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**linus** · 07-06-2015, 17:36

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

It wasn't quite a violent elbow, more of a clumsy takedown, arm extended and raised. The Chinese defender practically had her in a headlock through the progression while plowing through her. If her elbow was down and she had merely body-checked her, the ref would have probably not given the foul.

Hopefully Norway will have the decency to not run up the score against Thailand, 3-0 34min into the game. Thailand's team is probably a Bangkok prep school reunion team playing against a selection from hundreds of thousands of serious soccer players.

**Furtho** · 07-06-2015, 17:55

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Thailand missed a hell of a chance in the first five minutes but it is indeed 3-0 to Norway at half time and they unsurprisingly look better by a considerable margin.

**Furtho** · 07-06-2015, 18:51

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

It finished Norway 4-0 Thailand. Highlights of the second half were a steamrollered fourth Norwegian goal, the Thai goalie saving a penalty that would have made it 5-0 and a spectacular looping Thai shot that hit the top of the crossbar.

**Furtho** · 07-06-2015, 20:09

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Germany should be four up after eight minutes against Ivory Coast, but it's 1-0 for the time being.

**Levin** · 07-06-2015, 20:12

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Germany Côte d'Ivoire is looking a little one sided though we are only five minutes in.

My reason for posting is about kits. I noticed that Lena Goeßling has her eszett on her shirt. What characters do FIFA allow for use in names? I'm sure I've seen diacritics used sporadically, but the ß is the first character outside the English 26 plus scandinavian 3 that I can say I've noticed.

DOes anyone know what the rules are?

**Furtho** · 07-06-2015, 20:15

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Honestly could be 8-0, but it's now 2-0 after 14 minutes. CIV literally have not been out of their own half.

**Janik** · 07-06-2015, 20:16

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

My take on the Canada penalty is that Leon threw herself a little, and got what she wanted, but that was merely exploiting a clumsy challenge by the Chinese player, where she tried to leverage her way from behind to in front with waving arms at throat height.
As imp says if that challenge happens elsewhere on the pitch calling it a foul is non-controversial, and the rules are no different in the penalty area to outside.

Canada looked similar to the warm-up against England. Lacking skill and inspiration in 10 of the 11 positions. I can't see them winning the trophy, but being big and strong, well organised and at home will probably see them to the Semis.

**ursus arctos** · 07-06-2015, 20:25

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Not from this game, but they are there.

**Jah Womble** · 07-06-2015, 20:27

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

It's women against girls out there. (Which has probably been said at least a dozen times.)

Yikes. 5-0 at 35 minutes. Cannot recall the last time Germany scored five in the first half of a World Cup finals match...

**matt j** · 07-06-2015, 20:46

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Watching this. Not sure I need to see more. I know these teams are theoretically at the same level, but this looks like somebody is going to get hurt...

and somebody has. Turf and drastically uneven teams seem like a recipe for disaster.

**Furtho** · 07-06-2015, 20:51

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

5-0 at half time, could be at least ten but CIV have had chances on the counter, especially on the GER left-hand side.

**Wouter D** · 07-06-2015, 20:59

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Jah Womble wrote: Yikes. 5-0 at 35 minutes. Cannot recall the last time Germany scored five in the first half of a World Cup finals match...

Ivory Coast: just as good as Brazil.

**Stumpy Pepys** · 07-06-2015, 21:34

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Mostly gave up on this after the first half.

Is this game an outlier or is it the consequence of expanding the competition to 24 teams?

**ursus arctos** · 07-06-2015, 21:47

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Expansion has not been kind to the competition. Thailand were also hopeless against top eight opposition.

**Wouter D** · 07-06-2015, 21:54

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

It ends 10-0. Looks like premature expansion to me.

**SouthdownRebel** · 07-06-2015, 22:03

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Expanding the tournament might be one of the few ways to give these teams access to this level of competition. Nines and tens weren't unusual in 1970s World Cups when they finally overcame Rous' racism but it surely helped football develop on those continents.

