Special Event: 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: Semi-finals

August 14, 2023 10:05 PM

Four teams left. Heartbreak and glory await!

A Spanish side formerly at war with their shitty federation face a Swedish team that has already conquered the US and Japan. Who will triumph, and who will be ground into köttbullar or albóndigas?

After a penalty win that could be heard from space this airplane, the home team Tillies may have the best vibes ever. But the English have proven they know a thing or two about penalties, too -- Chloe Kelly's winner against Nigeria being not only the fastest shot of the tournament, but faster than every single shot in last year's Premier League. Unfortunately, there is no recorded history of sporting rivalry between these two countries.

LET'S GO!!!

_🇨🇭SUI 1_                     2023 WOMENS WORLD CUP                  _2 AUS🇦🇺_
  5th    \_🇪🇸ESP 2_              KNOCKOUT STAGE            p0 AUS🇦🇺_/    7th  
_🇪🇸ESP 5_/         \                                      /         \_0 DEN🇩🇰_
             11th   \_🇪🇸ESP_          ⚽          _AUS🇦🇺_/   1 2th          
_🇳🇱NED 2_           /       \                    /       \           _4 FRA🇫🇷_
  6th    \_🇳🇱NED 1_/         \                  /         \_0 FRA🇫🇷_/    8th 
_🇿🇦RSA 0_/                    \                /                    \_0 MAR🇲🇦_
                     15th Aug  \_____ 🏆 _____/  16th Aug                
_🇯🇵JPN 3_                      /              \                      p0 ENG🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿_
  5th    \_🇯🇵JPN 1_           /    20th Aug    \           _2 ENG🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿󠁧_/    7th  
_🇳🇴NOR 1_/         \         /                  \         /         \_0 NGA🇳🇬_
             11th   \_🇸🇪SWE_/                    \_ENG🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿󠁧__/    12th          
_🇸🇪SWE 0p           /                                    \           _1 COL🇨🇴_
  6th    \_🇸🇪SWE 2_/                                      \_1 COL🇨🇴_/    8th  
_🇺🇸USA 0_/                 All dates in AUS/NZ time                 \_0 JAM🇯🇲_

posted by Superilla (40 comments total)

According to the schedule put out before the tournament, they're showing the games live, but according to tvtv.ca, they're showing the games (over the free airwaves, which is all I get) delayed in the morning at a sensible hour instead. I hope the latter is true, because I just can't even at those middle-of-the-night times. I'm older than I was in 2002, when I watched the S Korea/Japan World Cup by sleeping as soon as I got home from work, waking up at midnight, stumbling into work eight hours later, and I'm sure producing a lot of high-quality output. So I'm sleeping, and hope I have a full game to watch. 🤞
posted by Superilla at 10:08 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I also abandoned any idea of watching the early morning games, and this is prime getting things done time for day work (ie my students are away) so having to be a lot more selective than for the 2002 Men's WC. Will likely find somewhere to watch the England semi live tomorrow though. Keeping an eye on Spain V Sweden via the Guardian's MBM, where I believe you can also find one of MeFi's own on a regular basis.
posted by biffa at 2:02 AM on August 15, 2023

Because of reasons (money mainly), the Japan Football Association only secured TV rights a week or so before the Women's World Cup started. Whereas every single game of the men's World Cup could be viewed for free on streaming service Abema with the Japan games being split up between the different broadcasters, only the Nadeshiko Japan games and the final can be seen in Japan. Had Japan made the semis, they would be able to air that game but still not the other semi. Now both semi-final games cannot be seen legally in Japan. So dumb.
posted by LostInUbe at 2:34 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Jeezy Chreezy, the end of Spain-Sweden was as much fun as the preceding match had been dull. I’m bouncing from the excitement.

biffa: where I believe you can also find one of MeFi's own on a regular basis.

