Womens world cup betting

Prior to the start of the World Cup in Russia, we analysed 88 years of data to determine whether the tournament is as exciting as it used to be. In the main, games are featuring fewer and fewer goals but have become tighter over time as weaker opposition has improved. Tighter games can be exciting or stultifying depending on the style of play - as in 2010 when Spain endlessly passed their way to glory.  Brazil 2014 was identified as an improvement on its predecessors in this regard with counter-attacking on the rise and players like James Rodriguez being able to affect games with moments of brilliance that deservedly allowed their teams to progress. So how does Russia 2018 fare when it comes to the cold hard stats? And what could this mean for Qatar 2022? … [Read more...] about The 2018 World Cup contained some incredibly exciting football – that bodes well for Qatar 2022

Clips of Faf de Klerk cavorting about the South Africa dressing room in his patriotic ‘budgie smugglers’ and Frans Steyn encouraging Prince Harry to chug bottles of beer had hardly had time to circulate on social media before attention turned to the future. The Springboks’ historic victory over England in Saturday’s World Cup final in Yokohama was a wonderful, historic moment for rugby. And for South Africa as a nation. The sight of Siya Kolisi, the Springboks’ first black captain, leading his multi-racial team in the post-match celebrations was an image to compare with Nelson Mandela congratulating Francois Pienaar all those years ago.  Indeed, speaking at the world rugby awards, Pienaar described... … [Read more...] about ‘Planning for the Lions begins now’: South Africa are already shaping next phase to build on World Cup glory

Vivianne Miedema scored a goal in each half Saturday to advance the Netherlands into the second round of the Women’s World Cup for the second straight tournament with a 3-1 win over Cameroon on Saturday at Valenciennes, France. Miedema put the Dutch in the lead in the 41st minute of the Group E match at Stade du Hainaut and then finished it off in the 85th. Dominique Bloodworth also scored for the Netherlands in the 48th minute, while Gabrielle Onguéné got Cameroon’s goal in the 43rd. Cameroon is in last place in the group, with no points and a minus-3 goal difference, and it is all but eliminated. Cameroon plays New Zealand on Thursday, and the Netherlands meets Canada in a match that kicks off at the same time. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/FIFAWomensWorldCuphttps://twitter.com/AP_Sports … [Read more...] about Netherlands advances at Women’s World Cup with 3-1 win

She wore the team shirt and cheered as Croatia faced France in a thrilling World Cup final on Sunday. Later, soaked by the rain, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović smiled in defeat and hugged every player from both teams as the winners were given their medals. By the end of the day, it was the Croatian president who had emerged as her country’s star of the tournament. Mediatoolkit, a Zagreb-based analytics company, found 25% more focus on her in news stories about the final than any of the players on the pitch, including the Golden Ball award winner, Luka Modrić, as well as Ivan Perišić and Mario Mandžukić. More than 80% of the stories were positive, Mediatoolkit said, for a woman who travelled to Russia at her own expense in economy class and often watched from the non-VIP stands – missing only the semi-final against England because it clashed with the Nato summit. Boris Dežulović, a journalist and political commentator, said: “Her … [Read more...] about Croatia’s real World Cup star? The president in the stands

VALENCIENNES, France (AP) — After all the rage and rebellion in the stadium, England players received a far more convivial reception back at their hotel they shared with Cameroon. It came remarkably from Cameroon supporters who were far more graceful than some of their dissenting national team players earlier on Sunday evening in the humid cauldron of Stade de Hainaut. England players who had denied their country a place in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals by winning 3-0 were applauded back into the Royal Hainaut Spa and Resort Hotel. The England traveling party led by Phil Neville welcomed the unexpected reception. The manager had concerns the moment he was informed by the team operations manager that they were sharing with the opposition in the small city of Valenciennes. “I thought, ‘No, that’s not right,’” Neville said. “Then we went to hotel and it’s been amazing. We saw them go out to training (on Saturday) and they had a … [Read more...] about After World Cup rage, Cameroon faces demands for punishment