Group F (JPN, CAN, SWE, RSA) [R]

Japan and Sweden

 

Predictions:
25.07.12 Japan - Canada (Japan wins 3-1)
25.07.12 Sweden - South Africa (Sweden wins 3-0)

28.07.12 Japan - Sweden (Sweden wins 1-0)
28.07.12 Canada - South Africa (Canada wins 4-1)

31.07.12 Japan - South Africa (Japan wins 2-0)
31.07.12 Canada - Sweden (Canada and Sweden draw 1-1)

Standings
1.) Sweden (7 points, Goal diff: +4)
2.) Japan (6 points, Goal diff: +3)
3.) Canada (4 points, Goal diff: +1)
4.) South Africa (0 points, Goal diff: -8)

Sweden, Japan, and Canada move on

 

I doubt that. I see Japan easy, with Sweden behind. Canada with a chance for the 3rd place card.... but maybe out.

 

Japan 1:2 Canada
Sweden 3:1 South Africa
Japan 1:1 Sweden
Canada 2:0 South Africa
Japan 1:0 South Africa
Canada 0:1 Sweden

Sweden 7 pts +3 gd
Canada 6 pts +2 gd
Japan 4 pts +0 gd
South Africa 0 pts -5 gd

 

[SWE-RSA]
60' 3-1 RSA cross midfield wide left, tap square into stride of #12 Portia Modise running on through center circle left. Modise lifts head, sees hapless Hedvig Lindahl about 10m off her line, hits a fast lob tangent to center circle front left, and lobs Lindahl from the center circle. Big roar. Lindahl seems particularly vulnerable to this, even when she knows she's vulnerable to it!

63' 4-1 #6 Thunebro carries alone down left touch to 5m, curls low cross outswinging to 2m left post. #8 Lotta Schelin arrives in time, flicks right outstep through two defenders and over keeper's arm, into the right side netting. Meh.

 

Absolutely, but YAY still.

 

I'm impressed with Sweden.
I still think they will make at least the Semifinal.
They always seem to be tougher to beat in these bigger tournaments than in smaller tournaments or friendlies.

Schelin is arguably as good or better than anyone in the world right now (other than Marta).
I would take Schelin over Sinclair anyday.

Too many people are hating on Sweden right now.
That's when they play their best.
Sweden and Great Britain are darkhorse teams to play for Bronze Medal or better, especially with this tournament being played on European soil. Everyone is talking about USA, Japan, Brazil, and France, as the only true medal favorites. They seem to have forgotten about Sweden and Great Britain. And Canada = Quarterfinal at best

Props to Sweden.
And Great Britain looked really good yesterday.
They could have easily won that match 4-1.
New Zealand should have scored the one goal though, when they could have tied it up.
But honestly, they were lucky it was only 1-0 at that point.
Great Britain should have finished at least some of the many other great opportunities they had.

 

I'm looking at Great Britain to make the semis just so the Brits have their traditional moment of hope followed by disappointment.

 

If they make the Semifinal, Kelly Smith will then get hurt and start limping everywhere when she is running. She just isn't a strong enough horse built for the toughest and most prestigious tournament matches. Hence, she's a better regular season player than a championship game environment player. It would be a feel-good story if she makes me eat my words this time. But even in the WPS (and WUSA), she struggled more when the games mattered most (such as playoff games, or a match that leads to who goes to the playoffs or who would get home field advantage, etc).

And she always seems to get hurt in the most important matches.

 

They do have their Hope ....

 

One thing that improves Sweden's chances - Germany and Norway isn't there. In World Cup, Olympics, and Euros, Sweden is 0-9 against those two since 1999.

Although I would take Sinclair over Schelin, Schelin is now getting consistent results that gives them a striker at least roughly comparable to Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson in the past. (The thing with Sinclair is that she's darn versatile - almost as effective a playmaker as a striker, Sinclair is probably one of the top 5 players in the world. But Schelin is becoming such an effective striker she may be now a top 10)

 

[JPN-SWE]
03' 0-0 Japan just overhits a through-ball, trickles through box top arc left.
05' 0-0 Sweden chips out of traffic from 30m left touch to box top center, bounces just 1 shoelength out of reach of the center forward. Offside anyways.
07' 0-0 Japan left corner, pings to Kawasumi sneaking just into box left foot, but she's left-footed and shanks a right-foot moonball high into right touch.

10' 0-0 Japan are being a bit sloppy in possession ws. Sweden's high pressure. Midfield is congested. Somebody's been taking notes on beating Japan in warmup friendlies ...

 

13' 0-0 Japan cobble together some pressure at Sweden's box top. A flick-header comes high to #17 Yuki Ogimi (nee Nagasato, congrats to her ), chest trap with back to goal, she tries an ambitious swiveling high-left leg over her right shoulder, lobs too softly and Lindahl catches it in front of the right post.

