Time is flying by and we are now about to head into the quarter finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.
Let us take a moment to look at how the eight teams got there as we cast out eye over the second round games.
Germany 4-1 Sweden
A poor tournament for the Swedes as they bow out after just sneaking through the group stage. A lot more was expected of them but the clinical Germans did a job on them courtesy of goals from Mittag, Sasic (2) and the impressive Marozsan.
China 1-0 Cameroon
The Chinese have turned out to be one of the surprise packages. Ranked outside the top ten in the world, they impressed in the group stage and saw off a tough Cameroon side through an early goal from Wang Sh Sh.
Brazil 0-1 Australia
Shock of the round as Brazil walked through the group stage unchallenged but were halted by the Aussies who had a much more difficult journey to the second round. A single goal late on from Simon sealed the win for Australia.
France 3-0 Korea Republic
The French have hit top gear since losing to the Colombians and were two up in under ten minutes against the Koreans thanks to goals from Delie and Thomis. There was little way back after the Delie scored her second, the third for France, and there was a real fear that Korea would be on the end of a real beating. It did not quite materialise but the European side cantered into the quarters.
Canada 1-0 Switzerland
The hosts progressed with a narrow win over the Swiss but failed to impress once again. The goal from Belanger a little way into the second half won the game for Canada but seeing player of the match awarded to their goalkeeper McLeod explains how this game went.
Norway 1-2 England
A dour first half played into the hands of Mark Sampson and his ladies as they showed character to come back from a goal down. The winner from Lucy Bronze was good enough to grace any international game after captain Houghton got them back into the game..
USA 2-0 Colombia
Goals from Morgan and Lloyd for the USA put paid to Colombia’s hopes of getting another major scalp at these finals. This was perhaps the first game that the US looked like their old selves which perhaps is good timing for them.
Japan 2-1 Netherlands
The holders saw off a plucky Dutch side to remain the only side in the competition with a 100% record. This result was never really in any doubt as Ariyoshi and Sakaguchi put the Japanese two goals up. The consolation for the Dutch was deep into injury time by Van De Ven.
The quarter finals take place on Friday and Saturday. Here is our look at the match ups and who we think are likely to take their place in the semi finals. World rankings are in brackets.
Germany (1) v France (3)
Arguably the tie of the round. The Germans have performed as many had expected while the French have hit top form after being stung by Colombia in the group stage. This could well be an absolute cracker.
China (16) v USA (2)
A tough match up for the US who only looked to find any real form during the second round win. Their opponents are China who are the lowest ranked side remaining in the competition but will not be a pushover. Since losing their opener against the hosts, they have put in some very good performances.
Australia (10) v Japan (4)
The Aussies deservedly take their place in the quarters and are rewarded with a game against the reigning champions Japan. It will be a difficult match up for the Aussie against an experienced Japan side who have dreams of defending their title.
England (6) v Canada (8)
Tough task for England as they take on the hosts in what is expected to be among feverish home support. However, the Lionesses may thrive in that environment and will be a force to be reckoned with as captain Houghton leads by example. The Canadians will have to be at their best in this one if they want to progress any further but the pressure is well and truly on.
Players
There have been plenty of players that have caught the eye this past couple of weeks. It is hard to look much further than Germany with both Sasic and Mittag scoring for fun. The French trio of Le Sommer, Delie and Renard have all impressed as have Houghton and Carney for England. Canada’s Buchanan has shone for the hosts while Rincon was the star for Colombia.
Top Scorers
- 5 – Anja Mittag (GER)
- 5 – Celia Sasic (GER)
- 3 – Eugenie Le Sommer (FRA)
- 3 – Marie Laure Delie (FRA)
- 3 – Ramona Bachmann (SUI)
- 3 – Gaelle Enganamout (CMR)
- 3 – Kyah Simon (AUS)
- 3 – Fabienne Humm (SUI)
- 3 – Ada Hegerberg (NOR)
The semi finals are scheduled to be played on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 1st. Third placed play off game will take place on the 4th and the final on the 5th.
The games will continue to be shown on both the BBC and Eurosport in the UK.
