Defending champions Germany reached the final of the women's World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Norway yesterday.
Germany will play the winner of today's US-Brazil semi-final, with the final set for Sunday in Shanghai.
An own goal by Trine Ronning just before halftime set Germany on their way, and they dominated the second half, with further goals to Kerstin Stegemann and Martina Mueller.
Germany's authoritative performance was reminiscent of their 3-0 win over the US in the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup.
Germany have now gone 529 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, dating back to the 2003 tournament. That broke the record of China, who had gone 442 minutes with a clean sheet across the 1999 and 2003 events.
For Norway, the loss was their first ever to European opposition at a World Cup, and an uncomfortable reminder of their 5-0 thumping in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup.
Clear chances were hard to come by in the first half, with Leni Larsen Kaurin's miss-hit volley and Solveig Gulbrandsen's firm low shot from a corner the best efforts for Norway.
Germany attempted more intricate build-ups than Norway, but could not find the final pass to set up a shooting opportunity.
Germany made a tactical substitution late in the first half, bringing on pacy left-sided midfielder Fatmire Bajramaj, and the move had an immediate impact in the 42nd minute.
Bajramaj played a through-ball for Birgit Prinz, who whipped in a cross from the left, and Ronning -- attempting to block the ball with her chest -- only succeeded in divering it into the net.
Germany almost doubled their lead in the first minute of the second half when Prinz cut back a ball in the box to Sandra Smisek, but she was unable to control the shot and hit over the bar.
Norway struggled to find any rhythm in the second half, and were not helped by the loss of playmaker Gulbrandsen, who hobbled off.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
RSS