Sport is full of success, disappointment, victory and togetherness, but none of that was shown by the Cameroon team on their way out of the Women’s FIFA World Cup. Even after the final whistle, their ridiculous antics were carried into the press conference by head coach Alain Djeumfa.
Key Events: (Minute of game)
Yvonne Leuko clearly slaps Nikita Parris on the face, but only shown a yellow card. (4′)
Augustine Ejangue clearly passes the ball back to the keeper, who picks it up, resulting in an indirect free-kick. (12′)
The following two minutes see the Cameroon players argue about the decision, and England player Toni Duggan is spat at by Ejangue. Eventually Steph Houghton scores for England from the indirect free-kick. (14′)
Just as half-time approaches England’s Ellen White scores a goal, which is disallowed for offside. Once checked via VAR, the goal is given. (45′)
Cameroon players refuse to continue as they believe they have been cheated, and the situation isn’t being helped by their coach. (45′)
Cameroon start the second-half well and score immediately. The goal is rightly chalked-off for offside, after viewing it on VAR. (49′)
The Cameroon players are devastated, and Ajara Nchout (the scorer of the goal) needs consoling by both her teammates and coach after being in tears. (49′)
Alex Greenwood scores after a well worked corner kick. (58′)
Penalty not given to England after a VAR check. (78′)
After a late and dangerous tackle, Alexandra Takounda is given a yellow card after a VAR check. (90’+9′)
Have a look at the amazing behaviour for yourself;
Were Cameroon right to be upset?
Absolutely no!
Leuko, Ejangue and Takounda should all have been sent off.
The England goal that was given, and the disallowed Cameroon goal were both correct decisions.
England should have been given a penalty.
Worst of all, after the game the Cameroon coach Alain Djeumfa came out and talked about the injustice that his team was subjected to, adding that he was proud of the passion his team showed in defeat.
What a load of rubbish!
Mr. Djeumfa clearly needs to get back to doing his coaching badges, and maybe start with the rules of the game as he doesn’t know them. I can understand the showing of blind support for your team, but when all the dust settles, I hope the Cameroon team as a whole, feel embarrassed by their behaviour and get fined accordingly for effectively sulking like a bunch of toddlers.
What about England?
A magnificent display by the Lionesses. The way they handled themselves throughout the game and during the press conferences were exemplary.
The only positive to be taken from a game that, for the lack of a better word, was a complete farce. So much so that former USA goalkeeper, Hope Solo, was trying to make excuses for the Cameroon team in what could only be described as a salvage act.
Unfortunately for England coach, Phil Neville, his team now have a nervous wait to see if Steph Houghton will recover from the brutal tackle against Cameroon in time to face Norway in the quarter-finals.
For Cameroon, it should back to the rule book. Hopefully they get through the whole thing without calling it quits.
Last Saturday saw the European domestic season come to a close with Liverpool collecting their sixth Champions League trophy, officially making them the third-most successful club in the history of the competition (Real Madrid have 13 titles). Even though the game itself was nothing to shout about, the scenes at the final whistle were incredible. All of it was topped off with Liverpool players and fans singing the lyrics that the club is famous for…”You’ll never walk alone.”
One of those moments where as a sport’s fan, you can just sit-back, relax and enjoy the moment.
This final was preceded earlier on in the week by a much-better one between Chelsea and Arsenal. The game ended 4-1 to Chelsea and Eden Hazard put in a man-of-the-match performance in what was potentially his last game for the blues.
Now our attentions can turn to the international side of the English summer and that means the Nation’s League, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Nation’s League (June 5th – 9th)
The inaugural season of the Nation’s League will come to an end this week. The first semi-final will be between the host nation Portugal, and Switzerland on Wednesday. The day after will see the Dutch play England. The two losing teams will compete in the 3rd/4th playoff while the two winners will be aiming to become the first ever winner. Both of those games will be played on Sunday.
FIFA World Ranking of Finalists:
England 4th
Portugal 7th
Switzerland 8th
Netherlands 16th
Now, anyone who knows about the ranking system, knows it’s not worth the paper it is written on, but in this case, with these four teams, it’s pretty accurate.
Yet, for many people, hosts Portugal will go into the finals as favourite. Not for me, though. Portugal had the easiest of the groups to qualify from, eliminating Poland and Italy. England had to surpass Spain and World Cup finalists Croatia. Switzerland eliminated Belgium and Iceland, while The Netherlands were the unlikely winners of a group containing World Champions France and Germany.
Funnily enough, what started as another money making scheme by yet another governing body in football – UEFA – has turned out to be quite a success. There are no longer that many boring friendly games where the coaches end up substituting the entire team at half-time. However, the demand on the players has grown.
But…they get paid a ton of money, so can’t feel too bad for them.
So who will win?
