Let’s get set for more Women’s World Cup action in lovely Montreal, as two teams from Group E will get their chance to make a good first impression at the tournament.
South American powerhouse Brazil is back in the tournament and its first opponent is South Korea, one of Asia’s fast-rising teams. Read on below as we analyze their opening matchup. And for an in-depth look at the entire event, head on over here for our predictions, picks and preview of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament.
The decorated women’s soccer team of Brazil is prepared to make its best run at the tournament . The Brazilians qualified for the World Cup for the seventh time in as many Women’s World Cup events. They’ll look to finally win their first World Cup title here in Canada; their best finish was back in 2007 as runners-up to Germany.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]The proud football nation definitely has great momentum heading into this match. Brazil is hot off the heels from its sixth Copa America Femenina title held back in September of last year. What made the championship at Copa America more impressive was that Brazil still came away as champions without superstar striker Marta Vieira da Silva.
And the timing for the World Cup couldn’t be better, as Marta has fully recovered from her injury that held her back from competition at the Copa America. The 29-year old standout is entering her prime, will look to claim the title of all-time World Cup leading scorer for herself. 14 of her 79 career international goals have come at the World Cup, tied for the most in the competition’s history.
But the five-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year will not be alone in Brazil’s offensive attack, as Marta’s fellow teammate Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva will be also be there to provide even more firepower.
During the Copa America tournament, it was Cristiane who led the team in scoring with six goals in place of then-injured Marta. Look for the duo to push the tempo with Brazil’s fast-paced offense.
Brazil was not just the best-scoring team at last year’s Copa America with their 22 goals, but it was also the best defensive team with just three goals conceded in the entire tournament. With the offense and defense clicking, Brazil is the clear-cut favorite in their group right now.
South Korea has a lot to prove heading into the World Cup. The Koreans finished fourth in their qualifying tournament at the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Vietnam in May of 2014. They started out strong in the event, having outscored their first two opponents 16-0 en route to an instant berth to this year’s World Cup. However, they fell to Australia during the tournament’s knockout stage.
South Korea will now be eager to make the most out of its second trip to the big dance in Canada. The Taeguk Ladies have yet to win a match in the World Cup, as they lost their first three inaugural matches back in 2003.
Leading the charge for South Korea’s offense in this year’s tournament is forward Park Eun-Sun. Park’s six goals at the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup won her the golden boot at the tournament. She will be accompanied by midfielder and rising star Ji So-Yun. Ji is a member of England’s Chelsea L.F.C., and winner of the 2015 PFA Women’s Player’s Player of the Year award. She’s the team’s leading scorer with 38 goals in 74 caps.
The Taeguk Ladies have to be motivated by the last match they played before heading into the World Cup. They played a friendly “tune-up” match just this past May 30th against the United States that went to a draw. Even as both teams went scoreless in that match, South Korea has got to be pumped by shutting down the team that is heavily favored to win it all at the World Cup.
