' one was maybe the best one of them, by a technical point of view.
Always pleased to see an Umeå* player score. (* once an Umeå player, always an Umeå player, regardless of current club)
Great Britain winning Group E? Didn't have that. Japan hasn't looked their best but they should get by Chile in their last game. Netherlands should win Group F based on GD, but Brazil could also score 10+ against Zambia. QUARTERFINALS: Great Britain vs. Australia Sweden vs. Canada Netherlands vs. United States Japan vs. Brazil
These would all be interesting matches. Australia has some good players and is capable of beating Great Britain. The Matilidas played a good first half against Sweden, but then fell apart in the 2nd. The Aussies just can't seem to put complete games together and I'd have to give GB the nod. Canada is good defensively but I don't think has enough in attack to beat a Sweden team that has more scoring threats and is clicking in this tournament. The Dutch don't seem ready to beat the U.S. They've lost the last two times they've played the Americans. The Netherlands are somewhat shaky in the back--with young, inexperienced players at outside back and centerback--and while their midfield is good, it doesn't match up well with the burly U.S. midfield, especially with Ertz seemingly healthy. Based on current form I give Brazil a slight advantage over a Japan team that is hard to break down but has looked pretty pedestrian going forward. But it wouldn't surprise me to see the host team raise its play with the stakes high.
First Jocasta peeks in. Now Hagabo. I miss the heyday of the Women's Rivalry Forum Or I could have reported you four times for false and misleading advertisements... All of them are geoblocked in the US, at least they are for me (Boo! Hiss!)
Everyone reps me, but no-one joins the game? Or it's the fact that you unconditionally all agree with my selection of goals? It would be a first time on a football forum, having all people agree on anything... Anyway... with a little research in Chinese, I managed to at least find all of Wang Shuang's goals: actually, the deflection on the third one appears so determinant that I am not sure that I wouldn't have called an own-goal: probably Wang Shuang's shot was anyway framed, but I am not 100% sure. Although I sure understand the narrative of giving all of the Chinese goals to the same player. https://www.bilibili.com/s/video/BV1CP4y1s7EC Now, if only I somehow had access to Zambian media (anyone does?) we could retrieve all of Barbra Banda's goals also!
I actually found a Zambian news website that had a video, but it was removed by the IOC! The only thing that I currently found out is an Eurosport video having some different-angle views of Banda's last goal and it seems to me it's anyway worth posting: https://www.eurosport.de/fussball/o...reibt-damit-geschichte_vid1508499/video.shtml
Are you sure that this is the correct link? I can`t see a video. I would have to watch the goals again but during the Olympic Games I might have not enough time (After 17 hours of Olympic Games every day I need some sleep.).
Wow, IOC already managed to tear down the video already: they're really relentless! I've only managed to find this other one, but the actions are vertically cut and frankly useless (you can somehow guess the deflection on the third goal, though): https://www.bilibili.com/s/video/BV1Q44y1y7En
Unless something strange happens in BRA-ZAM, the quarterfinals are set: Great Britain vs. Australia Sweden vs. Japan Netherlands vs. USA Canada vs. Brazil
Australia hasn't looked their best this tournament, but I can still see them upsetting GB. Sweden should get by Japan and same from Brazil over Canada. The US-Netherlands match is the one to watch.
I am hoping for US and the three Swedish lead team in Semis. Although for further slot assignmnets it wouldn't be bad if GB and the Netherlands reached Semis.
Based on GD, Zambia will finish third in Group F and 9th overall. 9. Zambia 10. China 11. Chile 12. New Zealand