Netherlands and Japan promote women's football | Sports | '
Much speed, brilliant technique, high stakes, numerous chances, two beautiful goals and around 25,000 enthusiastic fans in the stands – women's football can not be much better and more exciting than in the round of 16 of the Women's World Cup between European Champion Netherlands and Vice World Champion Japan. Have the spectators in Rennes witnessed the best match of this women's World Cup so far?
At least it was one of the best – and in any case a very good one. Apparently it fit perfectly that the one team – the rather tall Dutch women, who acted against the Japanese women again and again with long balls on the wings and flanks – just like the other team – the small and bustling Asian – the visor opened and without big Scanned forward played. Division of the game shares: about 30 to 70 – first, the Dutch were better, then for long stretches of the Japanese, but it was exciting and high-class all the time.
Martens "invents" new sort of hits
Rather small and in any case quite buoyant – almost Japanese – the best Dutchwoman also appeared in the opening stages: Lieke Martens put the stamp on the "Oranje Vrouwen" game right at the beginning, keeping up the pace on the left attack side and on also created a new kind of art shot as the culmination of her own personal urge: the "Hacken-Tunnel-Tor". After a corner, she jumped up, stroking the ball with her back to the goal with the heel, giving him the decisive change of direction. Through the legs of defensive player Yuika Sugasawa the round leather trickled beyond the long post unsustainable to 1: 0 in the net (17th Minute).
Tongue out, hoe into the trajectory of the ball, the "Hacken-Tunnel-Tor" is done
It is no coincidence that 26-year-old Lieke Elisabeth Petronella Martens, who has been playing for Barcelona since 2017, is called "Messi's Little Sister", although it is doubtful that the little Argentinian, who has already scored many beautiful goals, will get a "hack Tunnel gate "succeeded. Thoughts that were not made in Rennes: All that Orange was wearing – players and fans – were over the moon, the band from the Netherlands marched their songs louder from now on even louder in the Breton evening sky than before.
Caressed, not bumbled
But the response of the Japanese women was similar to clicking with their tongues as the goal of Martens: After Japan had already found better after the gap in the game, succeeded before the break of compensation: With some fast, short passes, the vice-world champion combined the defense of the Netherlands. Finally, the small Yui Hasegawa – even by Japanese standards – was free in front of goal and scored the 1: 1. A nice hit, because she did not transform with force and force, but stroked the ball elegantly and with a lot of feeling in the upper right corner of the goal (44.).
High in the right corner of the goal – so Oranje's goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal did not expect
And after the break, the Nippon dominance continued. The game was still high-class, but above all because Japan was clearly better. European champions Netherlands were downright constricted behind the Japanese, the tactics with the long balls now looked more like despair than tactical plan. The longer the game went on, the clearer it became that ultimately there was only one winner. At the latest after 80 minutes of play one had to worry about whether goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal was Oranje's best, who had to save several times in need, and not Martens.
Tears at the end
But as so often in football did not win in the end, the better team, but the happier. Or more precisely, it lost the unlucky one: A close-range shot that hit Japan's top player Saki Kumagai in the penalty area on his arm, an arm that was not close to the body, decided the game. Martens (89.) changed the due hand penalty again and brought Japan into the valley of tears. For a short time after that was over, the vice-world champion excreted. Even with coach Asako Takakura, her eyes glittered as she gathered her team around, probably telling players they could be proud of themselves despite the narrow defeat.
Among the spectators in Rennes were incidentally also the DFB women who will compete in their own place on Saturday their quarter-final against the Swedes. Should they prevail against the Scandinavians, the Dutch would be a possible semi-final opponent. The Netherlands face Italy in the quarter-finals, knocking out China 2-0. In total, seven of the top eight teams come from Europe. However, thanks to Japan, national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and her players may now at least have an idea of how to beat the "Oranje Vrouwen".
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