Women’s World Cup: Opening week takeaways
The first week of the Women’s World Cup left delightful sensations as a spectacle and major sports tournament. France demonstrated that they didn’t need an extensive marketing campaign to call the attention of soccer fans.
The attendance in most of the matches was exemplary. France sold out the 48,000 seats of the Parc des Princes for the first match of the tournament, and the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, USA, Brazil and England gathered the right amount of fans in the bleachers of the French stadiums. In their first games, Spain and France broke TV audience records for women’s soccer.
The evolution of more national teams is giving more excitement to the fan base. In seven of the first 12 games, three or more goals were scored. Countries like Argentina and Chile are making history and could compete for a spot in the next round.
Opening week takeaways:
The new German generation is even more reliable than expected. After achieving victory against a good team like China, Germany defeated a mentally strong squad like Spain by imposing its conditions. The German ladies’ play isn’t the most attractive of the tournament, but they win. And that matters much more than aesthetics. With the victory, Germany might finish in first in the group and evade the U.S. in the next round.
The intensity, physicality and ball control of the English team stunned me. The leadership and skills of Steph Houghton, in my opinion the best defender in the tournament, provide an advantage for the Lionesses. Houghton contributes to the ball movement, which England does very accurately. The Lionesses are very proficient at knowing how to take advantage of the pitch’s width. They based their game on crosses, and were lethal against Scotland using that formula.
The Netherlands, reigning European champions, defeated New Zealand with an agonizing goal. Dutch goalkeeper Vann Veenendaal left the Oranges with a clean sheet after her impressive performance. Group E is one of the closest ones in the competition, and the three points obtained by Canada and the Netherlands — both by 1-0 results — represent oxygen, even when both teams didn’t exploit their whole arsenal.
Argentina made history by acquiring its first point in a World Cup tournament, but the offensive efforts of the South American squad were absent. Even when they nullified the Japanese attack, Argentina had trouble with ball possession. A point against the 2015 runners-up is historic and essential, although if Argentina wants to dream of a second round, they should demonstrate more in the structure of their game.
Chile was a pleasant surprise on the world stage. The Chileans fought until the end against a team with much more experience and physicality in Sweden. Chile defended flawlessly for 80 minutes and wasn’t afraid to try to play the ball. La Roja didn’t isolate its game like Argentina, but the insistence of the Swedes breached the red wall and gained a well-deserved three points. Sweden faced an intense and a fearless rival, but the European squad was superior and its collective talent kept Chile’s line behind midfield for most of the game.
Let’s not be sad about Thailand; in football, respect also comes from scoring as many goals as possible. Expiring the clock by just moving the ball as a “merciful” sign is disrespectful. The superiority should be captured in the scoreboard, not only in the roster. The USWNT crushed Thailand, but let’s not forget that the Southeast Asian team is one of the weakest of the competition, and the U.S. is the best team according to FIFA rankings. Although the American ladies shouldn’t act overconfident, taking the tournament for granted is the major rival of the USWNT.
France brings joy to the competition; the connection between the fans and the team is overwhelming. Les Bleus got their second victory of the tournament after facing a fierce Norway side. France proposed the game with speed and verticality, as they did in their first match. The game got complicated after an own goal, but the mentality and unceasing support drove France more into the attack until they found a penalty kick that Le Sommer converted. France has the home advantage, and in this kind of tournament, it is essential. Plus, they do play attractive football and don’t fall in desperation in times of adversity.
The Women’s World Cup is bringing the expected excitement. And in the second week, everything should be even more enjoyable.
Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.
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