Saying things like ‘the problem with Sweden is that they can’t score’ a minute before they score 🤪
posted by Kattullus at 2:59 AM on August 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

I do kind of wish I'd known I could sleep in the extra hour and twenty minutes and still catch all the action, but that was a fun end to the game. (Some good chances before the goals started connecting too, of course.)

Look what can happen when you actually use your subs, grumble grumble grumble, no I'm not still bitter about US match management, why do you ask?
posted by the primroses were over at 3:28 AM on August 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

I’ve been at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a few days, and missed the England-Colombia game because I was at a frankly bad play about Shakespeare’s home life. Still not as bad as the time I went to a triple bill of Kieślowski’s Three Colours trilogy during Euro 96 and missed England beat the Netherlands 4-1, though.

And I’ve just realised I scheduled a supermarket delivery for tomorrow morning, so hopefully England can beat the Aussies in normal time; I don’t want to be unloading groceries during a penalty shootout.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:36 AM on August 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

Well, it turns out the TV schedule lied to me, but on the other hand, I turned on the morning show in time to learn about a local hot tub dealership. Wish I could have watched the last 10 minutes of the Spain-Sweden game, but when watching the highlights and they show a not particularly good attempt on goal from three angles, I got the picture about the first 80.
posted by Superilla at 10:38 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

The planeload of passengers watching the shootout was pretty fun, but the guy watching LOTR is now a legend.
posted by jjderooy at 6:12 PM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Useful summary from David Squires of the Grauniad.
posted by jjderooy at 6:12 PM on August 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

It's 4 am, what am I doing? Hopefully watching a good one. Feeling neutral.
posted by Superilla at 3:06 AM on August 16, 2023

Unfortunately, there is no recorded history of sporting rivalry between these two countries.

Australia played England in a friendly this year in April. Australia won 2:0.
posted by daffodil at 3:07 AM on August 16, 2023

I think you might have missed some subtext there daffodil, England vs Australia is a massive rivalry in a number of major sports.
posted by biffa at 3:42 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

And 1-0!
posted by biffa at 3:42 AM on August 16, 2023

Well deserved lead for England. They've been smothering this game a little, which is good strategy although a little tough for the sleepier viewers amongst us.
posted by Superilla at 3:52 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Lol, did I lip read "finally" correctly from Sam Kerr after that goal? 1-1
posted by the primroses were over at 4:21 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

What a goal! And it's opened things up a little, too.
posted by Superilla at 4:27 AM on August 16, 2023

Finally managed to be in the room for a goal. I missed the first two.
posted by antiwiggle at 4:29 AM on August 16, 2023

Kerr's was gorgeous, hell of a strike. Hemp's had more scrappiness to it, properly amazed she got a shot off with the two Aussies around her.
posted by MattWPBS at 4:36 AM on August 16, 2023

Board sponsor question - what is "Organic Toddler Milk Drink"? How do you even certify a toddler is organic?
posted by Superilla at 4:38 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Jesus, dangerous moments for England there.
posted by MattWPBS at 4:40 AM on August 16, 2023

What. A. Goal.

Hemp's run and pass, then Russo's shot.
posted by MattWPBS at 4:44 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

(I'm a Spurs fan though, so I'm still nervous at 3-1 in the 89th minute)
posted by MattWPBS at 4:46 AM on August 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Good game. Both sides played well I thought.
posted by antiwiggle at 4:54 AM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Spain vs England final!
posted by MattWPBS at 4:54 AM on August 16, 2023

Nicely done Lionesses! Good effort Aussies!

Fingers crossed for a good final. Miyazawa's still got a two goal advantage over anyone still competing in the golden boot race, so she may hang on to that.
posted by the primroses were over at 4:56 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Aye, damn good game!
posted by MattWPBS at 4:57 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Oooh! I was awake for this one but I was at physio, so was updating my interim physio on the score 😂
posted by ellieBOA at 5:20 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Fingers crossed for a good final. Miyazawa's still got a two goal advantage over anyone still competing in the golden boot race, so she may hang on to that.

