Can there be a game recap without the mention of VAR? It seems unlikely in this year’s Women’s World Cup. The first day of the knockout round proved to be exciting, but day two may have outmatched it.
The first game of the day had England going against Cameroon, many people believed Cameroon did not stand much of a chance since England is a favorite to make the semifinals. The game got chippy early when Yvonne Leuko of Cameroon was given a yellow card in just the 4th minute of play due to a harsh foul. Scoring also started early for England. They were able to capitalize on a Cameroon miscue that had a defender tap the ball back to the goalkeeper inside the box. All the goalkeeper had to was clear the ball out with her foot, but instead she picked the ball up forcing the referee to award France an indirect free kick just outside the 6-yard box. England easily converted with Stephanie Houghton burying the ball into the far right side of the goal.
England was able to get their second goal of the game right before half time. Originally it was ruled offside, but thanks to VAR the call was overturned and England went up 2-0. The decision did not go over well with the Cameroon side who felt the goal was unjust. They began arguing with the referee and eventually had a team huddle mid-match, a very unusual sight for a soccer game. Cameroon eventually went back to playing the game and went into halftime down 2-0.
Cameroon, looking to start the second half on a better foot seemed to get a goal in the 48th minute. However, the goal was disallowed after, you guessed it, VAR ruled Cameroon was offside. The call was too much for Cameroon who were irate and felt cheated by the call. It seemed like nothing was going Cameroon’s way.
Cameroon would end the game without a goal and England would add another goal to win 3-0. The scoreline ended up not being the biggest story from the game rather it was how Cameroon handled themselves throughout the match. There were mixed opinions on whether Cameroon crossed the line with their arguing and even arrant fouls during the match. Others felt their reactions were warranted and unfair opinions were given to Cameroon.
No one was more vocal against Cameroon than England’s head coach, Phil Neville. He could not believe what he had watched and thought the game was a disgrace to women’s soccer.
On the other side there was the Cameroon coach, Alain Djeumfa, who claimed there were injustices in the game. He thought the referee got calls wrong saying, “There was a miscarriage of justice… the referee makes mistakes and ultimately the referee made a lot of mistakes tonight.”
Despite all of the controversy in the game England was able to come out victorious and will face Norway in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 3 pm ET on FOX.
As fans tried to collect themselves after the first game France and Brazil created their own drama for the second game of the day. And within the first 25 minutes of the game VAR played a large role in a controversial goal opportunity.
In the 23rd minute of play France was on the attack and sent a dangerous ball into the box. There was a handful of players going up for the ball including Brazilian goalkeeper, Bárbara, who collided with Valérie Gauvin of France. Despite the collision Gauvin got a piece of the ball and was able to score for France. As the two players received treatment for possible injuries the referee went to VAR to see if the goal would stand. After looking at the play the referee deemed Bárbara had possession of the ball until Gauvin knocked it loose meaning the goal was null and void. The call was very hard to accept and seemed like France had been given the wrong call.
Luckily for France, they were able to get the go ahead goal and this time without any VAR needed. They would have to wait until the 52nd minute, but in true just fashion Gauvin was able to right the wrong and score the goal off a sliding shot in the box.
Brazil would earn a goal of their own that at first had been signaled no good due to offside. This time VAR seemed to get the call right since the player in question was not a part of the play and in soccer offside can only be called if the player is directly involved.
The 1-1 tie would carry over from the regulation 90 minutes and give the knockout round it’s second game of extra time. The momentum from Brazil’s goal seemed to carry over and almost give Brazil the go ahead goal in the 104th minute. But France could breathe a sigh of relief after Mbock Bathy made a sliding kick to keep the ball out of the net.
That was Brazil’s only real chance at a goal in extra time. The home crowd for France seemed to propel the team and give them that extra edge over their opponent. Brazil could feel France was taking over the game so they tried to break up the flow of the play with fouls all throughout extra time. Most of the fouls were in neutral areas but one proved to be costly.
France was awarded a free kick on the right side just outside their offensive box. Amel Majri crossed the ball from the free kick position right to Amandine Henry who one touched the ball into the goal as she fell to the ground. The goal would stand and so would the 2-1 score giving France the victory.
The exit for Brazil could mean the last time Brazilian players Formiga, Cristiane and most notably Marta, the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, could play at a World Cup. The trio has never won a major tournament. An emotional post match Marta pleaded with young Brazilian females to work hard so they can “Cry in the beginning so you can smile in the end.” A nod to the discrimination that females in Brazil still face when playing soccer.
The host nation, France, moves on and joins the likes of Norway, Germany and England in the quarterfinals. Half of the field is set for the final eight and all of them are European showing the dominance of soccer in the continent.
The remaining spots could go to all European countries but the United States and Canada will hope to advance after their games tomorrow facing Spain and Sweden respectively. The United States and Spain will play at 12:00 pm ET followed by Canada vs Sweden at 3:00 pm ET both on FS1.