With every nation at the World Cup having played at least one match now, Ben Carey considers who he believes are the most impressive teams to date (27/7/23)
Above: Ary Borges celebrates her hat-trick in Brazil’s opening win over Panama. Photo: Sydney Morning Herald.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup has kicked off in fashion with one of the most exciting and competitive first weeks ever. I was impressed by a number of teams, but the following three teams are the ones that I felt put in the strongest performances throughout their opening matches.
Brazil
Brazil looked like the most dangerous team in the world after their performance against Panama. Their performance was characterised by lightning fast, dynamic movement across the field, which proved lethal to Panama’s midfield and backline. They also showed great synergy.
Everyone seemed to be on the same page with passes almost always finding their mark and most of their clever strategic plays paying off. Borges’ back-heel pass to Zaneratto in the box to set up the third goal demonstrated this beautifully.
Brazil showed variety in their attacks with goals coming from the front line and the midfield, off the foot and the head, and assists from three separate players. The football they played was flashy but technical and their conversion rate was decent (44%).
Brazil also had good squad depth, being able to go up by three goals before they even brought on two of their star players Marta and Geyse.
Their first big test will come in their next match against world number five, France, who have a much stronger defence than Panama. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain this level.
Germany
Germany was ruthless against Morocco, beating them 6-0, the highest goal difference in a single Women’s World Cup match since USA beat Thailand in the group stage of the 2019 edition. Granted, two of these goals were own goals, but Germany pressed hard and put the ball in awkward spots to force those errors.
The German team played fast, aggressive football with a lot of variety, attacking Morocco equally from the left and right side, and coming at them directly down the middle at times as well. They scored just as many from air as they did from the ground (discounting own goals).
One of the most impressive things was their excellent conversion rate (67% not counting own goals), which was something they struggled with in their 3-2 friendly loss to Zambia just before the World Cup.
Germany also displayed the incredible depth of their squad. Two of their best players, Oberdorf and Hegering, were not able to play the match due to injury, but German coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was easily able to find their replacements. Also, they were able to bring on the likes of Schüller after an hour and had Chelsea’s number one keeper, Berger, on the bench in case anything happened to Frohms.
Japan
Japan also played fast, attacking football, but they were probably the most technically sound football of the lot. Their passing accuracy was high, the accuracy of crosses was very good, and the finishing touches were sublime. Japan’s conversion rate was decent (45%).
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Japan though was not even their attack, but their midfield and defensive structure. Zambia are known for their fast-paced, counter-attacking football. When they beat Germany 3-2 in the friendly they managed to break through the German defences numerous times and get off four shots on goal. Japan was able to shut down every single attacking play from Zambia, and that speaks volumes.
Honourable Mentions
It’s definitely worth giving a few honourable mentions to USA and Spain. USA did look strong against Vietnam, but it was a long way from the fearsome performance they put in against Thailand in the group stages four years ago.
The defending champions dominated possession but for most of the match they just weren’t able to use that possession effectively. Also, Morgan’s penalty kick was woeful. She’ll have to work on that for the knockout rounds.
Spain was fierce in the first half against Costa Rica, they dominated possession, passed quickly and accurately, and pressed high. But they lacked intention and synergy in the second half, and their conversion rate was abysmal (14% not counting the own goal). They will have to improve on those factors drastically before they face Japan.
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