14' 0-0 Japan create a scramble at box top left, Sweden can't clear about 5 times.

17' 0-0 Sweden long shot/Japan backpass from ~20m arc left, rolls to left post and Fukumoto on her knees gives up an awkward 5m rebound, ultimately harmless. Couldn't decide whether her hands were eligible?

20' 0-0 Japan are getting more crisp. Sweden are defending well.

 

21' 0-0 Sweden try a poor 30m ground pass from their own 6-top box right, #10 Sawa intercepts at center circle top box right and runs the other way through vast green. #6(c) Thunebro tugs her arm for 10m, Sawa chips over box top right, long. Foul and yellow on Thunebro.

22' 0-0 Japan FK from 20m box top right. #8(c!) Miyama hits the wall, out for a right corner. Sweden clears.

24' 0-0 #5 Sameshima gets way up to box top left, shoots good curling arc to left post, Lindahl catches face-high.

 

25' 0-0 Sweden bad pass in their 1/3, Japan lightning-counter 3-v-3 from 40m. Needle-threading pass try blocked at 20m arc left, Japan retrieves and regathers, surging into a 7-v-7. Another through-ball try from 25m arc right blocked at box top. Japan's bloodthirst is clouding their patience ...

 

37' 0-0 Sawa uncharacteristic turnover behind midfield, Schelin sprints up to 22m box right on a 2-v-5, Japan touches it away. Seger collects and carries through box top left, shot blocked over.

38' 0-0 Sweden left corner, Sawa clears.

 

43' 0-0 Sweden gack a square turnover inside their own box at 15m center. #11 Ohno gacks her one-time right instep, sends it to box left foot. Sweden chase it down and clear.

 

HT was 15' of Olympic muzak. Ugh. Uncoffee break!

47' 0-0 Japan sprays wide to #9 Kawasumi racing up box left, catches Sweden's 2 CBs way up, cuts in behind them both through box top left. Shoots hard right foot from 14m 6-left, tries the curl but Lindahl sprawls and pushes it wide.

49' 0-0 Japan roll an elegant 30m pass up box left and beats the cornerback deep. Pause at box top left, backheel sends the overlapping #11 Ohno through box left to 5m. Cutback pass picks out #10 Sawa at 10m left post, one-touch redirection to low center, too gentle and Lindahl smothers easily. Japan are looking up the left ...

 

50' 0-0 Sweden get a seam at box top arc right, shot blocked back to box top right. 2nd shot is a lob try, misses way high and wide left.

52' 0-0 Thunebro hits a moonshot from 24m box left, high over the upper right 90.

54' 0-0 Japan fires a ground pass from 20m right touch to box right foot. #1 Lindahl comes way out flat to challenge #17 Ogimi, sprawls and palms ball over for a corner as Ogimi hurdles her. Right corner sent into 8m center, cleared.

 

55' 0-0 Sweden is starting two new CBs, #3 Berglund and #2 Sembrandt(?). They get lost on occasion. They both lose #17 Ogimi splitting them right down the pipe, #11 Ohno(?) chips a fast arc from 30m center to bounce at 12m center, Ogimi lunges and it's just out of reach.

 

59' 0-0 Japan push up to box top. #6 Sakaguchi chips from 30m center, high arc dropping to #8 Miyama at 15m box right. Miyama settles the bounce, magical first touch gets her torso past Thunebro, to 9m mid-right but she shanks the shot high over the upper left 90.

59' 0-0 Japan subs in (1 of 3) #14 Asuna Tanaka for #10 Homare Sawa.

 

63' 0-0 Sweden subs in (1 of 3) #9 Kosovare Asllani for #14 Johanna Almgren (MF).

 

64' 0-0 Japan chips to #17 Ogimi at box top 6-right with back to goal. Lindahl is all the way there, palms the ball away! Ball trickles above box, Lindahl pursues it a step and flicks right outstep to retain possession.

64' 0-0 Turnover, #17 Ogimi feeds #11 Ohno up the centerline to 22m, continues her own run. Ohno draws a semicircle of 4, perfect zag returns ball to wide-open Ogimi through box top 6-right, to 13m and shoots hard across the face -- Lindahl catches the rocket out of the air, nil rebound. She was off her line on the 6-top center

 

69' 0-0 Japan feeds same diagonal pass from 18m right touch to box right foot, this time for #2 Kinga overlapping way up to Sweden's endline. Cutback pass through traffic hits stationary #11 Ohno alone at 7m left post, awkward redirection low left post but too soft, and Lindahl sprawls and catches.

70' 0-0 Sweden chip to #9 Asllani(?) at box arc top center. She heads into her own stride, outwrestles 1, shoots low center, Fukumoto sprawls and catches.

72' 0-0 #9 Kawasumi gets through box top left, cuts back and curls just wide of right post.