We're down to the last eight in the 2015 Women's World Cup, and we'll start the day with Germany vs. France, a game that would have been a worthy final. The Germans have looked like potential winners for the entire tournament, perhaps most emphatically in last Saturday's 4-1 dismantling of Sweden. Germany's goals came from star players like Anja Mittag, Celia Sasic, and Dzsenifer Maroszan, and while Sweden disappointed throughout the tournament it was still remarkable to see them steamrolled in such fashion.
France's path to this point has been more varied. Their opening win against England was as bland as could be, and they followed it up with a shocking loss to Colombia. That game appears to have been a wake-up call though: With elimination a possibility, the French obliterated Mexico 5-0 and won Group F. They followed that up with a 3-0 win over a normally organized and tough-minded South Korea, with Marie-Laure Delie scoring twice and Amandine Henry running the show from her defensive midfield position. Suddenly France looks like the French team people thought of as a side that could win this tournament.
This has the potential to be a titanic matchup, as both sides have scoring weapons and creativity throughout their front six as well as defenses that are hard to beat. If there's a weakness, it's in goal: Nadine Angerer's time in the NWSL perhaps deflated her reputation a bit, while Sarah Bouhaddi has a tendency to make mental errors when coming off her line. This could turn into a high-scoring game as a result, because these teams can score with ease even with top goalkeepers in their way.
We will have more on the United States and China coming up on the site.
Quarterfinal: Germany vs. France
Kickoff time: 4:00pm Eastern
TV/Streaming: Fox, Fox Soccer 2Go, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra
Venue: Stade Olympique (Montreal)
Quarterfinal: China vs. USA
Kickoff time: 7:30pm Eastern
TV/Streaming: Fox, NBC Universo, Fox Soccer 2Go, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra
Venue: Lansdowne Stadium (Ottawa)
What are you drinking?: W
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