After winning their first ever Women’s World Cup match, the Dutch will look to double their win tally in this year’s tournament as they face China on Thursday. But the Steel Roses showed their resolve against the host country Canada in their first match, and could be a frustrating matchup for the Lionesses.
Read on for our preview of this Group A matchup. And for more of Thursday’s World Cup action, check out our preview of Germany vs. Norway.
China looked well on course to take a shock point from its opening Women’s World Cup game, but it sadly ended in disappointment as an injury time penalty kick condemned the Steel Roses to a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against Canada on Saturday.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]But despite the result, the Chinese can take heart in the fact that they managed to deny the World Cup hosts for so long even as they were on the back foot for majority of the match. The Chinese ceded 62 percent of possession against Canada, and were outshot 14-5.
China is a young squad (average age 23) with no standout, game-changing stars, but its main strength of overall team solidity – brought about by playing together for the past three years – was evident from game one.
The Chinese’s very solid defensive structure should allow them to absorb the pressure from a dangerous Dutch team that loves to come forward. The Chinese could also cause some problems on the counterattack if the Dutch aren’t careful. Prolific midfielder Ma Jun has 15 career international goals in 50 caps.
Betting on the Netherlands
The Dutch marked their first ever Women’s World Cup appearance with a well-deserved 1-0 win over New Zealand. 22-year old striker Lieke Martens scored the deciding goal with a wonderful long-range strike for her 21st international goal in 51 caps.
Up-and-coming Dutch superstar Vivianne Miedema didn’t have a particularly strong showing against New Zealand, and was substituted after 81 minutes. The Lionesses will need their terrific teenager to get back to her dominating best for the Dutch to unlock a stubborn Chinese defense.
The young 19-year old already has 19 goals in just 23 caps for her country (16 coming in World Cup qualifying), and an incredible 85 in goals in 86 games in her club career.
But the Dutch are by no means a one-woman team. They have a nice blend of youth (14 of the 23 in their squad are 25 years old or younger) and experience (five players have over 100 caps) in the team, and just about everyone is very technically gifted. Ever true to the tenets of total football, the Oranje will play some offensive-minded football, for better or worse.
The Dutch do have some holes at the back that can get exposed due to their very open style of play, but the Chinese might not have enough quality to take advantage of those defensive deficiencies. The Dutch conceded just six goals in 10 games during World Cup qualifying.
Writer’s Prediction
The Netherlands blow by China with a comfortable 2-0 win. Create a betting account now and get comfortable wagering on the Women’s World Cup all tournament long.
