Styles Differ, but Their Goal Is the Same
They approach the game differently but with immense respect for those differences.
Norway, the defending Women’s World Cup champion, likes to loop long passes upfield to its twin tower strikers and rely on its overall height to win possession of the ball and start counterattacks. China, its opponent in today’s semifinal at Foxboro Stadium, likes to make short, quick passes that capitalize on its players’ speed, agility and technical mastery.
“They play simple. They’re good at long passes, especially the forwards, and they’re very tall,” China Coach Ma Yuanan said after his team’s late-afternoon workout Saturday. “On the other hand, our team depends on overall teamwork. They have their strengths, we have our own.”
Said Norway Coach Per-Mathias Hogmo: “They like to play short passes, and that’s good for us, but we know China also plays some long balls. We know that we will win the ball a lot from China and start to attack from the midfield area.
“When we came to this tournament, we said we are building a new team, and we still have a way to go. We can be stronger and more stable.”
The teams match up well in many areas, but Norway’s biggest edge may be its size, with 6-foot-1 Ann Kristin Aarones and 5-foot-9 Marianne Pettersen up front. Norway holds a 5-3-1 series lead over China, including a 2-1-1 edge in the last 2 1/2 years with Hogmo in charge. Their last meeting was a 1-1 tie at the Goodwill Games on July 25, 1998. Neither team has scored more than two goals in the last four games.
“Maybe we have an advantage with our height, with the long passes, but they have good speed and good defense players,” Pettersen said. “Technically they are very strong. They almost never lose the ball. They’re a very good side. It will be a very difficult game.”
Fueled by five goals from forward Sun Wen, China cruised through the first round and outscored its opponents, 12-2. Gao Hong--recognized as perhaps the best female goalkeeper in the world--has two shutouts, including a 2-0 decision over Russia in the quarterfinals. “That shows the certainty of the team and the defense,” Ma said.
Norway’s offense, however, has been as close to a certainty as any team’s. Norway, which is trying for its third consecutive appearance in the finals, has been carried by Aarones, the tournament’s third-leading scorer with four goals, and Pettersen, who has three goals. Norway overran its first-round opponents by a combined 13-2 before defeating Sweden, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. With 16 goals, Norway is tied with the U.S. and Brazil for the lead, and its plus-13 goal differential matches that of the U.S. for the best in the field.
Aarones and Pettersen are among seven players who have returned from the 1995 Cup-winning team. Three players remain from the team that lost to the U.S. in the inaugural tournament, in 1991--goalkeeper Bente Nordby, defender Linda Medalen and midfielder Hege Riise.
“It’s maybe the best striker pair in the world,” Hogmo said. “Marianne has been fabulous here, very good offensively but also a very good defensive player. She and Ann Kristin are complementing each other, and Ann Kristin is playing better than I’ve seen in years. She’s very motivated.”
China, which lost in the quarterfinals in 1991 and finished fourth in 1995, had its back four spend much of Saturday’s workout heading out of the box long balls coming from the wings, as well as from straight on. Norway usually attacks up the middle, rather than from the wings. Ma said he may make some tactical changes today but declined to elaborate; he cited Riise, Aarones and Pettersen as Norway’s most outstanding players but said he does not fear them. His team’s mood, he said, reflected anticipation, not anxiety. “For sure, we are very confident,” he said.
Hogmo said Solveig Gulbrandsen will start in midfield today in place of Tone Gunn Frustol, who started against Sweden. He also has the flexibility of loading his midfield with five players to counteract China’s smart, athletic midfield. He said he hadn’t watched film of the Chinese team and wouldn’t ask his players to watch film. “We want to play our style,” Hogmo said.
Although the teams’ styles are vastly different, they are sure to produce an even and high-caliber game.
“It’s always tight and tough, with not a lot of chances and not a lot of goals,” Hogmo said. “I expect the same [today], but I hope we will create more chances than the last time we played.
“They have good skills, a good defense and they play good positional football. We look forward to this. It will be a good and great challenge for our team.”
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China vs. Norway
World champion Norway and Olympic silver medalist China have played each other nine times in a series dating from 1987. The Norwegians hold a 5-3-1 advantage and have outscored the Chinese, 16-12.
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Year Site Result 1987 Minneapolis Norway 4, China 0 1991 Guangzhou, China China 4, Norway 0 * 1994 Harrisburg, Pa. China 3, Norway 2 1995 Oslo, Norway Norway 2, China 1 1996 Quarteira, Portugal Norway 4, China 1 1997 Loule, Portugal Norway 1, China 0 1998 Guangzhou, China Norway 2, China 1 1998 Algarve, Portugal China 1, Norway 0 1998 New York Norway 1, China 1
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* 1991 World Cup first round
