Issue 5.1.4 "3rd Place Scramble" (End of Group Stage)

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Thursday, June 20, 2019

USA WINS GROUP, 7 TEAMS BATTLED FOR LAST 2 R16 SPOTS
Fotografo il Miglore and Kds911 are Tied for 1st; 40 Still Alive and 36 Can Win Pool

ATLANTA, GA (smt) -- F1-United States comfortably beat F4-Sweden 2-0 to win Group F.  E1-Netherlands, B1-Germany, and D1-England also won handily to win their Groups.  A1-France needed a couple of VAR reviews to beat A4-Nigeria.  All five teams picked up the max 9 points.  C3-Brazil beat C2-Italy to tie them along with C1-Australia with 6 points got beat by goal differential to only get 3rd while ITA took 1st and AUS 2nd.  B2-China PR and B3-Spain advanced by tying teach other (ESP taking 2nd) while A3-Norway helped themselves finish 2nd with a win.  Despite losing, E1-Canada and SWE took 2nd in their groups. 

But the biggest battle was for 3rd.  After CHN and BRA claimed spots, there were just two spots left.  Seven teams were trying to get in.  NGA lost their chance to clinch (turned out they would have) then and there with FRA getting the late PK retake and having to wait.  D2-Scotland was in having built up a 3-0 lead with 16 minutes to go but D3-Argentina stormed back to tie, keeping ARG's slim hopes alive and killing SCO's.  But with a tie doing neither E2-Cameroon or E3-New Zealand any good, CMR broke out in the 90'+5 to seal a spot in the R16 and knocking ARG out of contention and essentially eliminating F4-Thailand (they would need a 15-goal win).  F3-Chile needed a 3-goal win over THA and led 2-0 before getting PK opportunity in the 83' but the PK blast went off the crossbar crushing CHI's hopes and putting NGA into the R16.   

Qualification

Here's a quick summary of how the 16 teams qualified and how teams #17 to #24 ranked.

  Qualification (x-Advance, a-Group Winner, b-Group Runner Up, c-3rd place, z-Elim):  

x-FRA (16-CHN W), x-GER (16-CHN W)... 

x-ITA (18-W), x-ENG (19-W)... 

x-NED (22-W), x-CAN (21-W)...  

x-SWE (24-W), x-USA (23-W), x-JPN (23-SWE W & 24-USA W)... 

a-GER (25-W), b-ESP (26-D), c-CHN (26-D), z-RSA (25-L)... 

a-FRA (23-W), b-NOR (24-W), z-KOR (24-L)... 

a-ITA (GD), b-AUS (29-W & GD), c-BRA (30-W), z-JAM (29-L)... 

a-ENG (31-W), b-JPN (32-ARG D), z-SCO (32-D)... 

a-NED (33-W), b-CAN (33-L), c-CMR (34-W), z-NZL (34-L), z-ARG (34-CMR W)... 

a-USA (35-W), b-SWE (35-L), c-NGA (36-CHI GD), z-CHI (GD), z-THA (36-L) ...

   Standings (17-24) W-L-D PTS (GD GF) [Fair Play]: 

17 CHI 1-2-0  3 ( -3  2) [ -5]
18 ARG 0-1-2  2 ( -1  3) [ -3]
19 SCO 0-2-1  1 ( -2  5) [ -6]
20 NZL 0-3-0  0 ( -4  1) [ -1]
21 KOR 0-3-0  0 ( -7  1) [ -7]
22 RSA 0-3-0  0 ( -7  1) [ -9]
23 JAM 0-3-0  0 (-11  1) [ -4]
24 THA 0-3-0  0 (-19  1) [ -5]

Off the Crossbar! (6/20)

Such 3rd place drama.  With both top 2 teams in Groups E and F already qualified, the bottom two teams faced each other to try to qualify with a win.  A4-Nigeria (3 pts, -2 GD) and D3-Argentina (2 pts) were waiting to see if they could sneak in.  First of all, E4-Netherlands beat E1-Canada 2-1 to win Group E and F1-USA comfortably beat F4-Sweden 2-0 to win Group F.  Boring. 

