Women's World Cup: South Africa first team to be eliminated
Follow live score and updates from the Women's World Cup Group B fixture between South Africa and Germany in Montpellier.
Published : Jun 17, 2019 21:16 IST
Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live blog of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019. I'm Lavanya and I wiill be taking you through the Group B tie between South Africa and Germany. It's a busy day in the newsroom today and no, I am not talking about cricket. We have four games today in the FIFA Women's World Cup. China and Spain are going at each other in Le Havre. My colleagues Shyam and Amal are bringing you all the live updates from that game here . Make sure you join them for some ace football commentary. We are currently following the South Africa and Germany game here. Nigeria takes on mighty France and Korea takes on Norway later in the night. Join us for those games too. For now, let's head to the sunny French city of Montpellier. ALSO READ | Football WWC Scorecard Link |
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We have two more matches tonight. Nigeria takes on host France and Korea takes on Norway. Make sure you stick around for those games. It's time for a breather here. See you on the other side!
Spain drew 0-0 with China in the other Group B game to take place today and both sides will go through to the last 16 - China as one of the best third-place teams. Germany can now relax and prepare for its last-16 clash in Grenoble on June 22, while South Africa's journey has come to an end. Germany seals top spot in Group B with a resounding 4-0 win over South Africa, who is the first side to be eliminated from the 2019 Women's World Cup. Leupolz, Daebritz and Popp put Germany three goals ahead before half-time and Magull rounded off the scoring just before the hour mark with a close-range finish. If not for some inspired goalkeeping from Dlamini in the second half, the scoreline could have been even worse for Ellis's side, who themselves wasted one big opportunity through Kgatlana
It hasn't been a great tournament for the debutants in this tournament, with all four teams losing all nine games combined. This is the third time German has gone through a group stage without conceding - 1991 and 2007 were the others.
| FT SOUTH AFRICA 0 - 5 GERMANY |
FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS. OH AS I TYPE, Dlamini has made another brilliant save. Last minute save there to deny German a goal! This is more about the nerves than skill at this point. Dlamini has picked up her game since play resumed in the second half. This scorecard could have looked so much worse for the Banyana Banyana but she's done well to gather herself. You have to agree. Almuth Schult has the best seat in this match and without having to do as much. That just gos to show how dominant Germany has been in this game. Kgatlana has been a threat but nothing and no one else has troubled this side of the field as much. One-sided is an understatement. We have a minimum of 4 added minutes. Just a while before Germany officially takes its rightful spot on top of table in Group B. I cannot take my eyes off Kgatlana when she's on the field. She's able to tear through the German defense, something the rest of the team has not managed to do. Better accuracy and some more support would help South Africa open score for the evening but that looks very unlikely now. Under 5 minutes of play left. 85' Frustrating half for Germany. Second offside ruling. Dabritz plays the ball into the feet of Dallmann, who pulls it back for Gwinn to convert from seven yards, but the offside flag is once again raised to deny Germany a fifth. 83' Jane looks as though she will be OK to see out the rest of the match. The game has gone a little quiet over the last few minutes, with Kgatlana unable to bring the ball under control inside the box and then conceding a free-kick. 81' Jane is the latest South Africa player in need of treatment. Germany has used all three of its subs but Ellis still has one more available should she wish. South Africa is unlikely to finds its way out of this situation but it will look for that consolation goal. 77' GOAL RULED OUT! Dallmann is played in down the left and the offside flag stays down, but it was inevitable it would eventually go up if a goal was scored. Dallman pulls the ball back for Popp and she converts into the back of the net, leading to the flag finally going up. Look at the relief on Van Wyk's face! She knew that was offside and quickly runs over to the referee to express her relief.
| STATISTIC : Germany has not conceded in the first half in its last 20 Women's World Cup matches. Remarkably, the last player to score against it in the opening 45 was Sweden legend Hannah Ljungberg in the 2003 final! |
Kgatlana has superhuman speed. She darted through that German defense and nearly got the ball in the net but ended up kicking it straight to keeper. That is the German keeper's first save of the day. 60% possession to Germany, the stats say. We have 20-odd minutes of the game left. Will we see more from the Germans or will we see resilience from South Africa?
