On Sunday the final of this years edition of the FIFA women’s world cup will come to an end at Frankfurt and what an exciting tournament it had been. There have been surprises, upsets, great plays and a lot of wonderful football. Although you always have to take into account that you should not compare this version of the beautiful game with what we are used to seeing in the big european leagues all year long. The rules are the same, yet it is a different sport. If you manage to let go of certain images and expectations, you will have the time of your life.
My father and I took the time to watch a match first hand at Bayer Leverkusen’s stadium during the group stage. I chose Japan vs Mexico because I had been following Japan’s Yuki Nagasato (@Turbine17) for a while on Twitter and was interested in how I would react to women’s football. We both had seen the German ladies cup final in March and that was an exciting game all around, won by Frankfurt against Nagasato’s Potsdam squad. But that was domestic football. The world’s stage is a bit different. Or so I thought.
The women’s world cup was used to see blowout games like 2007′s 11-0 thumping of Argentina by the soon-to-be repeat world champions Germany. Not this time. Sure, there were times when one side dominated their opponent, but the double digit results look like they are far gone. Even “small nations” like Equatorial-Guinea or Colombia were able to compete. And although the teams who advanced to the knock out stages were the usual suspects, the level of play during the group stage was very entertaining.
Japan vs Mexico was a good example for both. Japan was dominant from the start, but they never looked like they would rip Mexico to shreds. 4-0 was exactly the result the game deserved. Still Japan looked like a class of its own. The way the players were setting up their game plan reminded you a bit (if only a tiny bit) of how Barcelona would play. A lot of passes, waiting for the right moment to switch from playing safe around the back four to going to full attacking mode. Aya Miyama and Homare Sawa were controlling the midfield and set up the wingers brilliantly. I had the time of my life, although the lack of support from the stands was a bit strange. Sure, there was cheering, but it didn’t feel like a real match.
The first real upset came when “Nadeshiko Japan” (which is the nickname for the team) ousted Germany. The host nation had prepared for a flawless march to a consecutive third title and when the final whistle came after an exciting and thrilling 120 minutes at Wolfsburg it felt as if the whole country was in a state of disbelief. The public had been bombarded with slogans promoting the national side as the logical champions. There were huge ads with the players in every newspaper and on TV. The table was set. And then everything fell apart. What was interesting was how everybody reacted afterwards. The media ripped the coaching staff for their substitution mistakes and the handling of veterans like Birgit Prinz, who never got into a groove from the start. Some were even yelling for head coach Silvia Neid to be sacked. As of now nothing happened, but it goes to show that people can get very passionate about a women’s world cup as well.
The USA‘s quarterfinal against Brazil provided even more excitement as Abby Wambach took the thriller to a penalty shootout. All in all the performances in the knock out stages were top notch and proof for a much closer field of participants in women’s football. Only Australia, the Mathildas, seemed to struggle against Sweden, but the rest all had their chances to go to thee next round. The semifinals took it up another step with Sweden vs Japan being the magic moment. The way Nadeshiko set up their opponent only to slice through their defense was wonderful to watch. They could not be bothered by being a goal down after a horrible misplay from their captain Sawa. Instead they just kept playing like they knew they would eventually score a goal or even two or three. Nahomi Kawasumi‘s 3-1 was the icing on the cake.
So what it breaks down to is the final between the experienced and physically strong team USA on the one side, and the clever, fast and technically brilliant players from Japan. It is the opponent the Japanese had to face the last two games as Germany and Sweden were both deemed to be physically stronger, causing problems for the japanese defense. It turned out there wasn’t a problem at all. They simply outplayed their opponents. It’s a tough call to say whether they can pull this off against a squat like the american ladies, but if one team can do it, Nadeshiko Japan can. The US girls on the other hand rely on their fighting spirit. “Never give up” seems to be the team’s battle cry. But they have shown to be vulnerable against a side which can hold the ball away from them. The problem of the French team in the semifinal was that they weren’t able to capitalize on their chances. It’s not that Japan creates a lot of chances, but when they do, they’re lethal. This is going to be a great one (I really hope). One we’ll remember a few years down the road.
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