FIFA WWC'23 3 on 3: Episode 2
Three reflections on games over the past three days… (bit late, because life gets in the way..)
1. That German Swagger
I often wonder what the Euros 2022 finals would have been like had Alexandra Popp not walked off injured just before kickoff. Would England have ‘brought it home’? Why? Because an uninjured Popp can conjure magic on the field like no other - especially where it matters: in the final attacking third.
It was almost a shame that the side that had to face this German side was Morocco, because this was their debut World Cup (more on debutants below) and it seems as if they appeared out of nowhere. Key African nations that often come out top in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations are Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and perhaps Ghana. Morocco’s regional international appearance in the final four has only happened once - in 2022 when they were runners up to South Africa. In other words, they are not as internationally experienced, and their first dalliance was with the juggernaut that is Germany. Oh boy.
The match ended 6-0 in what, so far, has been a masterclass of efficiency for the German team. It was less the scoreline, but more of the ruthlessness with which it was achieved. They came into the tournament in a bit of a cloud, having lost 2-3 to Zambia (another African team) in a warm-up friendly. But any niggling doubts that existed at the back of the minds of fans were quickly put to rest as they opened their tournament with a true statement win.
I have Germany down to take home the World Cup this year. As other major teams struggle a little bit finding their feet in their opening games, Germany seemed to have left their cobwebs at home. Let’s hope they haven’t peaked too soon.
2. The Debutants’ Ball
This World Cup is the first edition where 32 teams are competing and the bigger playing field brought with it a number of debutants. The Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Panama, Haiti, Zambia, Morocco, Vietnam and the Philippines are all making their first World Cup appearances, and for the most part, it has gone according to script.
In the first round of games, none of the debutants managed to score a goal. Not that they didn’t bring it to the pitch - because they did. Haiti gave European Champions England a bit of a scare with their speed and ruthlessness - something fans with a keen eye on CONCACAF games already know. The Republic of Ireland made sure their presence was not a pushover, holding strong against Australia, and Portugal’s two games so far showed that they can be toe to toe with the more experienced sides.
Things took a more interesting turn in the second round of games, when the deadlock of goalscoring was broken by the Philippines. Going against hosts New Zealand who caused an upset in the opening game of the championship, striker Sarina Bolden capitalised on New Zealand’s inability to convincingly clear a free kick into the box. Not only did they score, they also held on to win the game. This means that of the debutants that have played so far, they are the ones who have not yet bowed out.
If they qualify for the knockout stages, they will be the first South East Asian team to have ever done so in a World Cup, men or women’s.
3. That ASEAN representation
And speaking of South East Asian countries, this is the second World Cup that we have seen our ASEAN neighbours qualify. In 2019, Thailand became the first country from the region to do so, although their presence was perhaps more memorable for the controversial 13-0 drubbing by eventual champions USA.
This year, the Philippines and Vietnam both qualify, with the latter placed in the same group at the US (what are the odds?). But while many expected a repeat of the 2019 game against Thailand, Vietnam held their own with their keeper, Trần Thị Kim Thanh playing a blinder. They conceded a respectable 3 goals against a side hotly tipped to win this tournament
While both teams have some similarities (both being from ASEAN, both making their debuts) one glaring difference is in the make-up of the line-up. The Philippines side is almost exclusively derived from the diaspora in the US and Europe, with only one player having been born at home. Conversely, the Vietnam side are not only all home grown, but all but one play in the local Vietnamese Women’s League. Many roads lead to the promised land, it seems.
Which begs the question - Malaysia, when?
Well, maybe an early step would be starting to establish a decent local league so that our women’s national team players can get regular minutes. Efforts by FA of Selangor’s Women’s Super League, the KL Women’s Championship and FAM’s Liga Wanita Nasional seem to be inching in the right direction. But don’t expect instant results - the Vietnamese home grown team had their women’s league start all the way back in 1998 - a project over 30 years old. WWC 2051, maybe?
Game to (re)Watch:
I am tempted to go with the two high scoring ones (Germany v Morocco or Brazil v Panama) but for evaluation I am going to recommend Philippines v New Zealand. A salute to our ASEAN neighbour for their game plan here, but also watch how New Zealand played differently compared to when they played Norway (a much difficult opponent). Lessons to be learnt regarding pivoting your game plan when you are in the position of the stronger team.
Don’t fret if you can’t find these games on RTM or Astro or any of the Media Prima channels. Head on over to Fifa+ which is providing coverage in countries where no broadcast deal has been made.