Women's World Cup Group F Review

After one round of matches in Group F of the Women’s World Cup, Scott Stewart analyzes where each team now stands and three things we learned.

France v. England

The French are good, and there’s not a semblance of a doubt that they can and likely will succeed moving forward. It was a dull score line at the finish, just 1-0, but Eugenie Le Sommer and Louisa Necib outclassed England’s midfield and defense, the former firing home the only goal of the game in the 29^th minute.

The Three Lionesses struggled up front as predicted, but had a couple of chances to make the French nervous and potentially pull one back. However, Wendie Renard (a.k.a. the female equivalent to Rafa Varane) was extremely solid and poised, ultimately holding off an potential threatening attack from England. France were the favorites going into this game and while more goals were expected, the three points were earned by Les Bleus.

Mexico v. Colombia

A match that was back-and-forth from the start, Mexico and Colombia proved almost completely equal foes during yesterday’s match in Moncton. El Tri took the lead early on after Veronica Perez whipped in a cross-come-shot that found it’s way in after confusion from both the keeper and her defense, and Mexico did well to keep things relatively static after that.

However, Colombia would not go away and were able to get level just eight minutes from fulltime thanks in large part to a wonderstrike from midfielder Daniela Montoya that stunned the Mexicans into silence. While a draw gives both teams a point, it is unlikely that either will be able to take some from France or England, meaning that they may have effectively ended their tournament just a match after it started.

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3 Things We Learned

1) France is craaaaazy talented

Yes, it was only a 1-0 victory. Yes, England seemed to hold their opponents to few chances throughout. And yes, this was just the opening match, but it has to be said that in terms of overall quality I’m not sure there’s another team in Canada (except maybe the Germans) with as much talent and team understanding as Les Bleus. From attack to defense they are the second-most impressive squad I’ve seen so far and can only get better. England was their toughest group stage game and they came away with three points, meaning the likelihood that they take nine out of nine points is high. Keep your eye on the French as they progress.

2) Colombia has grit

In an overall unimpressive display both of these teams showed the ability to fight, but it was the Colombians who proved they will take it to the finish to get everything they can. Strikes like that of Daniela Montoya don’t come along every match, nor every 100 matches, but to hit a ball that well and to only get a point out of the game is robbery of the worst kind. I doubt Los Cafeteros will put up much of a fight against France, but if they happened to steal something from England when they meet next week they have an outside shot to progress.

3) England needs work

Maybe it’s just me, but I was massively unimpressed by the Three Lionesses in attack and midfield yesterday. France is amongst the best in the world in almost every area, but for a team ranked 6^th by FIFA, England didn’t exactly show their quality. Aluko couldn’t hardly find half a chance, and Toni Duggan probably should have started though her substitution in the 60^th minute proved ineffective. The defense struggled with the pace and quick play of France, and England are lucky their next two matches are against opposition of lower status. They are tipped to progress alongside the French, but if they cannot find goals in the team then they will fall. Should they slip up against either Mexico or Colombia they then give way for either to take 2^nd place and move to the knockout round.

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Women’s World Cup Group F Review: 3 Things We Learned

By Scott Stewart | Jun 10, 2015