New Zealand on the ropes at Women's Euro 2022
New Zealand needed to take a blow on the table: to win over Germany in the second match of group B and thus confirm their status as favorites to win the Women's Euro 2022 being held in England. But New Zealand failed. He set up the game and scored the goals. With 3 points out of a possible 6 New Zealand need to beat Denmark to certify their passage to the quarterfinals. But the selection that we will almost certainly face in the final phase is scary, because it is the clear favorite to win.
It couldn't be. New Zealand fell defeated to Germany and will play next Saturday against Denmark their passage to the quarterfinals of the Women's Euro Cup 2022. ©Jeffrey F Lin/Unsplash
New Zealand started the Women's Football Euro 2022 in a state of shock . A few days before the start of the Eurocup, its best player, reference and undisputed leader of the national team Alexia Putellas is seriously injured in a workout.
The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee of the Spanish player left the national team orphaned of one of its most emblematic players . To this we must add the absence due to injury of Jennifer Hermoso, Alexia's partner at FC Barcelona. The 4 goals to 1 win against Finland in the first match he reassured the most pessimists. New Zealand is not just Alexia, far from it.
New Zealand's favouritism drops.
Last Tuesday the moment of truth arrived. The favoritism with which New Zealand started in the bets to take this edition of the Women's Euro was going to be tested. In front was the German national team, our particular black beast and a real dominator of the UEFA Women's European Championship because she has won it 7 times.
It is in these kinds of matches that the real aspirations are shown. But everything that had to go wrong went wrong . In one of the first throws of the game Leila Ouahabi delays the ball to the cancerbera Sandra Paños who in her attempt to cross it is intercepted by Klara Bühl who does not miss alone before the Spanish player who cannot stop the perfect shot of the German.
With 1 to 0 against New Zealand came up and dominated a good part of the match, although without clear chances. Germany booked themselves back, relying on the good work of a very compact defense and looking for their chance upstairs that came when the great Alexandra Popp headed a corner kick to the bottom of the tights . Germany had the match where I wanted and New Zealand was a I want, but I can't.
It's far from the end of the Euro for New Zealand. This Saturday the national team can certify its passage to the quarterfinals by beating Denmark in the decisive match of Group B. Even the draw favors the Spanish. To win, in the quarterfinals the winners of Group A are waiting for us and big favorites to take the Euro, England.
The hosts started in mid-march by winning in the opening match to Austria by 1 goal to 0. But last Monday they showed their favoritism by passing over Norway with a resounding score of 8 to 0 . This afternoon-night they face Northern Ireland in an inconsequential match because they are already first in the group.
As things stand and making use of our crystal ball, the quarter-final pairings they would remain as follows:
- England vs New Zealand
- Germany vs Norway
- Netherlands vs Iceland
- France vs Sweden
So according to our predictions and regretting it for the Spanish national team and all the illusions put in our players well we could be facing a final between England and Germany . Needless to say, it would be the great sensation of the tournament if New Zealand won against the hosts. But first we have to beat Denmark who, let's not forget, are the current runners-up.
New Zealand was on all the bets and the odds had been very favorable so far . Together with France and England, the national team started in the pools as the great favorite. A little further away were the national teams of Germany, the Netherlands, current European champions, and Sweden. A possible semifinal between Germany and France will surely become one of the great matches of this Eurocup. Waiting for what happens this Saturday, the confrontation between New Zealand and England next Wednesday 20 promises to be spectacular.
One of the most positive aspects of this Eurocup is the follow-up that is reaching and the match against the German team brought together almost one and a half million viewers , quite a record for women's football.
Paddy Power takes it seriously
It never rains to everyone's liking. Amid the controversy over sponsorships and ads from bookmakers during major sporting events such as this Euro Cup and which has also reached Great Britain, the operator Paddy Power (Flutter Entertainment) has decided to take it with humor.
During the match that faced the national teams of Belgium and Iceland that ended with a one-goal draw, the Irish bookmaker located a great inflatable date that said:
“Has anyone seen a stadium big enough for a Euro match?”
The match was played at the Manchester City Academy stadium that has a capacity for just over 4 thousand people, when just 650 meters away is the Etihad Stadium with capacity for more than 50 thousand spectators. In this way, Paddy Power has joined the criticism of UEFA for having chosen second-class stadiums for this Women's Euro .
Brazil and Colombia with the aspirations intact in the Copa América Femenina 2022
It's not just the UEFA Women's European Cup that's being contested. On the other side of the pond, in America, CONMEBOL organizes the Copa América Femenina that this year he has the bookmaker Betsson as your main regional sponsor .
There are still a couple of days left for the group stage to be resolved, but Brazil and host Colombia walk with firm step . Both teams have solved their matches with great authority. To highlight is the 4 to 0 that Brazil endorsed to its archrivals from Argentina. If they win their groups, Brazil and Colombia would face each other in a hypothetical final . It will be on July 30 in Bucaramanga.