Needing a win, both E2-Cameroon and E3-New Zealand were pushing players forward to try to break a 1-1 tie and in the end, 5 minutes into stoppage time, Ajara Nchout single-handedly worked herself through and her strike went into the right corner for the final play of the match and sent CMR into the Round of 16 and eliminated ARG.  Then E3-Chile needed a 3-goal win to advance (E4-Thailand now needed a 15-goal win margin after CMR won) and were leading 2-0 when VAR awarded them a PK in the 83'.  But Francisca Lara's PK hit the crossbar hard and match ended 2-0 sending NGA into the Round of 16.  Two African teams claimed the last two R16 spots.  In retrospect, SCO blowing a 3-goal lead against ARG cost them a R16 spot and would've sent CMR home.  So the 3rd place teams are 3E-Cameroon (BEF), 3C-Brazil (CDE), 3A-Nigeria (ACD), and 3B-China PR (ABF).

Comeback of the Ages (6/19)

D2-Scotland were well on their way for a great chance to reach the Round of 16 with a 69' goal giving them a 3-0 lead over D1-Argentina.  Then a breakaway in the 74' gave ARG their first goal of the tourney.  The a long strike apparently hit the crossbar and hit the goalie's hand and barely bounced into the net for an own goal for ARG's second goal in the 79'.  Then we had the 7 minute, 27 second "play".  At 85:49 a SCO player tackled an ARG in the box but no penalty was called.  VAR was then called in and the ref determined it was a foul and ARG now has a chance to tie.  The PK was taken and saved and a rebound attempt was also saved.  SCO survives!  But now, another VAR review and for the 3rd time, the GK was off her line and the PK was retaken.  And like the other two, it was buried at 93:16 and ARG had tied it up at 3.  SCO's dream had come to an end and ARG's was kept alive, despite sitting at two points.  ARG was the first team to come back from 3-0 to tie.  If both bottom two teams in Group E and F tie, ARG is in (as would NGR). 

Topsy Turvy (6/18)

C1-Australia's Sam Kerr pounced on a C4-Jamaica GK mistake in the 83' and her 4th goal of the match proved to be the difference in securing 2nd place in Group C and facing 2A-Norway with a 4-1 win.  While C2-Italy and C3-Brazil were tied, AUS was comfortably in 2nd but a BRA PK by Marta (now the all-time WC, men's or women's, goal scorer with 17 passing GER's Miraslav Klose) in the 74' had put BRA into 2nd.  So despite BRA beating ITA 1-0 and both having 6 points (along with AUS), ITA takes 1st on goal differential and AUS takes 2nd on goals scored, leaving BRA to face either 1A-France or 1B-Germany.  Yikes.  Of course, had BRA scored again and won 2-0, they would have taken 1st (GD and GF with ITA would have been equal (both beat AUS on GD), so head-to-head comes into play).

Twenty-Two Shots (6/17)

Each match saw one team take at least 22 shots but only two of the four won today.  B1-Germany got tired of 1-0 wins and came out swinging shooting 23 times and scoring four times in a 4-0 win over B4-South Africa to clinch Group B with 9 points.  In an interesting match where the winner would be the loser, only a loss would keep B3-Spain, holding 2nd place, from likely facing the F1-United States in the Round of 16 and yet they came out shooting 24 times with 9 shots on goal but was held to a scoreless draw by B2-China PR, who had just one shot and none on goal.  By finishing 3rd, CHN will likely play C2-Italy, C3-Brazil, C4-Australia, D1-England, or D4-Japan, all preferable over facing a hot USA team.

Issue 4.1.3 "Nine Teams In" (After 2nd Matches)

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Sunday, June 16, 2019

USA CRUISES AND JOIN 8 OTHER TEAMS IN ROUND OF 16
Fotografo il Migliore and Pazzo Americano Tied for 1st

ALHAMBRA, CA (smt) -- The top teams are starting to warm up as 5 of the 6 top Group seeds have already advanced to the Round of 16.  Only C1-Australia, which had to rally from a 2-0 deficit to beat C3-Brazil, has yet to clinch.  C2-Italy (routing C4-Jamaica 5-0), D4-Japan, E4-Netherlands, and F4-Sweden also advanced with victories.  B1-Germany and D1-England squeaked by with 1-0 wins (Germany's second) while A1-France broke a 1-1 tie to win.  CONCACAF teams E1-Canada and F1-USA (who changed 7 starters) pitched shutouts and also did not allow a shot on goal by the opponent, the first two such events of the tourney.  A4-Nigeria surprised A2-Korea Republic 2-0 and B2-China PR's win stopped a six-match winless streak for the Asia Football Confederation (AFC).  F2-Thailand were bombarded with 74 shots over two matches but finally managed to score in stoppage time against SWE setting off an emotional celebration from the team, staff, and fans.

