taking chances equals more running... and high altitude in Colombia doesn't do much favors here imo European teams already show some sings of struggle by playing high octane 15-20 mins (while trying to score by all means) and then switch to rigid, conservative tactics and compact defensive shape. Aussies also seem to look low on fuel...
I would say that they were not low on "fuel" as they looked no better at the start of the match. They are low on skill and i wonder how the qualified out of Asia. In any young age group it only takes a few really good players to make a team good but Australia does not seem to have, right now, more than two or so. But the group has ended pretty much where i thought it would after day one. I am only surprised by how meekly Australia bowed out of every match. The upcoming match of interest to me is Brazil vs Canada. I think Canada may be able to get under Brazil's skin by their quality physical play. It is unfortunate that Fiji is in this group as that means that both Brazil and Canada only had one match against a good team before tonight's matches. BTW: I also would not be surprised if Fiji gets a goal tonight. They are not going to test France, unless France decides to go home early, but France has shown some defensive weaknesses and Fiji does have speed.
In this cycle at under 20 Australia are probably the fourth best team in Asia with South Korea being fifth best. In the Asian qualifiers both South Korea and Australia got the easy group only having to beat Taiwan and Uzbekistan to qualify. The other group had North Korea, Japan, China and Vietnam. If either South Korea or Australia had played against China, North Korea and Japan they would have lost all three games. China were very unlucky this qualification. To be honest the North Koreans this cycle are a genuinely good team and I think they will probably win the whole tournament, or go very close. The Japanese team is very unbalanced and one of the weakest squads they have assembled in recent memory. I doubt they will make the semi-finals.
This should be a red card. But what is this?: Referee whistles foul at 11:45. Free kick Australia at 12:15 Throw in Cameroon at 12:36. Ball goes out for another throw in for Cameroon. Referee stops than continues with throw in Cameroon at 13:08. Australia has throw in at 13:28 Referee signals video review. The game continued and was stopped three times after the incident. Either the review request was not made immediately after the foul or the communication between fourth official and referee was horrible bad.
That's a poor decision by the referee. I fully understand she cannot see everything at full speed but with the review, well. I bet she won't get another game in the tournament and she won't be considered for the senior world cup, if she does not improve as FIFA test those who will to the world cup in the u-20 event.
That would place five teams in third places with only four advancing. Although our GD is, probably, good enough I doubt anyone would want that. Although it sometimes works to play for a draw (The US vs Sweden in France a few year back) it is always a bad idea. Paraguay will be playing to win and, if we pull back to play for a draw, we could lose and not advance at all. If we play to win and happen to lose then we at least can say we tried. If we play for a draw and lose then we just gave up. We should accept the draw if it happens but everything we do up to the last few minutes at least should be aimed at winning and winning by as big a margin as possible. But not everyone wants the USA to succeed and those rooting against the USA should do everything they can to get the USA too play for the draw.
Man, thank god the next u20 WWC is hosted by UEFA. Conmebol cannot justify sending 5 teams to this tournament.