It’s a bit of a cliche, but any of the four nations could go down in history as the first winners. Switzerland, on their day can be a bit of a banana skin team to play. Portugal have the inform Bernardo Silva (Man City), Impressive youngster, Joao Felix (Benfica), and wait, I’m missing someone…
Oh yes…
The enigmatic, irreplaceable and magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus).
Any reason to put a picture of Cristiano (Via WikiCommons)
Yes, I like Cristiano a lot.
Traditionally, Portugal play well defensively, and that gives the attacking players a chance to win the game with a piece of brilliance.
In the two most recent games played between Portugal and Switzerland, the home side ended up winning 2-0 on both occasions. in 2016, Switzerland took the victory, while a year later Portugal was triumphant.
Portugal have only lost once in the last 15 games – to Uruguay in the World Cup quarter-final – while Switzerland’s form is not so convincing with four defeats in the last nine games played.
The second semi-final will likely be the more entertaining one between England and The Netherlands. The last three games involving the Dutch has seen 13 goals scored, with England scoring five times in each of the last two games they’ve played.
Obviously we should all expect a goalless draw.
I genuinely think England will not only beat the Dutch, but go on to take the title, as long as they don’t crumble under the pressure as per usual. I have never tipped the English for anything in the past, but under coach Gareth Southgate, there’s a new found confidence, belief and togetherness amongst this group of young players. Something which was visible during World Cup and beyond.
FIFA Women’s World Cup (June 7th – July 7th)
When it comes to the topic of women’s football, there’s never a lack of ridiculous comments about how they’re not as good as the men.
Yes, maybe not as quick or strong, but the quality is there.
The be all and end all is that these ladies can play.
The month long tournament will give the home nation, France, a decent chance of replicating what the men’s team did a year ago in Russia. Historically, the French haven’t done very well in the World Cup (Semi-final once), and it’s unlikely that it will change this time round either, despite them being favourites.
Reigning Champions USA will once again be a force to be reckoned with the likes of Julie Ertz, Ashley Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and the experienced Carli Lloyd, who all won the tournament four years ago. Ertz is one of my favourite players to watch because of her ability to enforce her will on the opposition. She is tough, hard-working and very efficient once she has the ball. With her around, the team works well.
If world rankings are anything to go by then Germany – world ranking: 2 – have a chance. You see, the Germans have always performed well. They have reached the final three times; winning twice. In Dzsenifer Marozsan, they will have a player with the ability to dominate games and provide the kind of momentum that the forwards can live off.
Can England add to the summer of success?
This is definitely the most unlikely chance the English have of celebrating a full-sweep. England, ranked 3rd in the world, have some greatly talented players. Fran Kirby is the most dangerous Lioness. She will be supported by Tony Duggan, Karen Carney and Jill Scott in attack, with Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton providing the experience defence.
Unfortunately for England, the last few warm-up games prior to the tournament have not really filled their fans with confidence. Unless they start to turn it around, the chances of them getting past the quarter finals will be a hard task.
So there you have it, an English summer is definitely upon us, starting with the Europa League last week, and ending with the Cricket World Cup final on July 14th. By that date, I expect many trophies to be coming home.
So, do you fancy walking in zig-zags around a field, often searching for a tiny white ball (which is usually hiding mischievously under a solitary leaf, making it almost impossible to spot)?
Well, then you’d love golf, a sport so difficult to play that it can sometimes lead to rage, even more so because of the amount of money you’ll spend to look “the part”.
I guess if you can look like a pro, you can play like a pro, right?
(Of course, then your first ever shot may just send the ball trickling inches off the tee, leaving it a good 30 yards behind the golf club you lost grip of on the swing. You look at the ball, and the club, and you scratch your head.
“How could I be so bad?” you think.
I mean, you look “the part” after all.)
Thankfully, the pros are a little better, and this week will see some of the best in the world go head to head in what is the best team tournament in golf: The Ryder Cup.
When getting set for this tournament, the first thing that was decided were who the captains and vice captains would be. The U.S. captain is chosen by the Professional Golf Association (PGA) of America. They went with Jim Furyk. He then, in turn, picked a team of vice-captains to aid him. Furyk is an interesting choice, as he is the joint record holder with Phil Mickelson for the most defeats in matches at the Ryder Cup (at a hefty 20).
Jim Furyk’s opposite number* was chosen by the European Tour’s Tournament Committee, and they went for the equally experienced Dane, Thomas Bjorn.
Both the captains then went on to choose five vice-captains to help them. Basically, they chose their mates. It is important to remember, though, that neither of the captains, or their vice-captains, are able to compete.
So what do they actually do?
Before we get to that, it is important to understand who the players actually playing are and how they are chosen for the team, and what the format of the tournament is.
Let’s start with the American team.
