Penalty luck for Australia, Norway disappointed
Right on the first day of the game Women’s World Cup The first surprises and ideas came in Australia and New Zealand. 90 minutes It takes a closer look at the teams that have the potential to win the title in terms of quality and provides analyzes and evaluations of the course of the tournament.
Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reit are just three of the best players in the Norwegian women’s national team. Despite this, the team coached by the Huge Rays could not even get past the group stage as the third-placed team at last year’s European Championships in England.
In the first game of the World Cup, Norway fell well short of expectations and disappointed on several levels. The Scandinavians were beaten after the final whistle by a powerful New Zealand team that fought for every ball. Hannah Wilkinson put the hosts on the road to success by taking a 1-0 lead just after the restart.
Although the match was still very balanced in the first half, Norway’s problems were already evident there. On the one hand, defenders often found it difficult to consistently clear balls from their own penalty area and avoid quick counter-attacks, on the other hand, they created very few first-class scoring opportunities. Although Hegerberg was able to give some rushes on the offensive play, he remained pale most of the time. The ride was unremarkable throughout the game – quite the opposite of her season’s performance for Chelsea.
Only Graham Hansen seemed to thrive a bit in the second half. Her wing passes and penetrations led to some dangerous situations, but there was no point. Frieda Leonardsen-Mannum also had a good chance from close range in the second half, but the Arsenal player put the ball wide of the post. A little later, Bayern Munich’s Tuva Hansen hit a long-range shot.
weather forecast: The Norwegian team presented itself hastily in duels and not very accurate in the match. As a result, it seems that the creativity that should already prevail in the team due to the quality of the players has been affected. As the tournament progresses, the Norwegian’s style of play and attitude will need to change to have a realistic chance of advancing. In the next group match against Switzerland, a decision could already be made. And who knows, maybe New Zealand’s success will turn into an underdog story in Group A.
Perhaps Australia imagined that the match against Ireland would be a little easier. The Matilda team struggled for a long time in the match against a first-time World Cup participant, and at first they were surprised by their aggressiveness in duels.
In addition, it was announced only shortly before kick-off, that Australian superstar Sam Kerr would not only have to sit out the No. 1 spot, but possibly also the Group B match due to a calf injury. A huge blow for the Matildas, who can usually count on goals from a record player.
The striker’s absence has been felt in a few situations against the girls in green. Time and time again, Tony Gustafson’s side managed to get behind the Irish defense and put a cross in front of the goal. However, there is usually a target player missing where Kerr usually lurks.
The Matildas dominated the opener on long stretches with possession of the ball and long relay passes, which, however, were rarely able to overcome the opposition defence. Because the Irish team proved to be a tougher part than expected: a well-organized defense and physical duels on the bounds of what was permitted prevented an Australian goal for a long time. Therefore, it is not surprising that the winning goal came from the penalty spot. Steve Catley put the ball into the net after Haile Raso was brought down in the penalty area.
weather forecast: The Australians clearly lacked a passing station in their attacking position, which could have created more chances. Since Matildas will also be without Kerr in the next game, work must continue on a convincing interim solution. Nigeria is a top-class team, unlike Ireland, who will probably want to play more, which is why more will have to come from Australia. In any case, the support of numerous spectators is guaranteed to Matildas.
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