Almanac (World Cup) Soccer: Even the cat is watching the games

 

The Hay households, like much of Australia, is glued to the box these days. Even my grandson’s cat is watching the games.

 

Our grandson’s cat is glued to the box. Credit: Rebekah Hay.

 

The closeness of the competition has been remarkable. As the final approaches it is notable that three of the four remaining teams have played scoreless draws in the knock-out rounds only proceeding as a result of the lottery of penalty kicks. Sweden accounted for the United States of America in the Round of 16, as did England against Nigeria. One of the host countries, Australia, only overcame France by a similar route in the quarter-finals. Spain was the exception with a five-one disposal of Switzerland and a two-one defeat of the Netherlands. Spain will now meet Sweden in the first of the semi-finals, while Australia takes on England.

 

Past performance is no guide to future performance according to the superannuation firms in Australia, but can we read anything into that of football teams? England banged in six goals to one against China in its group, but only one each against Denmark and Haiti. Spain scored three against Costa Rica and five against Zambia but lost to Japan by four-nil. The latter may have been engineered by manager Luis Enrique to avoid coming up against Croatia and Brazil in later rounds. Japan, the other Asian Federation team, succumbed to Sweden. Sweden led for most of the game, but Japan hit back with a goal late on, and almost snatched another.

 

The first semi-final will be played on Tuesday. Spain versus Sweden will probably be a classic. Spanish flair versus Swedish solidity. The two certainties being that we will definitely have a result and the winner will be in the final.

 

The other game will unite the nation once again in support of the Matildas. For the home team it will be just another game against another opponent. It is clear that the Matildas don’t buy into the history of past deeds on the cricket field or the sort of ABE mentality that I share with many of my Scottish peers. ABE? Anyone but England.

 

England will have the lionesses’ share of the possession and will camp in the Australian half for much of the game. The Matildas have become very adept at restricting teams from turning possession into goals. Everyone is involved. Watch the amount of running the front three—Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and top goalscorer Hayley Raso do to stop the opposition in their own half. Katrina Gorry, Mary Fowler and Kyra Cooney-Cross chase, harry and rebound constantly in midfield. Charlotte Grant has been a revelation since she joined the defence, providing mobility and extraordinary reading of the game in support of Alana Kennedy, while the full backs Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter drive forward at every opportunity. Mackenzie Arnold has been magnificent in goal, in games and at penalty kick shoot-outs.

 

We are privileged to be watching a once-in-a-lifetime generation at their very peak of their powers. Credit too to the coach and his support staff. Not everyone is a fan of Tony Gustavsson, but his strategy since he took over was aimed at winning this world cup and he is still on track to do so. He made sure that the Matildas played a sequence of gradually tougher games against top-class opponents, so that his charges built up the experience to cope with the best and beat them. As they are required to do in this extraordinary world cup. I think in retrospect we will realise that this has been a tournament for the ages.

 

Roy Hay

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Sports and Editorial Services Australia
www.sesasport.com.au

 

More from Roy Hay Here

 

 

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