Great game and great win from Canada. Very impressed by Sinclair and co. there mixture of mature expereinced and young talent is working very well, Herdman has a very strong team in his hands. This victory is fruit of a smarter/experienced Canada against a good Australia but the Matildas clearly lack a finisher at this level (Heyman is average frankly) and less precipation specially when they are close to the goal....Anyway it's just the beginning opf the tournament so who will see what's next for both teams.
F04.Zimbabwe - Germany Zimbabwe (Shadreck Mlauzi): low-res deductions 15 Rutendo Makore 7© Rudo Neshamba, 5 Emmaculate Msipa, 6 Talent Mandaza, 17 Kudakwashe Basopo 12 Marjory Nyaumwe 3 Shiela Makoto, 4 Nobuhle Majika, 2 Lynett Mutokuto, 14 Eunice Chibanda 16 Lindiwe Magwede Germany (Silvia Neid): Maier's at LB 11 Anja Mittag 9 Alexandra Popp, 10 Dzsenifer Marozsán, 6 Simone Laudehr 13 Sara Däbritz, 7 Melanie Behringer 4 Leonie Maier, 3© Saskia Bartusiak, 5 Annike Krahn, 17 Isabel Kerschowski 1 Almuth Schult
14' 0-0 Däbritz pings down wide left for Laudehr, she chases to endline. Cross disrupted, #2 Mutokuto bad slide challenge, plants cleats onto Laudehr's inside left ankle, it rolls over like a hinge in the grass Laudehr stays down in left endzone, slapping grass. Germany keep playing with 10. Bartusiak turns upfield at 27m box left, fouled into a barrel roll. 16' 0-0 Laudehr is up in far touch, jogging gingerly. Germany fk at 27m box left, to 4m 6-right, Popp(?) flying back-header high and wide right. Laudehr returns. 17' 0-0 Zimbabwe right throw-in at own 25m. Laudehr is sitting down just inside the field, slapping gras with both hands. Ankle hurts too bad? 19' 0-0 Trainers walk with Laudehr the long way around near touch, shoe off and limping. 19' 0-0 Germany subs in (1 of 3) #16 Melanie Leupolz for #6 Simone Laudehr (left ankle).
21' 0-0 7© Rudo Neshamba down on hands and knees at own arc top box left. Pause, resumes. Germany right throw-in, scramble in box, eventually Behringer kicks right roundhouse deflected over endline left. 22' 0-1 Marozsán left ck, to 7m 1/5 left, dropping just over a 1-v-1 distracting. #13 Sara Däbritz jumps behind 1, nods a header across empty net into back right. 26' 0-1 Marozsán left ck, to 8m 3-right. Popp jumps across & backward to it, backheads just wide right. A commercial?? wut? (1H hydration break?) No, just a commercial in the run of play only in the US 36' 0-2 Maier(?) passes from midfield box right to 12m wide right, Kerschowski runs on and one-times a cross to 7m center. GK #16 Magwede comes out but not fast enough, Popp broad-jumps from 8m and dinks a header past her, softly into center back. 41' 0-2 Kerschowski taps past LB #3 Makoto up wide left, both lose balance and do splits? Foul, yellow card on Makoto. Kershowski stays down on back in some pain -- resumes?
45' 0-2 Marozsán right ck, to the scrum at 4m, Magwede catches ball but trips forward over players, fumbles it on the ground. #4 Majika blasts it clear -- point-blank into Popp's sternum at 6-top 1/4 left, woooff Popp goes down. Ball z-banks off two more chests, stabbed out to arc tangent left. Behringer blasts one-touch left low roundhouse, off left post haaaard and deflects into near touch without bouncing. Trainers tend to Popp. 45+?' 0-2 Popp & trainers walk the long way around, Germany resume with 10. Left ck cleared. HT 0-2. Bummer for Laudehr; she has 3 days to heal. Germany are in cruise control. Zimbabwe are organized and competent for a debutant, already doing better than those other first-time teams from Africa.
46' 0-2 Zimbabwe subs in (1 of 3) #18 Felistas Muzongondi for #7© Rudo Neshamba. 50' 1-2 #15 Rutendo Makore turn-and-shoots from 15m mid-left across mouth, Schult dives and double-blocks but doesn't catch. Soft bounce to 8m right post, #5 Mpisa and #17 Kudakwashe Basopo both win their races, Basopo simple right-instep block into back left edge. 53' 1-3 Behringer fk at 24m center, right instep gyrobend into 1/4 left high, over Magwede backpedaling and not confident.
switched over to the USA-NZL game. Hopefully I'll get to see the recap. Would be nice if Zimbabwe can keep it under 5 goals.
65' 1-3 Germany subs in (2 of 3) #8 Lena Goeßling for #11 Anja Mittag. Attendance 21,000 + epsilon! 67' 1-3 Behringer takes a left ankle/Achilles knock? Complains but resumes. Germany are methodically bossing the game. Zimbabwe look very well organized. 73' 1-3 Marozsán stops ball at 12m box left, dragback pass down wide left for Maier overlapping. #2 Mutokuto misjudges her lunge again, does the same overreach and cleat stomp onto Maier's inside left ankle Maier slumps down with pain, resumes. Hers didn't roll over, was "only" the cleats. 76' 1-3 Zimbabwe attack down wide left to box top, poke ball centerward 1-v-3. #15 Makore(?) somehow emerges free through box top mid-left, toward spot. Schult charges out and smother-dives ball off her foot. 77' 1-3 Leupolz dribbles through box top mid-right, hip-bumped by LB #3 Makoto -- stays on her feet. 2nd defender arrives at 13m mid-right, impatiently lunges across Leupolz's legs and trip-bumps her down. Foul, pk. 78' 1-4 Behringer pk, right instep to 2/5 right, Magwede sprawls and blocks! Ball comes back to Behringher at 10m right post, right to meet the high bounce, to center low. Magwede smother-blocks, but ball squeezes under her, trickles into 1/3 right back low. Sigh.
