But it also got a boost from the return of captain and leading scorer Sam Kerr, who missed the group stage with a calf injury but has played 75 minutes off the bench in the knockout stages, contributing a successful penalty-kick try in Australia’s 10-round tiebreaking shootout win over France in the quarterfinals. The Matildas have gotten a big boost from the home-field advantage, twice playing before crowds of more than 75,000 in a tournament with an average attendance of 28,900. in 1999 - to win a women’s World Cup, but first it has to get by England, the reigning European champion and a semifinalist four years ago. Now it has a chance to become just the second host nation - after the U.S. The buzz: This has already been a historic tournament for Australia, which has made it to the semifinals for the first time. ![]() Three players - Aitana Bonmatí, Jennifer Hermoso and Alba Redondo - share the team’s scoring lead with three goals apiece while Bonmatí and Hermoso each have two assists. Spain’s 15 goals are most among the final four, but so is its six goals conceded. La Roja moved out of its New Zealand base camp in Palmerston North early, with the players claiming they were bored, and Spain is the only one of the final four teams that did not win its group. Vilda stayed and most of the players returned but it has hardly been a happy group. Last fall 15 national team players threatened to quit the team unless coach Jorge Vilda was fired. Spain, meanwhile, has overcome internal turmoil and a 4-0 loss to Japan in the group stage to reach the semifinals for the first time. Sweden is the only semifinalist to have played in a World Cup final, losing to Germany in 2003. Defender Amanda Ilestedt is tied for second in the Golden Boot race with four goals, all coming off set pieces. Of the four teams remaining, only England has conceded fewer goals than Sweden, which has allowed two, and eight of its 11 scores have come off set pieces, most in the tournament. And the third-ranked Swedes - the highest-ranked team remaining - have done it with a stifling defense and opportunistic offense. and Japan packing in the knockout stages to reach the semifinals for the third time in the last four World Cups. ![]() The buzz: Sweden is the giant-killer of this tournament, having sent the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |