Semifinal Preview

by Billy Scott - Soccer.com

The quarterfinal round of the Women’s World Cup proved to be just as exciting as the group stage. Most importantly, momentum shifted and teams began to set themselves up for two very promising semifinal matches.

The knockout round started with Germany’s decisive win over North Korea. The Koreans impressed many critics and spectators during the tournament with their technical ability and tenacious defending, but in the end they could not withstand Renate Lingor and the rest of Germany’s firepower.

The second game saw the USA use a second half offensive burst to bury England. Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach connected on a corner kick and Wambach headed in her fourth goal of the tournament. Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly also tallied within the next twelve minutes of action to break the game open. The U.S. midfield shut down England’s star striker Kelly Smith and the Three Lions could not mount a consistent offensive attack.

Sunday’s action began with a hard fought Norwegian victory over host China. Hometown fans packed the stadium and provided a stellar atmosphere, but the Steel Roses could not survive a defensive lapse that allowed Norway’s goal, despite controlling the run of play for most of the game.

Brazil’s tilt against Australia was undoubtedly the most exciting and surprising game of the quarterfinal round. The Brazilians coasted through the group stage winning all three games without allowing a goal, but even though they led the Matildas 2-0 early in the game, Australia came marching back. Lauren Colthorpe tied the game at 2 in the 68th minute, but Christiane delivered the crushing blow in the 75th to send the Brazilians to the semifinals.

Three of the four semifinal participants, Germany, Norway and the United States, have won the Women’s World Cup before, and Brazil has emerged as one of the best teams in the world, so the final four games of the tournament should be very entertaining. All of the teams still in the tournament have incredible skill and determination, but momentum will be the deciding factor. Germany, coming off the 3-0 victory against North Korea, will defeat Norway to advance to its second consecutive World Cup Final. The Brazil-USA matchup is a dream for soccer fans and should be a great game, but the Americans look like they have regained their winning touch against England and should emerge victorious, setting up a rematch from their 2003 semifinal game against Germany.