There were no ties in this second round of 12 matches and only one tie overall.  There have also just been one red card (2 cautions) and no direct red cards.  D2-Scotland's loss to JPN was UEFA's first loss against a non-UEFA team.  Six of the 9 UEFA teams have already advanced with A3-Norway and B3-Spain in good shape with three points but SCO will need some help at zero points and a -2 goal differential.  With four 3rd place teams advancing, even THA with zero points and a -17 GD still has a minuscule chance.

Three Teams Advance (6/16)

F2-Thailand changed goalkeepers and Waraporn Boonsing, the veteran and first-choice GK that didn't start against F1-USA, made 10 saves but unfortunately, F4-Sweden had 15 shots on goal in another tough match.  However, THA in stoppage time scored their first goal and the fans (albeit a tourney-low of 9,354) cheered the achievement.  It was great to see after allowing the first 17 goals in their two matches and seeing the team and the staff celebrate was emotional to see.  SWE's 5-1 win sent them to the Round of 16 for the 6th time. 

With SWE winning by just four, the USA knew they clinched the goal differential if they ended up tied with SWE in the final match, so the USA made 7 changes to their starting lineup.  And it didn't stop the USA as they dominated F3-Chile and scored three goals in the first half again.  CHI only had one shot and no shots goal.  However, they ran into a buzzsaw named Christiane Endler who seemed to make more than the six saves she was credited with and kept USA off the scoreboard for the last 55 minutes.  USA's 3-0 win sent them to the Round of 16 for the 7th time and also sent D4-Japan in the Knockout Stage who are guaranteed at least a top 4 third-place finish. 

Sea of Orange (6/15)

E2-Netherlands scored twice in the second half to secure a spot in the Round of 16 with a 3-1 win over E4-Cameroon in front of a large orange-clad partisan crowd.  Valenciennes is less than 200 miles from Amersterdam with multiple ways to travel (being it's Europe).  E1-Canada also scored twice in the second half to advanced to the Knockout Stage with a 2-0 win over E3-New Zealand.  NZL became the first team to not record a shot on goal and the CAN GK has only faced 1 shot on goal in the two matches (making the save).  That should change as CAN and NED battle it out for first.

Four UEFA Teams In (6/14)

C2-Italy routed C4-Jamaica 5-0 to advance to the Round of 16.  A double VAR sequence saw it first used to reverse a non-call and gave a penalty kick to ITA in the 9'.  On the PK, JAM's young GK saved it in the 11' but was off her line and VAR gave the infraction and on the retake, ITA converted for the first goal in the 12'.  This seemed egregious upon live view but I forget the GK can move as long as he/she has a foot on the line.  Clearly, she didn't but ignoring she was way off center, it was only by 10 inches or less.  Watching another PK from today, the GK was behind the line and timed it run up to the line so she had a foot on it when the PK was taken (not successful BTW).  JAM has allowed back-to-back hat tricks against them and now have a -8 Goal Differential.

AFC is Back (6/13)

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has had a nightmare of a WWC going 0-5-1 and that tie was the biggest upset with D4-Japan tying D3-Argentina.  But today, things have turned around.  After losing a 1-0 lead in a loss to C2-Italy, C1-Australia rallied from a two-goal deficit to stun C3-Brazil, 3-2, giving the AFC its first win.  It was just the second time a team has come back from 2-0 to win in the WWC.  Marta scored in her record 5th straight WWC with her record-extending 16th WWC goal on a penalty (a soft foul) and Cristiane scored her 3rd of the tourney to put BRA up 2-0.  AUS scored three straight times off long crosses into the box.  The first was headed and then put in before halftime, the second was let through freezing the GK for the game-tying goal, and the third was headed in by BRA into their own net.  The last was called offsides but upon VAR review, it was determined BRA's player had a controlled header on the cross was not impeded by AUS's offsides player (Monica) and therefore there was no offsides.  So we've had an own goal in 3 of the last 4 matches.  BRA made two subs at the half including taking out Marta and then used their 3rd sub to take out Cristiane in the 75' while down 3-2.  Very odd.

Own It (6/12)

A3-Norway must be kings of the own goal as they benefited for the second straight match as an opponent scores for NOR, this time hometown A1-France which tied the score at 1 in the 54'.  It was a bizarre play as the cross would've gone harmlessly past the goal but FRA's Renard, who scored 2 goals in the opener, just seemed to tap the ball into her own net with no NOR defender around her.  However, a reckless tackle (really a mis-hit by NOR which made the follow through worse) in the box was looked at by VAR and deemed to be a foul, and FRA converted the penalty and held on to a 2-1 win to take the lead in Group A.

