Favourites march on

No shocks in the quarter finals. Tears for the hosts, bloodied disappointment for England, late despair for Australia and no luck for the hard-working North Koreans.

With all defeated teams promising to learn from their experiences and looking now to their Olympic challenge (and England left battling for the right to represent Great Britain), the victors have a short rest before the semi-finals.

Norway’s quiet competence continues – their 1-0 win over China was achieved despite their opponents recording more than 20 attempts on goal. Their ability to soak up pressure and to make the most of their opportunities becomes a great strength in the knock-out stages. They will face a German side that has progressed comfortably through the competition without hitting the fluid highs of their extraordinary first game. The scoreline against Korea may have flattered the Germans, but their ability to defend in strength while always looking dangerous in attack makes them favourites once more.

Brazil conceded their first goals of the tournament in the quarter final against Australia, but again showed their outstading attacking flair to rescue the game with 15 minutes to go. Of all the teams in the tournament they best typify the “Beautiful Games. Beautiful Goals” slogan (or, in direct translation of the Chinese: “Beautiful Women’s Football. Beautiful World Cup”). The USA, on the other hand, have been direct and almost brutal in their progress. Physically strong, imposing and hard-hitting, they have been a different side to the one that lit up the previous tournament, on home soil. No less effective, they have not been one of the more exciting teams to see. The margin of their quarter final win was harsh on England, but was characteristic of the USA’s tendency to take their chances and snuff out danger. This clash of styles has all the makings of a classic semi-final.

That ought to jinx it…

Of course, there are things happening outside Shanghai…

But don’t try telling the locals that.

Yesterday evening Group B kicked off in Chengdu, where North Korea (DPRK) and Nigeria managed a couple of mini-shocks by holding veteran front-runners of the women’s game, the USA and Sweden, to draws.

Germany having announced themselves so forcefully as tournament favourites in the opening game, the USA will be disappointed not to have got more against a spirited DPRK side. In fact, the match could have been even more explosively surprising when DPRK registered the first shot on goal within seconds of the kick off.

Both sides gave a good account of the women’s game, playing exciting, attacking football with little of the cageyness and niggling fouls of last night’s Group A match.

Abby Wambach put the USA ahead on 50 minutes but by the time she had returned to the pitch after treatment for a head wound, DPRK had turned the tables with two goals in less than five minutes. Neither Korean goal could qualify as one of the “beautiful goals” promised by the slogan. USA keeper, Hope Solo, will be disappointed to have let the first through her grasp, while the second followed a goalmouth scramble. But they all count, and for a short time the Koreans could dare to dream of a famous victory to add to their Under-20 trophy from last year.

If they were dreaming, they were woken up within minutes as the USA restored parity from Heather O’Reilly’s half-volley after DPRK had failed to clear their lines.

In the Group’s other game, Sweden always looked comfortable, if not exactly commanding, against Nigeria, but, like England, were undone by a late goal.

An uneventful first half was followed by Sweden predictably taking the lead. Having hit the woodwork in the first half, Victoria Svensson made no mistake on 50 minutes and the Swedes looked set to claim three points.

To their credit, Nigeria never gave up and despite their seeming superiority Sweden proved incapable of, let’s make the comparison again, German ruthlessness. Ironically, it was Cynthia Uwak, who plays her football for Sweden’s Falkopings, who struck the equaliser with just eight minutes to go.

So do we have a new “Super Eagles”? Not quite, but Nigeria’s resilience and the DPRK’s energy have blown Group B wide open. Friday’s game between Sweden and the USA becomes even more mouth-watering as both teams will be looking to make up for two points dropped, while a winner in DPRK vs Nigeria may be able to start thinking of a possible quaterfinals place.