World Cup drought broken

The Matildas got off to a great start in the 2007 Women's World Cup in China tonight with a 4-1 win over Ghana in their first group game. It was their first ever win in a World Cup and breaks their run of nine matches without a win. Goals came from Lisa De Vanna(2), Heather Garriock and Sarah Walsh. I would be the first admit that I don't follow the world of women's football that closely and it took me a while to get used to the different style and pace of the game. I enjoyed the game nevertheless and am looking forward to their upcoming matches against highly ranked Norway and Canada. Footie Girl has provided an excellent analysis of Group C and all the other groups if you are into that kind of thing.

When Ghana scored their only goal to make the scoreline 3-1 I thought this would be a nice way to finish the game as it would provide a nice symmetry to the first ever win at a World Cup by the Socceroos last year. However, the Matildas would ruin my sense of romanticism with a fourth goal, not that I am complaining at all. The Matildas played well and dominated large parts of the game as they attacked mostly down the left flank exposing the lack of pace in the Ghanaian defence. However, goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri (the only Victorian in the squad) came to the rescue a number of times when the defence was a little slow to react to the runs of the Ghanaians. Standout players for me were De Vanna, Barbieri and Garriock. There are still some improvements that need to be made for their upcoming clashes against stronger opposition but hopefully they can make it past the group stage.

Image "borrowed" from fifa.com