Group A COLOMBIA ------ 3m ----- 9p ----- 4-0 MEXICO ---------- 3m ----- 4p ----- 4-3 CAMEROON ----- 3m ----- 4p ----- 4-3 AUSTRALIA ----- 3m ----- 0p ----- 0-6 AUSTRALIA 0 - 2 CAMEROON (highlights) Eto 61', Toko Nyoja 45'+5 MEXICO 0 - 1 COLOMBIA (highlights) Espitaleta 38' Group B BRAZIL ------- 3m ----- 9p ----- 14-0 FRANCE ------ 3m ----- 4p ----- 14-6 CANADA ------ 3m ----- 4p ----- 12-5 FIJI ------------- 3m ----- 0p ----- 0-29 FIJI 0 - 11 FRANCE (highlights) Lejeune 2', Joseph 10' 45'+3 55' 80', Neller 14', Rekha 15'(og.), Haugou 41'(p.), Scannapieco 49' 54', Mendy 90'+5 CANADA 0 - 2 BRAZIL (highlights) Vendito 35', Carol 90'+9
Group C SPAIN ------------- 3m ----- 9p ----- 5-0 USA ---------------- 3m ----- 6p ----- 9-1 PARAGUAY ------ 3m ----- 3p ----- 2-9 MOROCCO ------ 3m ----- 0p ----- 0-6 PARAGUAY 0 - 7 USA (highlights) Tordin 10' 12' 67', Thompson 29', McCormack 44', Sentnor 52', Dahlien 83' Paraguay chances to advance are slim... MOROCCO 0 - 2 SPAIN (highlights) Aparicio 5', Moral 89' Another good game from Moroccan goalie Fatima El Jebraoui. I predict some big club will come calling soon. Group D GERMANY -------------- 3m ----- 6p ----- 8-4 NIGERIA ----------------- 3m ----- 6p ----- 6-3 KOREA REPUBLIC ------ 3m ----- 4p ----- 2-2 VENEZUELA ----------- 3m ----- 1p ----- 3-10 KOREA REPUBLIC 1 - 0 GERMANY (highlights) S. Park 22' VENEZUELA 0 - 4 NIGERIA (highlights) Bello 16', Okwuchukwu 28', Sabastine 45'+5, Igbokwe 90'+4
Thanks for posting this. Red, Yellow, I don't know but it has to be at least yellow. I'm far less enamored of these repeated slo-mos on loop than everyone else which shows "buckled ankles" or bent shinbones. I believe we should be focused on the nature of the tackle rather than the contact, or the results of the tackle. I'd rather see the full-speed, pulled-back camera angle on loop a few times. But here's the other thing — Zounds!! It's the American ref, Natalie Simon. That, to me, an American, is shocking. (No doubt less so to the International Forum crowd!)
Mexico vs USA Germany vs Argentina Brazil vs Cameroon North Korea vs Austria/Japan Japan/Austria vs Nigeria Spain vs Canada France vs Netherlands Colombia vs South Korea
I give up. I just lost a long post about this but, being too lazy to repeat the typing,, I will just say that Japan scored off a pair of STRONG headers from a corner. One was saved and the other went in. It is halftime and Japan leads 1-0. They also have dominated the match pretty totally.
At the same time, they don't choose to, FIFA choses for them. I think OFC is more likely to lose like half a spot. Both of their teams finished with 0 point and -11 and -29 goal difference. 1832977725075722678 is not a valid tweet id
Group E AUSTRIA 0 - 2 JAPAN (highlights) Hijikata 38' 79' NEW ZEALAND 1 - 3 GHANA (highlights) Eliott 64' --- Abdulai 59' 72', Twum 90'+6 JAPAN ----------- 3m ----- 9p ----- 13-1 AUSTRIA -------- 3m ----- 6p ----- 5-4 GHANA ------------- 3m ----- 3p ----- 5-7 NEW ZEALAND -- 3m ----- 0p ----- 2-13 Group F ARGENTINA 1 - 0 COSTA RICA (highlights) Nunez 18' NETHERLANDS 0 - 2 KOREA DPR (highlights) K Jong 45'+2, IS Choe 64' KOREA DPR -------- 3m ----- 9p ----- 17-2 NETHERLANDS --- 3m ----- 4p ----- 5-5 ARGENTINA ------- 3m ----- 4p ----- 6-8 COSTA RICA ------- 3m ----- 0p ----- 0-12 Top Scorers (after group stage) 5 Vendito (BRA) 4 Anabelle Chukwu (CAN) 4 Il Son Choe (DPK) 4 Maya Hijikata (JPN) 4 Liana Joseph (FRA) 4 Dona Scannapieco (FRA) 3 Naomi Eto (CMR) 3 Kishi Nunez (ARG) 3 Chinari Sasai (JPN) 3 Pietra Tordin (USA)
Venezuela should not have participated, since Pamela Conti took the reins of all the women's teams, the regression has been fatal. Without a game identity and only betting on the long ball. And the saddest thing is the number of good players that exist and the potential that was lost, especially in the last Conmebol qualifiers for the 2023 WWC. Everyone is betting that this coach's contract will not be renewed.
I was wrong : NEWS: U.S. Soccer Referees Natalie Simon, Meghan Mullen and Kali Smith will work their third match of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup when they officiate the Japan-Nigeria Round of 16 match on Thursday in Bogotá, Colombia. FIFA have clearly accepted her view on the non red card.