The quarter-final showdown between familiar foes China and
Norway in Wuhan on Sunday will be the sides' 22nd meeting in
their history. Regardless of past form, the tie promises to be an
evenly matched encounter, so both teams will be hoping for a lucky
break to tip the balance in their favour.
The game
Norway-China, Wuhan, Sunday 23 September, 17:00 (local time)
The stakes
Despite the hosts' thorough preparations for this
year's FIFA Women's World Cup, including the appointment of
Marika Domanski-Lyfors as their first ever foreign coach, China PR
did not stroll through to the last eight. A 4-0 loss to Brazil
signalled the end of the honeymoon for the Swedish trainer and her
team, who are yet to find their form in front of goal.
By contrast, Norway sailed through the group phase,
collecting seven points on their way to clinching top spot in Group
C. Even more ominously for hosts China, the Europeans were in
free-scoring mode against Ghana, sealing their progression with a
7-2 victory. Nevertheless, the advantage of home support can never
be underestimated and the Steel Roses will be aiming to make their
'12th man' count on Sunday.
The past
These rivals have met on 21 occasions and Norway
have the edge with 11 wins to China's seven, the other three
matches ending in draws. Curiously enough, a number of their
previous meetings have been somewhat one-sided affairs. Although
Norway triumphed 4-1 in the Algarve Cup in 1996, China claimed
victory in the teams' two previous FIFA Women's World Cup
encounters. They defeated the Scandinavians 4-0 on home soil in the
opening match of the inaugural event in 1991, before securing a 5-0
victory in the semi-final of USA 1999. However, Norway were narrow
1-0 winners when they last met at the Algarve Cup in 2006.
The players
Led by seasoned striker Ragnhild Gulbrandsen, Norway
qualified unbeaten from the group stage with two wins and one draw,
and were one of the most eye-catching teams in the first phase.
Gulbrandsen's hat-trick against Ghana took her to the top of
the scoring chart with five goals and the performance of the
30-year-old centre-forward, who was named in the FIFA All Star Team
at the 2003 finals, could be crucial to Norway's chances of
success.
Meanwhile in the China camp, another USA 2003 veteran will be
handed a pivotal role in Sunday's match. Team captain Li Jie,
who has already contributed two vital goals from defence in the
first phase of the tournament, will be tasked with keeping the
Norway forward line at arm's length. Neither team is hampered
by injury or suspension concerns.
The words
It's very important that we improve for this match.
Although we beat Ghana convincingly, we gave them too many chances
and we cannot afford to do that in the quarter-finals. China are
well organised and work very hard but we are still confident in our
chances -
Bjarne Berntsen, Norway coach
China beat Norway 5-0 in their last World Cup meeting, but
that's all in the past and the two teams have changed a lot
since then. I faced Norway on numerous occasions when I was in
charge of the Swedish national team. I have a very good
understanding of their team, so I know what it takes to break them
down -
Marika Domanski-Lyfors, China coach
So far, Australia have been the toughest team we have faced
but we know that we are going on to another level in the
quarter-finals. It's going to be a lot harder because we are
one step closer to the final and, at this stage, the teams are all
strong and willing to sacrifice a lot. China will certainly be
tough, especially as hosts. But we are ready and I think there is a
fair chance of us beating them -
Ragnhild Gulbrandsen, Norway striker
