Football Ferns need victory

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2015 (4099 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If today’s opening match between Thailand and Germany at Investors Group Field is a story of potential versus power, the evening tilt between China and New Zealand is a battle for survival.

It’s simple: after a win over the Netherlands and a loss to Canada, China is hunting for a win or a draw to ensure they make it out of Group A. The Football Ferns, with one tie and a loss to their name, must find a victory for a chance to move on to the Round of 16.

To win New Zealand will have to score at least one goal — something they couldn’t do in their first two games. Still, they generated some heat against Canada and manager Tony Readings is pleased with what he’s seen.

“We’d be more concerned if we weren’t creating the chances,” Readings said Sunday evening, meeting the media at IGF. “We do know we need to improve tomorrow.”

It could be a scrappy battle between two young and closely-matched teams — “fully committed,” is how Readings described what fans are likely to see. China is ranked 16th in the world, one spot above New Zealand, and the two sides have butted heads often the last few years.

Still, New Zealand can’t be sure which Chinese strategy they’ll see. China focused on a tight defensive game against Canada and lost only on a last-minute penalty shot from Christine Sinclair. In their second match the Chinese side brought more offensive punch to wrest a 1-0 victory from the Netherlands.

As for which look his side will present against New Zealand, manager Hao Wei didn’t give much away.

“Our team is making obvious progress on a daily basis,” Wei said, through FIFA’s interpreters at IGF. “I think in terms of strategy, we will make some adjustments in terms of the lineup. And I believe in the third match we will do an even better job.”

Kind, thoughtful goalie

WINNING is the most important success metric. Scoring goals (or stopping them) is another. There is, however, also the matter of how one plays the game.

To that end, keep an eye on Thai goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing. The 25-year-old earned a warm reception in Ottawa last week as her team faced Ivory Coast. Both sides are making their first appearance at a Women’s World Cup and each had been wildly outplayed in their first match of the tournament.

Early in the match, Ivory Coast striker Ines Nrehy pulled up with cramps and collapsed to the turf, grimacing in pain. Without missing a beat, Boonsing raced over to help the opposing player, grabbing her feet to help stretch out her legs. Fans in Ottawa roundly applauded the show of good sportswomanship.

Boonsing wasn’t done. With Thailand leading 3-2 in the dying seconds of the match, Ivory Coast forward Ange N’Guessan whiffed on a last-second shot that might have ended the game in a draw. Heartbroken, N’Guessan fell on her knees and pounded the turf — and Boonsing leaned down to comfort her with a pat on the back.

It was a beautiful moment, one that drew raves from fans watching on TV. And Boonsing has been a feelgood story for Thailand all week — in their first match against Norway, she made a magnificent hair-trigger save off a Maren Mjelde penalty shot that earned a huge roar in the stands.

Against Germany, Boonsing is likely to find herself under heavy enemy fire. Expect her to put up a tenacious battle, as she has all week. Anyway, that’s all Thailand manager Nuengrutai Srathongvian, one of eight female head coaches in the tournament, expects from her growing team.

“One, I’d like to see determination and moral courage from my players,” Srathongvian said through an interpreter. “Two, I’d like to see them perform at a tactical level that we’ve trained for, and three, I’d like to give our players a chance to have some fun.”

Nigerian suspended

NIGERIAN defender Ugo Njoku will be forced to sit for three games, after an ugly elbowing incident marred her team’s recent match against Australia in Winnipeg.

‘For the Japanese, there is great expectation that we continue being the champion. Among the players and the staff as well, there is that sense of tension, but I think that is also good because it makes us work very hard’

— Japanese coach Norio Sasaki

Sunday, FIFA announced it would suspend Njoku for the incident, which came late in Friday’s game. Njoku and Matildas forward Sam Kerr were away from the ball and moving backward, when Njoku’s elbow came up and smashed Kerr in the lower jaw. There was no penalty handed out on the pitch.

Kerr walked off in obvious pain, covering her mouth with her hand. Although many observers feared serious injury, she returned to the pitch later in the game.

After the match, a 2-0 Australia win, Nigeria head coach Edwin Okon said the elbow was “not deliberate.” Australia’s head coach Alen Stajcic did not see the incident clearly.

In addition to the suspension, which means substitute Njoku will not play Tuesday against the United States, FIFA also fined her 3,000 Swiss francs, or approximately C$3,967. She will only be able to play in this Women’s World Cup again if Nigeria makes it to the semifinals.

Great expectations

IF the crush of Japanese reporters and photographers that filled the stadium press room Sunday didn’t tip it off, Japan has high hopes at this Women’s World Cup.

They are the reigning champions after all, and with that comes a whole lot of pressure. Manager Norio Sasaki said as much on Sunday.

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“For the Japanese, there is great expectation that we continue being the champion,” Sasaki said through interpreters. “Among the players and the staff as well, there is that sense of tension, but I think it is also good because it makes us work very hard.”

So far, so good. Japan is already guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, one of only two teams to clinch this early. (The other is Brazil, which won its group with wins over Korea and Spain.) Tuesday’s final match against Ecuador will determine whether Japan wins Group C — all they need is a draw to clinch top spot and earn a more favourable matchup in the Round of 16.

A win is much more likely, though. Ecuador lost 6-0 to Cameroon and 10-1 to Switzerland in the first two matches of its Women’s World Cup debut. With that in mind, Sasaki is mostly looking to this match as a tune-up for the round to come, particularly in their offensive game.

“The main objective we have is to make sure we’re prepared and advance further,” she said. “It seems we still lag behind in trying to have the ball in the goal after the run of the play. I think that is one point we would have to put more effort in.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.