The sixth FIFA Women's World Cup Final was played in Frankfurt, Germany last night. Strong favourites USA were hoping to add to their tally of two previous wins against a Japan team that had surprised everybody by making it this far.
As an event, the Women's World Cup has been decried in some countries... including England... as a non event but last night's match set a Twitter record..! Twitter HQ reports that during the match, some 7'196 tweets on the subject were being posted every second, peaking at the point where Japan scored their second equalising goal.
The match was a classic confrontation of contrasting styles. The US women, strong, fast, physically powerful play a muscular game. They bludgeon the opposition into defeat, whereas the Japanese women, much smaller in physical stature have worked hard on a passing game. Piano shifters versus piano players.
America dominated the early stages and could have been a couple of goals to the good early on had US winger Karen Rapinoe been a little less selfish in shooting for goal from tight angles instead of passing the ball to the well placed Abi Wambach who must certainly have scored had she been given the ball. Rapinoe received a finger-wagging rebuke from the team coach but the damage had been done... the chances had been squandered.
Japan eventually got into their rhythm and with central midfielder Homare Sawa pulling the strings, they began to dominate possession, but to no good effect because the muscular American defence was able to shut down any attacks.
America should have had a comfortable lead into the second half, but continued to waste chances. If you look only at the bald stats of the match it beggars belief that America could have lost. They had most of the possession, most of the territory, almost all of the shots at goal, but all those shots on goal went wide or high. Indeed, the Japanese goalkeeper didn't have a single shot on target to save until the 64th minute..!!
When the goal did come, it was typically American. A long punt downfield, Alice Morgan muscled her way past the Japanese centre back and fired home a low, rasping shot into the corner of the net. Direct, but on this occasion, effective.
Fatally, America failed to make the tactical changes they should have made to negate Sawa's influence and therefore shut out the game. Instead, Sawa continued to prompt her team forward, she was now finding wide placed team mates which stretched the US back four, and it was a cross from the right that put wild panic into the US centre backs, both of them making a mess of a simple clearance to present Miyama with a soft goal, tapping in from close range.
The game went into extra time and again, the US led. More bull-at-a-gate play out wide sent a hammered cross into the middle where it more or less hit Abi Wambach and flew in. Again though, Sawa prompted Japan back into the game and she even scored the second equaliser herself, with the help of a lucky deflection to level the scores and take the game into a penalty shoot out.
USA had beaten Brazil in the Quarter Final by penalty kicks so again, were favourite to prevail, but having missed their first three kicks, Japan were able to outscore them 3-1.
So, Japan won against the odds and in the face of a seriously tough battle. The one disciplinary blight on the night came when Japan had a defender red carded for a clumsy lunge on Wambach. The sending off was the right decision but it has to be said, the US team had been making similar tackles all night, the difference being, that they are used to playing that way and time their challenges better.
But there was no rancour between the teams. Before the game, the US girls had auctioned the shirts they wore in the Semi Final, on E-Bay to raise money for Japan tsunami relief. A lovely gesture which raised some $20'000.
The American girls accepted the defeat, although they seemed a bit bemused that they could have lost a game in which they were never behind on the scoreboard until the penalty shoot out.
The Japan girls showed how women's football should be played. They had skill, flair, fine touches and a player, in Sawa, who was capable of making the major difference between the two teams.
The American girls are very finely honed athletes. Strong, determined and highly conditioned. Sometimes though, that just isn't enough.
.
Jul 18, 2011 @ 10:15:27