England's three strikers have basically divvied up the goals between them, 3 each now, after James put herself out of the running for the knockout stages. She's eligible for the final so will be interesting to see how Wiegman goes with after the other two have bedded down and both performed in the semi. It looks like James is the only one with assists, so if the others get to 5 then Miyazawa still gets a share unless they get an assist as well, which I wouldn't complain about, but seems pretty optimistic...

Thought this was a fair result, a good game with good chances for each team, but England looked more dominant for more of the game. Having said that, Kerr had a very clear chance just before England got their third, and getting it would have changed things around. I'm sure she will be rueing that now.
posted by biffa at 6:05 AM on August 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Having said that, Kerr had a very clear chance just before England got their third, and getting it would have changed things around.

The header as well, could have been 3-2 ahead.
posted by MattWPBS at 9:18 AM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Just to give a flavour for anyone outside the UK - this is leading the news bulletins all day, and is getting context as the first English team to get to a World Cup Final since 1966. That's not reducing the Lionesses achievement to a reference to the men's team, it's really just being spoken about as an English national team achievement, like rowing or cycling became in the Olympics. It's difficult to get across exactly what I mean, but there's a way the press could use a 1966 reference in a really reductive or disparaging way, and that's not what I see happening.

The change in the profile over the last few years is mind blowing to see.
posted by MattWPBS at 10:44 AM on August 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Any sense of how women’s club teams at the top level in Europe has played into that?
posted by Quasirandom at 11:35 AM on August 16, 2023

It's difficult to unravel the different factors. The Euro win got a lot of attention, provided wider legitimacy as somethingit was ok to like, brought in more fans, convinced the papers there was growing interest, increased awareness of the individual players. The WSL has meant there was an outlet for that interest, attendances for 2022-23 were up 173% on the previous year. That's given the teams continued higher profiles. I would say the media coverage has been higher profile, transfer market etc as well as game reports. Coverage of European competitions is part of that.
posted by biffa at 12:03 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

What biffa said. I think that just hosting the Euros last year started it off, winning put it into a high gear, and then coverage of the WSL has maintained that. World Cup so far has turned the volume up again, but from that higher base level. We're talking about a team which won BBC Sports Personality/Team/Manager of the Year, and five (including Wiegman) were in the New Year honours list.

If they win the World Cup as well, it's going to be ridiculous (in the best possible way).
posted by MattWPBS at 1:21 PM on August 16, 2023

I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised by how quickly women’s football is changing, if I think of something like rugby union going professional, or the coming of the IPL in cricket. But it’s still fascinating to imagine where we would be if it had never been banned, and it had developed alongside the men’s game for the last 100 years.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 1:24 PM on August 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

I'd be interested to see the stats on how many girls are getting into playing as well. I suspect there is more interest and more opportunity, which would be an excellent result in itself but great for long term outlook too.
posted by biffa at 2:26 PM on August 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Think about the pressure the team was putting on the Tory leadership candidates for girls to have the opportunity to play regularly throughout school. Can imagine that making it into party manifestos in the next election.
posted by MattWPBS at 3:12 PM on August 16, 2023

In Australia, the game has really benefited from the w-league (the top women's soccer league). In my opinion this is because players get better playing against other good players. It challenges them. It also shows there is an elite pathway for players. So soccer loses less players to the other codes.

Also fun fact - for a while the w-league had higher TV views then the men's a-league. Because the women's was on abc (one of our free channels) and the men's was on pay tv.
posted by daffodil at 3:13 PM on August 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

Dear 'All the Women'.
posted by biffa at 4:51 PM on August 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sounds like it was a good game but Sweden deserves third place.
posted by Quasirandom at 12:22 PM on August 19, 2023

New post; I'm going to sleep for four hours now; see you all there and then.
posted by Superilla at 11:04 PM on August 19, 2023 [1 favorite]