Sport

Norway v Australia: Women's World Cup last 16 – live!

Published




I want to commend the excellent musical stylings of Fifa’s resident DJ, who has been blasting AC/DC all afternoon from the stadium’s PA system. My only complaint is that, during the men’s World Cup in Russia, each team had a ‘national’ song played before kick-off. The Socceroos enjoyed ‘Down Under’ by Men at Work. But for whatever reason, Fifa have abandoned this excellent tradition in France. While we are on this slightly esoteric tangent, let me commend Fifa’s pre-match hype song to you – Halfway There by Tiësto & Dzeko.

Halfway There by Tiësto & Dzeko




I’ve been trying to find out why the Norwegians are nicknamed the Gresshoppene (Grasshoppers). My intel to date suggests that it stems back to their gold medal win at the 2000 Sydney, when (I’m told) the players crawled on the turf following the win. Apparently the nickname is no longer commonly used in Norway, but it is included in Fifa’s official materials. Norwegian readers with insight are most welcome to write in, via email or Twitter: @KieranPender.





And here’s more Parkin. I particularly enjoyed this opening line: “Like any metric Fifa rankings are a crude measure best taken with a sack of salt. “





My favourite colleague Richard Parkin is with me in Nice, and he’s been writing up a storm ahead of the game. Check out this on the threat Norway pose to the Matildas.





If you’ve been living under a rock and not yet read our comprehensive team previews, or want to refresh your knowledge ahead of the match, see below.





Preamble

Kieran Pender

Norway in Nice at nine (local time). Alliteration aside, the Matildas’ 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup clash with the Norwegians is perhaps the most significant match in Australian football in a decade or more. Australia have only won one World Cup knock-out match (male or female) in history, when the Matildas beat Brazil in 2015. With a highly-rated squad and the best striker in the world in captain Sam Kerr, expectations are high – as they have been since before the tournament.

For the first-time ever, the Australians are favourites in a World Cup knock-out clash. A win in Nice will be a huge boost for Australian football. A loss will lead to inquests, recriminations and questions about what might have been.

But the favourite tag is debatable. Former world champions Norway have performed admirably in a tough Group A, losing only to hosts France. They have several world class players and play a compact, organised style. Guru Reiten and Caroline Graham Hansen will test Australia’s shaky defence, while defensive stalwart Maren Mjelde will be seeking to keep Kerr at bay.

We’re in for a big 90 minutes (and possibly more). I will keep you updated live from Stade de Nice – where the sun is shining and Fifa’s hype music is cranking.

source: theguardian.com