Giantkillings, better keepers and tactical variation - trends at the Women's World Cup
The traditional elite have been cut down to size at the Women’s World Cup. That has been the standout theme as a tournament that has already set records for attendance and goals scored enters the quarter-finals stage, and it has made for high drama.
“It’s been absolutely incredible and a great testament to some of the work that is happening around the world,” FIFA’s head of women’s football, Sarai Bareman, told The Associated Press. “To see the results of this World Cup brings so much meaning to the work that we do.
“It’s really special, not only for the players and the teams, but for those of us who are working on the game day in and day out.”
Soccer’s world governing body FIFA is trying to grow the women’s game at pace, and it seems to be having an impact.
Established nations have fallen one by one over the past two weeks, with the back-to-back defending champions USA joining No. 2-ranked Germany, Brazil and Olympic gold medalists Canada by going home early.
What remains to be seen is whether the upsets are a quirk of this year’s tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, or a more permanent trend.
Here are some other trends evident in this summer's competition.
IMPROVEMENTS IN GOALKEEPING
There have been standout performances by goalkeepers so far, with the Americans repeatedly frustrated by Sweden’s Zecira Musovic in the round of 16. The Chelsea keeper produced a string of saves and was voted player of the match as the US dominated but couldn’t find a breakthrough in the game that ended 0-0 through extra time.
Ireland goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan had a superb tournament capped by a magnificent save against Canada. Netherlands keeper Daphne van Domselaar was player of the match as the Dutch advanced to the
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