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Post by Admin on Jun 18, 2019 19:45:58 GMT
France finished top of Group A after a twice-taken penalty by Wendie Renard gave them victory over Nigeria in an incident-packed Women's World Cup game. The initial penalty - awarded after a video assistant referee review for a foul on Viviane Asseyi - hit the post. But keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was ruled to have moved off her line early and Renard slotted the re-taken spot-kick. Despite losing 1-0, Nigeria still have a big chance of making the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.
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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2019 20:46:21 GMT
Brazil will face France or Germany after qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Women's World Cup with victory over Italy. Marta's second-half penalty secured her team a 1-0 win and ensures they finish as one of the best third-placed sides. In scoring her 17th World Cup goal, Marta moved above Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the outright top scorer in both the men's and women's game. Despite the defeat, Italy topped the group on goal difference, ahead of Australia and Brazil. All three qualify for the last 16. Marta told FIFA TV that while she was very pleased with the result "from now on it will be harder and we will need to improve much more". Italy coach Milena Bertolini said: "It's hard to say it's a nice defeat, however, we are pleased to come through as group winners. It was very much unexpected as our goal was to just make it past the group phase."
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Post by Admin on Jun 20, 2019 18:38:54 GMT
Scotland took a pair of tough one-goal losses, while Argentine keeper Vanina Correa stopped eight of nine shots on goal to give the Argentines a 0-0 draw against Japan and a 1-0 loss to England. Neither team seemed to care about their World Cup histories as they battled tooth-and-nail against perennial giants for respect—and a chance at moving on. A win for either team would put them in position to advance from the group stages. The Scots pounced on that opportunity, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the 69th minute. At that point, FiveThirtyEight gave them a 99 percent chance to advance through to the knockout stages, and for good reason—no team had ever blown a 3-0 lead at the Women’s World Cup before. They age all that whiskey for wins like the one Scotland was heading toward. But then came a goal from Milagros Menéndez in the 74th minute. In Spanish, her first name means “miracles.”
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Post by Admin on Jun 20, 2019 22:02:21 GMT
The United States women's national team defeated Sweden, 2-0, on Thursday to stay perfect at the 2019 World Cup and win Group F. Despite injuries before the game to Julie Ertz, the U.S. got goals from Lindsey Horan and an own goal from Jonna Anderson to seal the win.
Horan scored just three minutes in with a finish from close, while Tobin Heath technically put away the second in the 50th minute, though it was ruled an own goal due to a deflection by the Swedish defender. Sweden only threatened a couple of times in what was a pretty dominant showing for the U.S., despite the lack of goals. The U.S. set a record for most goals in the group stage of a Women's World Cup with 18.
Alex Morgan was subbed off the game at halftime after she was seen limping during the late stages of the first half. It remains to be seen if she picked up a significant injury.
Despite feeling like the U.S. would get another in the first half, it wasn't meant to be despite a couple good looks. Sweden came close a time or two but never felt like much of a threat to the Americans. In the second half, the U.S. doubled down thanks to Heath, who played deflection really well down the right wing to cut in and fire a shot into the back of the net. The ball hit her defender before going in. The initial cross from Megan Rapinoe to Carli Lloyd that was deflected by a Swedish defender before it found Heath was reviewed, as Lloyd was offside. The official determined that Lloyd didn't directly impact the play, and the goal stood. Take a look:
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Post by Admin on Jun 21, 2019 18:39:24 GMT
Now that the U.S. women are through to the World Cup’s knockout stages, things get serious. Win, and you keep playing. Lose, and you go home. It takes three more wins to get to the July 7 final in Lyon, and a fourth to lift the trophy for a fourth time. So who are the teams that could spoil the U.S. run? Let’s take a look, in order, at who poses the biggest threat: France: The host has clearly been the strongest team after the Americans, winning all three of its group games. France began the World Cup in impressive fashion, showing poise and control with a 4-0 victory against South Korea and not seeming flustered at all by expectations. Since then, however, Les Bleues have looked a little more vulnerable. They needed help from VAR to beat both Norway and Nigeria, and haven’t had the same ferocity as they did in the first game. The U.S. and France are on a collision course for a quarterfinal match in Paris, and the expectations on Les Bleues will grow the deeper they go. Handling the pressure has always been their weak spot, and how they respond to a raucous home crowd in Parc des Princes with a trip to the semifinals on the line will be interesting. England: The 2015 bronze medalist has been a team on the rise, and it’s been quietly solid so far in France. It, too, won all three of its group matches. But the stat that stands out the most is one – as in one goal allowed. It has an effective attack but, as the saying goes, defense wins championships. Perhaps the most important thing is England’s confidence. When it won the She Believes Cup in the spring, claiming it over the United States, Japan and Brazil, it showed England that it could be every bit the equal of the world’s best teams.
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