Michael Burgess looks at 11 talking points from the latest action at the World Cup.
No shortage of Cup contenders
A colleague asked on Wednesday, who’s going to win the Women’s World Cup?
I couldn’t answer. No one really knows. That is the beauty of this tournament, in comparison tothe men’s World Cup. It’s wide open, as seven of the quarter-finalists could conceivably lift the trophy, though Spain, England, Japan and France have the best squads on paper. Sweden were unlucky not to take gold at the Tokyo Olympics, the Netherlands were finalists last time and Australia have Sam Kerr, probably the world’s best striker, and huge home support.
It’s also evidence of the global competitiveness. Teams from four continents have contested the final across eight editions since 1991, while the men’s event has rotated between Europe and South America over almost 100 years. The 2018 World Cup in Russia almost felt like the European Championships, as the last four were England, Croatia, France and Belgium.
It’s hard to assess the cost of the United States’ penalty exit against Sweden – but it must have been extremely high. Auckland has missed out on 20,000 plus travelling American fans spending at least another week here, with their absence sorely felt by hotels, restaurants, retail and tourism operators. There is the advertising and broadcasting deals in the huge North American market, along with the prize money, increased massively for this edition. It’s also caused issues for Fifa and will significantly affect their global television numbers.
Megan Rapinoe is dejected after the US lost to Sweden. Photo / Getty Images
England’s tense progression – via an edgy 120 minutes and a penalty shootout against Nigeria – might be ideal. It will dampen some of the expectation and pressure on the squad from the feverish UK media, compared to a rollicking win. The match-up with outsiders Colombia will suit them.
Vietnam get the last laugh
In the end, Vietnam got the last laugh. There were derided and written off ahead of the tournament, with many fearing embarrassing scenes at in their World Cup debut against the United States, similar to the 13-0 thrashing Thailand suffered in 2019. Instead, their domestic-based squad was stoic and resilient and brave, somehow only shipping three goals despite the Americans having 28 shots. That ultimately proved crucial, setting the Americans on the path to a tough round of 16 match-up, as they didn’t top their group for the first time.
USA plays Vietnam in the Fifa women's World Cup. Photo / Michael Craig
What happened to Megan Rapinoe?
Rapinoe’s penalty miss against Sweden wasn’t an aberration, as she had looked out of sorts throughout. She barely made an impact as a substitute against Vietnam or Portugal – with some miscued touches – and couldn’t offer much against Sweden. It felt she had become bigger than the team – which is never a good thing – with the syrupy media coverage leading into the event. Fellow superstar Alex Morgan also had a difficult tournament, with the tone set by an awful penalty miss against Vietnam.
The beauty of Nadeshiko
I first saw a Japan women’s team play here at the 2008 Under-17 World Cup. Despite their youth, they were dazzling, with their passing, movement, technique and skill. The current team have continued that tradition, with an appreciation of angles and space that can be breathtaking.
Ahead of the quarter-finals, there is a strong chance of a new name on the trophy, as Japan are the only previous winners among the last eight. If the Asian nation does miss out, there will be a fifth country in the record books, alongside the United States (four times), Germany (twice) and Norway in the 32-year history of the tournament. That compares favourably with the men’s World Cup, with eight different winners across almost a century.
Australia rise from difficult start
There’s always a perception that adversity serves a team well in a tournament, as seen with Argentina in Qatar last December. Australia had been in a dark place, on the precipice before their final group game against Canada. Now there is a Cathy Freeman-at-the-2000-Olympics type feeling around the Matildas, as the support of the nation could propel them to unprecedented heights. Spain have also grown tighter after their heavy group stage defeat to Japan, while England’s path hasn’t been straightforward.
Scheduling snafu?
It’s hard to be critical of Fifa from an operations point of view, as this tournament has been delivered superbly. But staging New Zealand’s two round of 16 matches on the same day, only three hours apart, was unfortunate. There are team rest periods to take into account but surely spreading the games across two matchdays would have been ideal, to optimise the buzz here and give each game maximum local exposure. Instead, across eight days there was only one matchday, with the games only three hours apart.
Megan Rapinoe of USA arrives at the stadium before the Fifa Women's World Cup match between USA and Netherlands in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
USA set media standard
Whatever you think of the United States team and the hype that accompanies them everywhere, their presence in New Zealand for three weeks was brilliant. They set a new standard with their media operations, in terms of planning, execution and willingness to go the extra mile, putting some of our national teams to shame. It was a special time, as it is hard to imagine they will ever play here again.
Cojones from Spanish coach
Coaches like to talk about selecting on form and disregarding reputations, but Spanish mentor Jorge Vilda actually did it. His team for the Switzerland round of 16 clash was brave, with five changes including a debutant goalkeeper. After a turbulent 18 months – with calls for his head – that move has solidified his position like nothing else could.
