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On July 20th, the Women's World Cup kicked off punctually amidst the anticipation of fans. Although it doesn't capture as much attention as the Men's World Cup, in this rare season of football, the Women's World Cup is undoubtedly a highly anticipated event.
In the opening match, the host nation New Zealand faced Norway. Pre-match odds also favored Norway with a 1.5 goal handicap, indicating a significant difference in strength between the two teams. Opening matches often aim to entertain fans with plenty of goals, so it was expected to be a high-scoring game. However, it turned out to be disappointing. Except for a goal in the 48th minute, there were no further goals throughout the match. Moving on to another match, Australia, my impression was that various Australian teams usually prefer an attacking style of play. Surprisingly, it mirrored the previous match with New Zealand. Apart from a penalty goal in the 51st minute of the second half, there were no other significant developments. Both matches ended with a score of 1-0, and both host nations achieved their desired three points. However, there was an overall feeling of something lacking — too few goals were scored!
In the morning, Canada played to a direct 0-0 draw, and in the afternoon, Switzerland won 2-0, yet it was still a low-scoring game. All four matches that have concluded so far have featured low-scoring results combined with underdog teams performing well. Those who bet on high-scoring matches must be feeling a bit frustrated.
The first matches of the group stage have played out so pragmatically. One might wonder if it will become even more challenging to see goals in the later matches, where the stakes are higher. Of course, China's women's football team hasn't played yet, so we don't know if they will deliver an impressive performance. Let's wait and see! |
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Post time 31-8-2023 13:55:44