It’s going to be a fun, closely-contested match when England and Norway go head-to-head in the Round of 16 of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. England paved their way to the second stage of the tournament with a balanced effort all across the field. The same can be said for Norway with their tight defense and punishing offense. Which team takes on step closer to the World Cup? Read on for a complete preview of this match.
England may be one of the best defensive teams in the tournament thus far. The Three Lionesses held their opponents to just 34 shots (13 on target). They have a solid goalkeeper in Karen Bardsley, who had 10 saves in three Group Stage matches. She allowed just three goals in the Group Stage.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]But Bardsley and the England defense may have their work cut out for them against Norway’s physical style. Norway scored the fourth-most goals in the Group Stage (eight).
The English aren’t all about defense. They also showed an ability to attack in their last two matches. England fired off 39 shot attempts to score four goals. Karen Carney scored twice; Fran Kirby and Fara Williams had one goal each.
Carney and Williams may opt to pull back a little bit more in this match. They’ll need to be able to control the ball in midfield, look for quality scoring chances and avoid turnovers against a solid Norway offense.
England has won four of its last six matches.
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Betting on Norway
Norway had an impressive run in the Group Stage, drawing with powerhouse Germany and defeating Thailand and Ivory Coast. The Grasshoppers achieved that feat with a blistering offense and tight physical defense. Norway has fired off 45 shots in the tournament, 21 on target.
Ada Hegerberg and Isabell Herlovsen lead the Norwegians with three and two goals respectively. They also have a handful of capable scorers in Maren Mjelde, Solveig Gulbrandsen and Trine Ronning.
Gulbrandsen isn’t just a scorer. She’s also an excellent shot creator for her teammates, leading the team with two assists in the tournament thus far. It’ll be crucial for Gulbrandsen to create spaces for her teammates against a suffocating English defense. She should be able to do so being the most experienced player on the team with 183 caps.
Norway’s tight defense is anchored by goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth. She may arguably be the best keeper in the tournament with 16 saves and an 88.9 percent save rate. It’ll also be tough to get to the Grasshopper’s excellent keeper with captain Ronning solidifying the backline.