**Amor de Cosmos** · 07-06-2015, 22:37

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

It's a tough one. The Olympics are going to lose women's ice hockey because the development theory just hasn't worked. It's still two competitive countries, and everyone else is cannon fodder. Football stands a better chance, but I think there's a similar window.

**ursus arctos** · 07-06-2015, 22:44

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Nines and tens weren't unusual in 1970s World Cups when they finally overcame Rous' racism but it surely helped football develop on those continents.

This just isn't true.

1970: Highest score 5 (West Germany vs Bulgaria)
1974 Highest score 9 (Yugoslavia vs Zaire)
1978: Highest score 6 (West Germany vs Mexico; Argentina vs Peru)

**Bizarre Löw Triangle** · 07-06-2015, 22:56

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Smallcaps wrote: It ends 10-0. Looks like premature expansion to me.

Well, Germany beat Russia 9 - 0 in qualifying. Russia had a few months previously finished above England in the Euros.

Ivory Coast beat South Africa who'd previously been competent at the London Olympics.

Fact is, Germany are the best side in the world. They showed that against England at Wembley - a 3 - 0 stroll without really getting out of second gear. If wanted a World Cup where Germany didn't beat sides by lopsided scores, you'd probably have to cut its size down to eight.

**linus** · 08-06-2015, 04:30

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Janik wrote:
Canada looked similar to the warm-up against England. Lacking skill and inspiration in 10 of the 11 positions. I can't see them winning the trophy, but being big and strong, well organized and at home will probably see them to the Semis.

I think the women's game favors quality technique and teamwork over "big and strong", because players can't cover the same amount of ground as the men. So there is a lot of extra space to work with, and teams that play well together will run circles around big stiff opponents (see Japan 2011). That's one reason the women's game has a good future from a spectator's perspective.

**N est à?** · 08-06-2015, 07:52

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

That might be why the womens game has more one-sided scorelines, it's much less possible for weaker teams to bridge a gulf in class with energy and discipline. Although I guess with (nearly) all the players being part time, the gulfs in class tend to be wider anyway.

Germany humped Argentina 11-0 in the 2007 WC, which was before expansion, and bears out BLT's point.

Germany just don't give a fuck.

**Patrick Thistle** · 08-06-2015, 09:47

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Germany were very good and merciless.

Ivory Coast's goalkeeper was actually good at keeping the score down. Easily their best player. I felt sorry for her at the end.

Felt for the Thailand keeper - should have kept three of the goals out, but then saves a penalty when her team are 4-0 down.

Canada and China both looked poor. I didn't see much evidence of technique and teamwork in that game, both sides seemed unable to control, trap, or pass a ball.

The pitches seem to be dreadful. The balls bounce weirdly.

Enjoying it so far. Looking forward to England v France.

**matt j** · 08-06-2015, 10:14

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

Super heated turf does strange things to soccer balls (and to player's shoes, feet, & legs). Commentators were saying that the Norway/Thailand game had temps at 120F and higher at the surface level of the pitch.

I've only every played on turf once, and when it was cool, it felt like the greatest thing ever for five-a-side. Then it got hot and it felt like hell and I couldn't move by the end of the day.

**ad hoc** · 08-06-2015, 11:34

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

I saw something about the grass/surface controversy yesterday and couldn't really work out what the players were on about as they kept talking about "turf". It was ages before I realised that "turf" in this context wasn't actual turf, but something artificial.

**Amor de Cosmos** · 08-06-2015, 13:50

The Ladies Excuse Me: WC 2015

One of the issues with new artificial turf is that it takes time to bed in.

An online manual for the company which makes the surface states it takes six to 10 weeks to properly settle. Commonwealth Stadium's new pitch was laid in April, and BC Place's ten days ago. The Whitecaps played on it the following day. Players were slipping badly, and several complained of inhaling the synthetic dust that's used as infill. This has been a clusterfuck, how serious it is remains to be seen.