The first eight players are the top eight from the World Points List;
The captain picks the remaining four players
And for the European team:
Four of the players are the top four in the European Points List;
The next four are leaders from the World Points List;
And the captain picks the remaining four players.
As for the format:
The Ryder Cup (Photo Courtesy of WikiCommons)
The Ryder Cup is played over three days and follows match-play rules. So, the lowest number of shots taken wins that hole, and the team gets a point. If the competing players hit the same number of shots, then the point is halved and they continue until someone wins, or the match is tied.
Days 1 and 2 will be played on Friday, September 28th and Saturday, September 29th. Both days follow identical schedules, with four games of four-ball, and four of foursome matches. (Not the kind of foursome you might be thinking of, so take your mind out of the gutter …)
To clarify:
In four-ball: Each player plays their own ball, and the lowest score is taken. So, for example, if the American team players score 4 and 5, their overall score is 4.
In foursomes: Each pair plays the same ball by taking alternate shots. One player tees off on all of the odd-numbered holes, and the other on the even-numbered ones.
Day 3 will be played on Sunday, September 30th, and consists of all 12 players playing head-to-head matches against a single player from the opposition side.
The first team to 14.5 points wins. If they are tied at 14 apiece, then the reigning champions – the U.S. –will retain the trophy.
This is where the captains come in. As you’ve seen, they make the initial four picks, decide on the pairings and on who should tee off on which holes. They then follow their players, giving them continuous advice along the way. Now, this latter role is probably a little silly, as the players competing are often better golfers than the captains. In this matter, you can think of the captain as the broke uncle who keeps trying to give you advice on how to save money.
By this point, I’m sure you’re extremely excited for the competition. I also realize the next sentence may force you to frantically search for the red cross in the top corner, but I’m willing to take the risk.
It’s time now to see how the teams compare.
…
Nice, you’re still with me!
Dustin Johnson (Photo Courtesy of WikiCommons)
Everywhere you look, the American team has an advantage. They have the best player in the world in Dustin Johnson, and their lowest ranked golfer is Phil Mickelson, who has won many tournaments throughout an illustrious career. He is ranked 25, which is already better than four of the European players.
In terms of team quality: Advantage, America.
What about the rookies?
America has three (Justin Thomas, Bryson Dechambeau and Tony Finau), whereas Europe is giving a debut to five players (Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood). So, not only will Europe have more rookies, but the American rookies, on paper, are much better.
Advantage, America. Again.
Come the end of their careers, most golfers are judged on their success in major tournaments, and there are four of them (US Masters, The Open, The US Open and The PGA Championship). Unfortunately, Europe fall a little short here, too. American team have won a combined 31 majors spread amongst nine players, albeit Tiger Woods won 14 of them. Whereas Europe has 8, split between 5 players. Hmmmm, not looking great.
Advantage America, yet again.
So, does Europe actually stand a chance? Well, the American team always seems to struggle outside of the U.S., and despite coming here with the better team and as reigning champions, there is a sense the Europeans may be able to win on home soil again. In fact, the last time the American team was victorious on foreign soil dates as far back as 1993.
It is also important to know that the venue is Le Golf National in Paris, France, which I’m sure we are all familiar with. (Hold on, I’ll go check Google images, just in case.)
This is a huge advantage for the Europeans, as 11 of the 12 players have finished in the Top Ten of a tournament held here, with two of them winning. In contrast, only three Americans have even competed here, and two of them never made the cut.
To further add to Europe’s claims, they have won three out of the last four Ryder Cups, despite being huge underdogs in a couple of them.A lot will depend on whether or not the home fans will be vociferous enough to upset the American players and give Europe the advantage that they need. (This is something the American fans always provide whenever the tournament is played across the pond.) Obviously it will be up to the players to provide the fireworks to get the crowd cheering early. That’s something Boo Weekley, (yes, it is a stupid name), did in a not-so-subtle way in 2008.
Thankfully, none of us will ever have to see that again, especially in slow-mo!
Anyway, Advantage Europe!
So who will win?
Despite the U.S. coming over as reigning champions and boasting players who are in-form, I would still have to go with the European team. This is partly due to defiance, as it seems even the European media have written off the home side. More so, I say this because recent history points towards a possible “under-par” performance from the Americans, who are being captained by a player who never really managed to “cut it” at the Ryder Cup. Couple that up with past performances of the Europeans at this course, and it goes a “fair-way” to arguing Europe’s case.
(I won’t lie, I was just reminded by my partner that I first said the Americans were going to win, but after seeing that Boo Weekley video again, I changed my mind.)
Come on Europe! Get in the hole! … No, not like that you dirty #@$$%#@&.
The European Flag (Photo Courtesy of WikiCommons)
* “Opposite number” is one of those Britishisms, meaning the same as counterpart, or simply opposite. So in this case, the captain for the opposing team.