74' BRILLIANT GOALKEEPING! Dlamini has just about redeemed herselfin this second half with a far better display than we saw in theopening 45 minutes. Schueller squares the ball to Daebritz butDlamini races off her line and makes a good save. 72' VanWyk takes on the shot from a long, long way out - a good 40 yards -and Schult looks a little worried. But the ball sails just over thecrossbar without a touch being required from the Germany keeper. Meanwhile, update from CHINA VS SPAIN : Things are still quiet in Le Havre. Goalless so far. South Africa is undone once more by a set piece, with Magull tapping home a rebound from close range after an inswinging free-kick was headed against the post. Dlamini's vacant expression says it all. She has not had a good day today and it shows. There is frustration in the South African half. Tempers are rising too. The South Africans aren't the only things yellow moving along the field, the cards come a close second. 58' GOOOOALL! MAGULL has the last word here. Voss-Tecklenburg's side have a fourth goal - and it is a first of the finals for Magull. Hegering's header is brilliantly pushed onto the post by Dlamini - she is having a far better second half - but Magull is first to the rebound for a simple finish. Love how the yellow card looks neon in the shade at Montpellier. Come to think of it, we should have a neon card, for jaw-dropping goals or passes. We'd see a ton of those. 56' SAVE! Leupolz watches Simon's cross all the way and gets herhead to the ball around eight yards out. Dlamini, at fault for atleast one of the first-half goals, does well to push the ball overthe crossbar. 54' Magull is shown a yellow card by the referee. Itis difficult to work out exactly what she did wrong as she wasstanding over the ball waiting to take the free-kick. I am hoping to see Thembi Kgatlana open up and get into the attack. South Africa needs a good effort and soon. 52' That challenge from Ramalepe on Huth was in the penalty box, by the way, so it would have been an even bigger call from the referee had this game been tighter. Magull is in need of some treatment. Just spotted a fan wearing a beautiful flower crown in the German tricolour. Does anyone know where I can find one? It's gorgeous. Sara Dabritz has a stat of her own to be proud of today. She has now scored in successive internationals forGermany for the first time since August 2016 when she scored inthree consecutive appearances. (Thanks, OptaJoe) Do you know who could use some rain? Us, here in India. The water troubles from a harsh summer are cumbersome. But this is a happy blog (if you're a German fan, at least), so let's try and keep the joy steady. We're back for the second half. It feels odd to see such a strong shadow on the field. We are seeing a very unforgiving sun shine down Montpellier. A welcome change from all the rain this part of the world has been seeing though.
South Africa's defense may be poor but it has stuck to that strategy. It has not tried to move over to its scoring side and that has hurt its chances. Germany has a great first half so far but its not without error. The girls missed 2-3 good opportunities and the blame lies with them considering the South African defense has been extremely ordinary. 40' How could Germany without a goal in the last 10 minutes? Alexandra Popp wondered the same perhaps, because she has taken the scoreline ahead! THIRD GOAL FOR GERMANY and we still have a good 5-6 minutes of play remaining.
| That goal was Leupolz's second at the FIFA Women's World Cup. The first one was in a game against Thailand in Canada four years ago. Incidentally, that was also a header from a corner and an opening goal for her side. |
39' Dlamini is OK to continue after receiving some treatment.Germany wins another corner but Van Wyk clears the ball away. 38' Dlamini is down receiving some treatment and the substitutegoalkeeper has been sent to warm-up.
Germany has managed 2 goals in the first 30 minutes. The other game on right now, where Spain takes on China is still yet to see the ball hit either net. Follow that game with my colleague Amal right here. 29' GOOOOOOAAAALLL!!! SOUTH AFRICA 0-2 GERMANY! Daebritz is gifted a simple goal as Germany double their lead in Montpellier. Schweers' cross from the left is pretty weak, but Dlamini pushes it straight to Daebritz and she has a simple finish. THERE'S GOAL NUMBER 2 FOR THE GERMANS Read all about it here: Why final group-stage matches are played at the same time I learned of something called the Disgrace of Gijon, the incident we have to blame for these tight fixtures. If you're wondering why we have a bottleneck-ish fixture pattern this week, my colleague Amal has the answers. Earlier in the day, we had a logistical nightmare figuring out how to time and man these blogs when we chanced upon a piece he did last year. 14' GOOOOOAAAALLLL!!!! SOUTH AFRICA 0-1 GERMANY! Leupolz profits from some terrible defending to give Germany an early lead. Schweers' corner lands right on the edge of the six-yard box and Leupolz does not even have to jump off the ground as she guides the ball away from Dlamini. South Africa has lost its opening two matches - 3-1 to Spain and 1-0 to China - leaving it at bottom of Group B with zero points. That is in stark contrast to Germany, who has claimed successive 1-0 wins over China and Spain to top the standings heading into the final round-robin fixtures.
| Germany has lost only one of its previous 23 group-stage matches at the Women’s World Cup. In all competitions, meanwhile, South Africa has failed to win any of its last 12 games - it had won eight of its previous 12 games before this run. |
3' EARLY CHANCE! Magull is challenged out on the left and the subsequent free-kick is delivered into a dangerous zone by the same player. Popp gets on the end of it but she cannot direct the ball either side of Dlamini, who has an early stop to make. 1' KICK-OFF! South Africa, still in with a slim chance of finishing as one of the four best third-place finishers, gets us up and running in Montpellier!
TEAM NEWS SOUTH AFRICA (4-1-4-1): Andile Dlamini; Lebohang Ramalepe, Janine van Wyk (c), Noko Matlou, Nothando Vilakazi; Busiswe Ndimeni; Amanda Mthandi, Mamello Makhabane, Kholosa Biyana, Refiloe Jane; Ode Fulutudilu. GERMANY (4-4-2): Almuth Schult; Giulia Gwinn, Sara Doorsoun, Marina Hegering, Verena Schweers; Svenja Huth, Lina Magull, Melanie Leupolz, Sara Dabritz; Klara Buhl, Alexandra Popp. |
Welcome back to the LIVE coverage of the South Africa vs Germany Group B fixture. There's a lot riding on this fixture for the Banyana Banyana but first, team lineups.