Women’s World Cup: Brazil, Colombia impress; Argentina falter

Might that win of Lionel Messi and Co. in Qatar final 12 months function leverage for Argentina’s marketing campaign within the Women’s World Cup? Of course not. Firstly, as a result of the lads’s win final December had little or no to do with home soccer. The third-choice goalkeeper was the one home-based participant within the squad. And extra considerably, as a result of it will be a crass mistake to try to transpose the geopolitics of the lads’s sport onto the ladies.

The progress narrative, Brazil apart (we’ll get there), has left ladies’s soccer in South America far behind. Argentina have by no means been sturdy within the sport. They are nonetheless ready for his or her first victory in a World Cup. Progress needs to be measured on a extra modest scale.

Back in 2003 and 2007 their solely goal was to attempt to preserve the rating down. In the final two World Cups (with Vanina Correa nonetheless in objective) they’ve a minimum of been onerous to beat. In their group stage opener on the present match they held Italy till the previous couple of minutes. But that late objective conceded within the 1-0 loss conceded is ominous.

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Next come South Africa, who appeared good of their opening sport, after which they face Sweden, one of many sport’s most conventional powers. To make it via to the knock-out stage they should get one thing from the Sweden match, which might entail the best ever achievement of their historical past.

Outside Brazil (as soon as once more, we’ll get there), South America has solely ever gained three video games at a World Cup — and one in every of them was Colombia’s opening 2-0 victory over South Korea. In a bunch containing Germany, one of many favourites, this was the crunch encounter. With debutants Morocco nonetheless to come back, Colombia can now set their sights on getting out of the group — simply as they did of their final look in 2015, once they gained a well-known conquer France.

Colombia are South America’s nice hope. With a much bigger inhabitants than Argentina, they’ve most likely been under-achievers within the males’s sport — an excuse being that they got here to the sport comparatively late because it unfold northwards from its heartlands in South America’s Southern Cone. But within the ladies’s sport, compared with their continental rivals, they had been faster off the mark. This virtually actually has one thing to do with a cultural proximity to the United States, giving the game a legitimacy in what in some ways is a socially conservative nation.

However they acquired right here, the present aspect could be very fascinating. Teenage celebrity Linda Caicedo is supported by a phalanx of skilled, extremely aggressive gamers. In final 12 months’s last of the Copa America, admittedly with house benefit, they gave Brazil loads of awkward moments on their option to a slender 1-0 defeat. A 12 months on, morale is extraordinarily excessive within the Colombian camp as they put together for a sport towards Germany that, with three factors already within the bag, they’ll afford to lose.

One of one of the best current developments for each Argentina and Colombia is the (belated) rise and consolidation of the league in Brazil. Both squads comprise 5 gamers based mostly in Brazil, making an inexpensive dwelling and testing themselves on a weekly foundation in a very good commonplace of play. This reinforces a significant level — it ought to have occurred earlier, however higher late than by no means, South America’s large has acquired its act collectively.

Brazil’s presence and prominence within the ladies’s sport is sort of solely the product of heroic work by generations of gamers, a lot of whom have by no means had their tales advised. The sport was formally banned from the early 40s to the late 70s, and was frowned upon afterwards. In the eyes of the authorities it was an afterthought when worldwide competitors acquired underway.

Their gear was castoffs from the lads, and once they went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta they solely carried sufficient pre-match pennants (to be exchanged with the opposing captain) for his or her group video games. When they brought on a shock by making it out of the group, goalkeeper Meg needed to train captain Sissi some rudimentary English to apologise for the shortage of a pennant within the subsequent match.

They began to be taken extra critically when, spearheaded by Marta, Formiga and Cristiane, they stacked up the victories. For some time round 15 years in the past that they had a declare to be thought of one of the best aspect on the earth, though they stored on arising quick within the huge finals. But as the game took off, they stood nonetheless. There was no construction, no league, inadequate funding. The spontaneous technology of expertise was not sufficient, and Brazil have been off the tempo for over a decade.

But they’ve acted to do one thing about it. In addition to the launch of the league they took the dramatic step of appointing a overseas coach to take cost of the nationwide staff. In got here the vastly skilled Swede (and former USWNT coach) Pia Sundhage. For 4 years she has been constructing in direction of this World Cup, and Brazil’s debut was her triumph.

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There will, in fact, be far stiffer checks than Panama, seen off 4-0 on Monday — beginning with France within the subsequent sport on Saturday. But what was so spectacular within the debut sport — apart from Ary Borges’ exceptional hat-trick — was the clear view of what Sundhage has been attempting to do. One of her early priorities was further defensive solidity. True, the defence was barely examined towards Panama, and the absence via damage of keeper Lorena is a priority.

But in her conception, the whole staff has to defend when the staff loses possession. She declared warfare on what she calls ‘popcorn time’ — a bent she recognized for gamers to go to floor on the lookout for fouls, after which keep there protesting to the referee. Instead, she desires everybody concerned within the collective press — and it was this facet that was so putting on Monday.

Panama couldn’t construct up any rhythm. They had been caught in their very own half as a result of Brazil labored sufficiently onerous to maintain them in a stranglehold.

But along with the collective strategy of a Scandinavian aspect, Sundhage’s staff are recognisably Brazilian. After the Tokyo Olympics two years in the past the coach got here to the conclusion that the defence was okay and the time had come so as to add and encourage extra creativity.

Brazil’s third objective on Monday, scored by Bia Zaneratto after a backheel flick from Borges, was a collective murals which can stay lengthy within the reminiscence of these fortunate sufficient to have seen it.

That objective and the whole efficiency, despatched out a robust message to the opposite groups. Colombia look fascinating, however it’s Brazil who’re main the South American problem, they usually would possibly take some stopping.