Stars go out and the Cup shines with collective teams – 08/07/2023 – Sport

When the Australian Sam Kerr, 29, debuted in the Women’s World Cup, in the 29th minute of the final stage of the duel with Denmark, this Monday (7), the hostesses already had victory in their hands.

Most of the more than 75,000 fans who were at Accor Stadium, in Sydney, stood up and cheered when they saw the number 20 shirt enter the field, but, long before it was called by coach Tony Gustavsson, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso were already they had built the 2-0 that took the hosts to the quarterfinals.

As in the three games of the first phase, in which Kerr was forced to stay on the bench because of a left calf injury, the Oceania team made use of the strength of their set.

Australia has a common feature in the top teams that have survived the group stage and the first knockout round. These teams are not dependent on a specific player. Therefore, the disappointment observed in Brazil, by Marta, in Canada, by Christine Sinclair, and in the United States, by Megan Rapinoe, did not occur to them.

There were also doubts about the Australian team, precisely because of Kerr’s injury on the eve of the Cup, but his absence from the first game opened up space for the distribution of Australian goals. Six athletes have already scored in this Cup. Hayley Raso, with three goals, became the team’s top scorer.

For coach Gustavsson, Kerr’s return will be important for the run of the competition, but even without him the team “is very mature”, he noted after the victory over Denmark.

At a certain point in this Monday’s match, even with the score already showing 2-0, Australia’s tactical application called attention, especially in the defensive system. The Danes repeatedly faced the 11 opponents in defense. And the housewives threatened in the counterattacks.

In this respect, Japan stands out even more. After the 3-1 triumph over Norway in the round of 16, Norwegian star Carolina Graham Hansen said that the Japanese have the best team in the World Cup because “they are very disciplined and very structured in the way they play in attack and defense”. .

The only world champion still alive in the tournament, the Asian formation has the best attack, with 14 goals, scored by seven different players. He conceded only one goal and shows, so far, 100% success.

Although the victories over Zambia (5-0) and Costa Rica (2-0) were expected, the 4-0 thrashing of Spain in the last round of the group stage accredited Japan to the rank of favorites for the title.

The country takes advantage of the vacuum left, above all, by Germany and the United States, which disappointed in this edition. The Germans did not pass the first phase, and the North Americans fell in the round of 16, against Sweden, on penalties.

In addition to the collective force, the Japanese formation has in its squad the top scorer of the Cup, Hinata Miyazawa, who scored five times in the competition. Talent that reinforces favoritism.

Of the teams that traveled to Australia and New Zealand included in most favorites lists, only England, Spain and France are still in the running. This Tuesday (8), the French close the dispute of the round of 16 against Morocco.

This Monday, England struggled not to join the group that failed to seek the title. After a goalless draw with Nigeria that dragged on until the end of extra time, the English team advanced on penalties.

Without making a good collective game, as is usually the mark of the current champions of the Eurocup, the English team still saw its main player, Lauren James, being expelled after having stepped on Michelle Alozie.

For coach Sarina Wiegman, the move was an “out of control moment that happened in a fraction of a second”, but her team knew how to deal with the situation. “I’m proud of them,” said the coach.

Spain also showed collective reaction power in this Cup. After ending the first phase being thrashed by Japan, by 4 to 0, the team recovered on Saturday (5) with a victory by 5 to 1 over Switzerland.

The triumph that secured Spain in the quarterfinals had four different players scoring the net: Jennifer Hermoso, Laia Codina, Alba Redondo and Aitana Bonmatí (2).

Alexia Putellas has yet to score. Appointed as the best in the world in the last two elections by Fifa (International Football Federation), the 29-year-old attacking midfielder comes from a serious knee injury and, with physical problems, has yet to score in the Oceania World Cup.

Luckily for the Spaniards, the squad led by Jorge Vilda has kept the dream of the unprecedented title alive.