Women's World Cup

[Jeff]

England v Scotland about to start. BBC1

England should win 72-0

 

[Jeff]

VAR penalty for England. 1-0.

 

[Jeff]

2-0

 

[homer]

Who’s that fit piece back in the studio ?

Quality

 

[homer]

Hope Solo

Bit better than Gary Neville

 

[Jeff]

2-1

 

[jb5000]

Decent, but will have to improve to be the challenger they're expected to be. I thought the scots were unlucky to concede the penalty and improved in the second half. Deserved the goal and will hope to progress

 

[jb5000]

Incredible performance from Team USA, putting 13 (videprinter: thirteen) past Thailand. Some very talented players there who never stopped competing hard long after the game was out of sight. Got to feel a bit sorry for the Thais, but the USians looked as good as I've ever seen them

 

[BlueNotes]

I'd reserve judgement until you see them against a more capable opposition. Defensively, the USA Women's team has been suspect, somewhat flat footed, recently. The tonking of Thailand only really shows the disparity of teams in the competition. It's stating the obvious to say that against a more creative and incisive attack, the USA will have more of a match on their hands. I reckon England, for instance, would cause them problems.

 

[Jeff]

England have taken the lead against Argentina. England have totally dominated. 23 minutes left.

 

[BlueNotes]

Canada look pretty darned good to me. A team, and one full of technically adept players. They are a joy to watch.

 

[BlueNotes]

England took their chances against Japan... but gave the ball away a bit too often for my liking.

 

[jb5000]

Some really good passages of play in the first half, less so in the second half but a great goal to settle it after a quite tremendous goal saving tackle from Houghton. Meanwhile, oh Scotland....

 

[Robin127]

All these twats who complain about womens football being crap really haven't a clue, there are some very good players involved in this tournament and some of the football played has been excellent.

 

[BlueNotes]

For me, the turning point (re women's football) came when I started thinking of it as a different game (to the men's) and judging it in its own right and by its own standards. Then I began to appreciate the game for what is was. There are indeed some very technically capable players, and the vision and creativity is all there.

Yes, there are hugely differing standards but I feel that's testimony to differing levels of participation around the world rather than due to any inherent inability.

 

[City Fan]

The standard of goalkeeping is the thing I notice the most. Absolutely appalling.

 

[Jeff]

The standard of goalkeeping is the thing I notice the most. Absolutely appalling.

It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Some decent goalkeepers now.

 

[jb5000]

Agreed, standards are up across the board and the keeping if anything is markedly so. Karen Bardsley pulled off a remarkable save early in the Japan game yesterday - Dion Dublin rightly called it world-class during the half-time punditry. Two good bits of keeping have also been somewhat harshly overturned by VAR too.

The weaker teams in this tournament are much, much weaker than the best ones (The Thai-US game springs to mind, along with their 5'5" keeper) but in that regard it's no different to men's world cups of thirty years ago. Those men's teams got better by playing the best though, and I'm sure it'll be no different here.

 

[homer]

Plus that ref the other night was well fit

 

[BlueNotes]

Plus that ref the other night was well fit

You mean the one in those very figure hugging shorts? I know women (and probably men too) oggle male players' arses but it's the first time I've caught myself checking out a ref's backside!