In the other Group A match, another own goal changed the tide of the match as A2-Korea Rep's control of the match was unhinged on a counter and accidentally kicked into their own net to give A4-Nigeria a 1-0 lead in the 29'.  The bizarre part was NGA's player near by put her hand up and appeared to graze the ball as it went past the goalkeeper into the net but VAR said no handball, thus the goal stood.  KOR had chances but it was another counter that did them in and NGA picked up three points in a 2-0 win.

Issue 3.1.2 "Baker's Dozen" (After 1st Matches)

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Tuesday, June 11, 2019

     USA QUIETS DOUBTERS, NOW THE NEW VILLAIN?
Three tied with 11 points as 11 of 12 matches produce a winner

HOME, CA (smt) -- If there was a doubt how ready the F1-USA team would be, they squashed it in record fashion, demolishing F2-Thailand, 13-0, thanks to Alex Morgan's record-tying five goals and three assists.  USA scored 10 goals in the second half on a pair of four-goal stretches in six and eight minutes that ruffled casual fans of the game but don't understand goal differential is the first tiebreaker and F4-Sweden, who beat F3-Chile 2-0, has yet to play THA.  Soccer fans, however, are upset that the USA continued to excitedly celebrate as the match wore on, with the most egregious being Megan Rapinoe's slide and kick celebration after the USA's NINTH goal.   Megan, you had me until that slide.  The U.S. may have turned neutral observers into detractors but if they keep the winning going, holding up the trophy will be its just rewards. 

Favorites struggled with the aforementioned SWE not scoring until the 83' (#39 CHI), E4-Netherlands needing stoppage time to find their goal (#19 E3-NZL), B1-Germany and E1-Canada each scoring just once in their win (#16 B2-CHN and #46 E2-CMR), C1-Australia getting upset in stoppage time (#15 C2-Italy), B3-Spain coming from behind to late to win (#49 B4-RSA) and D4-Japan being held to a scoreless draw (#37 D3-ARG). 

Should They Score or Should They Stay?

The United States walloped Thailand 13-0 and after finally scoring more than a goal (3) in the first half of a group stage match since 2003, to others it seemed it was bad sportsmanship to pile on (I appreciate Rob Stone speaking up passionately after the match on FOX -- I hope he still has a job!), especially after scoring four goals in six minutes to lead 7-0.  Records are made to be broken and the USA broke a boatload of them and it was fun to watch.  While the USA was using the match as target practice (we still don't know how good GK Alyssa Naeher will be), it seemed like THA was also using it as a learning situation as THA never changed to play more defensively, never fought harder for 50/50 balls, and never went more aggressive in defending (e.g., tugging on shirts, knocking a few USA players down).  It was as if THA was going to use the tape on this match to plan for the other two matches as the USA provided a free clinic in how to adjust for the next matches.  They committed just five fouls and only picked up one yellow.  That is begging the USA to have free reign to attack them without the possibility of injury and in a stage where goal differential is the first tiebreaker, your job is to score goals. 

To their credit, THA never gave up but that meant the USA didn't give up.  Why would the USA play the last 35 minutes just passing the ball around the pitch -- that doesn't do the fans who paid money any good, doesn't give any respect to THA, and like I said, GD is key so how many do you think SWE would score?  4?  6?  8?  You don't know.  And to be fair, if THA had a taller and more veteran goalkeeper, probably half a dozen goals would not have gone in, even with that porous defense.  And Alex Morgan's first-class touches (which would put most LA Galaxy players not named Zlatan to shame) created at least a few of her five goals and three assists so she earned those goals.

BUT, there were three instances of cringe-worthiness.  Jill Ellis

When it Rains... (6/11)

After the first two games today, the past four matches saw three 0-0 halftime scores and one that was 0-0 until the 45'.  Well, the third match produced a few goals... more later...  It rained in Rennes that actually stopped the match and it rained goals in Reims that divided the fandom.

First, E3-New Zealand looked like it was going to hold E4-Netherlands to a 0-0 draw but a stoppage time goal in the 90'+2 gave the Dutch a 2-0 win and the full three points and into a first place tie with E1-Canada.

After a sunny start, in the 72', it had been raining hard for about twenty minutes but