Zimbabwe almost got another goal. So close. That penalty shouldn't have been called on Zimbabwe. Germany now leads 4-1.
81' 1-4 Zimbabwe subs in: - (2 of 3) #11 Daisy Kaitano for #5 Emmaculate Msipa - (3 of 3) #13 Jeke Erina for #17 Kudakwashe Basopo. 83' 1-5 Germany long serve from ~midfield left touch to arc top, Popp(?) backheads to 15m 6-right. Leupolz backcuts through box top arc right, chests ball into own stride, dribbles to 7m 1/3 right, snipes right instep into back right high. Zimbabwe are getting worn down. 84' 1-5 Marozsán turns at 8m center, kicks over Magwede, off crossbar and down into goal. Offside, grumble. 90' 1-6 Goeßling cuts inside to arc top mid-right, serves to 10m 1/3 right for Behringer running left-post lane. RB #14 Eunice Chibanda lunge-heads to clear, but gets the angle wrong, drills a brilliant golazo down to Magwede's feet at 2/5 right, and in. 90+1' 1-6 Yellow card on #15 Makore, for stepping on Däbritz's Achilles from behind. FT 1-6.
after Zimbabwe's almost near goal is when they seemed to give up. The last 12 minutes were terrible for Zimbabwe.
Impressive win for my CDN girls. Showing new offensive variety of attacks. Unbelievable that they could play one player down for so long and still win. Great composure with the ball. Still way too careless and aggressive with some tackles and that cost some cards. Need to clear that nonsense up. Not sure why Sincy did not take the penalty? Australia sure did not look like the #5 ranked team. CDN was really taking it too them down the stretch despite being a player short. GO CDN GO!
putting Cately & Devanna in there made things even worse. Australia is a great counter attacking team with a strong list of forwards,( almost 2nd to none in this tourney) But it didn't help them as CA went into a shell after the red. They obviously have two of the weakest defenders in Rio in Polkinhorne & Alleway, but I believe it was Kennedy(their best defender) that got the ball stripped by Sinclair this time around. Love the Matildas, just hate their coach, Staj. Maybe he got them through the Asian qualifiers, but so far(along with China), it's proven to be of the weakest continent during the first round of games. Staj, has to take the blame for this disaster; his team tried to go straight up at the CA defense, even though their were players standing wide, ready to cross kick to the middle. he always should of send in the taller & more physical, Crummer at central/fwd, Simon & Heyman. We'll see if he makes the necessary adjustments for the next one. Germany actually might be fit to order for the Matildas,; they do bring their fb's up, dangerously out of position, which should give Devanna, Kerr & Foord(if she moves to fwd) ample opportunities for counterattacking
2016/08/06 Sat F07.Canada - Zimbabwe Canada (John Herdman): Schmidt for #11 Desiree Scott; Quinn for #4 Shelina Zadorsky [r]; Bélanger for 7 Rhian Wilkinson; D'Angelo for #1 Stephanie Labbé. ~~~~~~~~ 16 Janine Beckie, 12© Christine Sinclair, 14 Melissa Tancredi 17[y] Jessie Fleming, 13 Sophie Schmidt, 8 Diana Matheson 10 Ashley Lawrence, 5 Rebecca Quinn, 3[y] Kadeisha Buchanan, 9 Josée Bélanger 18 Sabrina D'Angelo Zimbabwe (Shadreck Mlauzi): Muzongondi for #7© Rudo Neshamba; Kapfumvuti for #2 Lynett Mutokuto; Dzingirai for GK #16 Lindiwe Magwede. ~~~~~~~~ 15[y] Rutendo Makore 18© Felistas Muzongondi, 5 Emmaculate Msipa, 12 Marjory Nyaumwe, 17 Kudakwashe Basopo 4 Nobuhle Majika 3[y] Shiela Makoto, 6 Talent Mandaza, 8 Rejoice Kapfumvuti, 14 Eunice Chibanda 1 Chido Dzingirai
07' 1-0 Sinclair turns to arc top box right, ground pass toward 9m for Beckie already 1 step past her defender through box top center -- was there a fullback keeping her onside?? (Replay: no, she's offside by the 1 step ) Beckie follows to 9m 1/4 right, sweeps one-touch right instep low, Dzingirai sprawls and blocks back to 6-top center. Beckie chases across vs. no defense, blasts into 1/4 left back 1/2 high. 15' 1-0 Scramble at 6-top center, ball pops out to Beckie unmarked at 8m mid-left. Beckie chips high across mouth to 6-top right, Matheson runs on and volleys right roundhouse off right post, bounces rightward. 18' 1-0 Fleming chips high toward 15m mid-right for Matheson spinning past #4 Majika. Majika hop-heads at box top, ball pops up and backward, Matheson spins cw looking up and back. Dzingirai jumps out rashly, plants left knee squarely into Matheson's back. Blatant foul, pk, yellow card on Dzingirai. Ref has some equipment trouble: her card is stuck in the back pocket. 20' 2-0 Sinclair pk, right instep into back right low hard, Dzingirai never got down. Looks a bit intimidated by this level. 21' 2-0 Fleming(?) chips up wide right, ball reflects off #17 Basopo's left forearm waist-high. Handball? Ref has some equipment trouble: her can of white foam is stuck in the other back pocket. Darn these pockets!!