This Friday was the second day of the group stage of the Algarve Cup. Back on this day, where, after a good introduction, Portugal confirms by holding Australia in check. In Group C, the opposition between Denmark and the Netherlands kept all its promises with a win over the Dutch, though led twice.


==> Algarve Cup 2018 - Program & Results



Group A: A very good draw for the Portuguese women


The host country has certainly come a long way in one year. After a 2-1 win against the Chinese, the Portuguese defeat the Australians (0-0), fourth world nation in the FIFA rankings. An encouraging result on both the score and the way. If the Seleçao suffered early in the game, and could - had - to concede a penalty on this fault on Chloe Logarzo. The referee blows the whistle but thinks it's just outside the box. This still offers a good free kick for Australia. Elise Kellond-Knight does it, but the guardian of Portugal is on parade (12th). Then, Michelle Heyman finds the crossbar (17th), but once the highlight of the Matildas past, it is the players of Francisco Neto who will offer the best opportunities.

First, a decisive intervention by Clare Polkinghore in front of Jessica Silva. The Australian defender, author of a double and the goal of the victory against Norway has once again been indispensable for its 100th appearance under the jersey of the Matildas. The captain of Brisbane Roar is also the first player in the national team to count more than 100 appearances and in the national team and W-League.

Portugal is better than resisting, since the best opportunity to open the scoring is to the credit of Diana Silva. Launched on the edge of offside, the 22-year-old lost her match to Lydia Williams (25th). The Australian doorkeeper, W-League champion with Melbourne City, was again involved in the second act. Important parries, as on this attempt of Vanessa Marques (71), which allow him to keep his clean sheet. Especially since on the other side of the field, despite beautiful offensives, Australia lacks accuracy in the last move to hope to find the flaw in this solid Portuguese defense.


New disillusionment for China


In the other match of this group China bows again, this time 2-0 against Norway. The Chinese miss their encounter with a defensive error entry Liu ShanShan, fortunately without consequences. Subsequently, the match will balance and after attempts from far and wide, Xu Yanlu does not go far to open the score on corner (17th). The danger averted, it will finally be on a new corner that the Norwegian open the scoring, with a header of Ingrid Engen (25th).

Wang Shuang and Xu Yanlu will each try to provoke a reaction, but their cross strikes will miss. China will join the locker room with a goal late on his opponent of the day.

In the second half, the Norwegians try to break, especially through Emilie Haavi who tries his luck on many occasions (63rd, 66th, 73rd). But finally, it is China who passes on the verge of equalizing on this defensive misunderstanding in the camp of Martin Sjögren (83). Yan Jinjin misses the mark, enough to leave regrets for the Asian players, especially as Maren Mjelde she will not miss the opportunity to score the second goal Scandinavian late in the game (87th).


With this second defeat in as many days, China occupies the last place in the group A. A group whose Australia, first, shares the lead in terms of points with Portugal (2nd).


Group B: Canada pulls together, Sweden and South Korea neutralize each other


After a loss to Sweden, the Canadian women win the smallest margin against Russia. Quarter-an-hour Jordyn Huitema will have the best opportunity to open the scoring, but her shot is stopped by Elvira Todua. A stop worthy of a handball goalkeeper. Shortly after, on a good balloon bell in the back of Anna Kozhnikova, Huitema will get a penalty. Late, the Russian captain will hold the Canadian attacker by the arm. The referee whistles the penalty and takes out the red card, so Russia will finish the match at ten. Christine Sinclair seizes the ball and transforms the penalty of an interior right cross, unstoppable (25th). In spite of a clear domination, Canada does not manage to make the break, but that will be enough to impose itself. Especially in her cages, Erin McLeod was not worried.


In the other match of the group, the Swedes were held in check by the South Koreans (1-1). Montpellier Herault striker Stina Blackstenius will open the scoring for Sweden (18th), but Linda Sembrant's teammates will see South Korea return to the score at half an hour of play. On a center right side Lee Geum-Min, badly repulsed by the Scandinavian defense, Lee Mi-Na will arise before Hanna Folkesson to push the ball to the bottom of the goal before it can clear.Group C: The Netherlands win in extremis At the end of this match, there was no European championship title at stake, as was the case seven months ago. And yet, again, the meeting between the Netherlands and Denmark has delivered an incredible scenario, with a new happy ending for the Dutch.

Both teams were pretty much redesigned from their summit meeting on August 6th. Oranje side, only Desiree Van Lunteren was in the starting lineup, while for Denmark there were four players who had started the final of the Euro: Cecilie Sandvej, Katrine Veje, Nadia Nadim and Pernille Harder. These are the last two will be announced and set fire to the Dutch defense. Unsurprisingly, Denmark will take the lead in the score, on a Harder goal of a shot down (19th). Then, Valencia goalkeeper Jennifer Vreugdenhil, who made her debut with the national team, will make two beautiful parries to prevent the score from gaining momentum. This will allow the Oranje to return to the mark, thanks to a goal from Cheyenne van den Goorbergh who also knew her first selection. A tense shot from the left, at the entrance to the penalty area, which deceives Naja Bahrenscheer (31st).

A short equalizer since three minutes later, Frederikke Thogersen gives the advantage to the Danes. Left side Katrine Veje goes to the limit of the offside, the center of Montpellier at the end of the race towards the penalty spot where Thoegersen regains his head and scores the goal of 2-1. A score that will remain so until halftime.

The players of Sarina Wiegman will gradually take control of the game, and Lieke Martens, freshly entered, will bring his team up. A long center of Liza Ven der Most right side, arrives to the second post where Martens slams a head that takes against the Danish guardian. The players of Lars Sondergaard will then have to finish the match at 10 after the expulsion of Karoline Smidt for a second yellow (84th). The Dutch bet on attack with offensive changes, a paying choice even if the last goal will be an unfortunate cons-son-camp, after the additional time. Hard for Denmark!

In the last minute of regulation time, Martens was not far from registering a double and the goal of the victory, it is saved narrowly. But the Dutch continue to push, and they even get a last corner. In the left corner, it is Jill Roord who takes care of it. On his way to the far post, the ball bounces off the back of Simone Boye Sorensen's head and finishes in the Danish net.


Japan raises its head


The Nadeshiko have found the lead this afternoon after experiencing a defeat last Wednesday against the Netherlands. Opposed to Iceland, which had held Denmark in check, the Japanese team was able to count on his collective but especially a mana Iwabushi untenable. A goalkeeper against Oranje, Iwabushi was often at the initiative on Japanese stocks in this match.


In the eighth minute of play, Hikaru Naomoto, embarrassed by a very good defensive return of Thorvaldsdottir, miss his face to face with the goalkeeper. But, the good start to Japan is rewarded in the quarter of an hour of play with a goal from Yuika Sugasawa. Right side is Risa Shimizu who sends a long ball to the Icelandic surface and Sugasawa, arrival thrown, tiptoe his ball to deceive Guobjorg Gunnarsdottir out of his goals (15th). Disastrous income, Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir can not intercept the ball before he has crossed the line.

In the first half, the players of Asako Takakura will have several opportunities to make the break by Rika Masuya who finds the outside of the post (23), or Mana Iwabuchi whose strike is difficult to capture by Gunnarsdottir (33). A pleasant game on the Japanese side, but which is slow to put the Nadeshiko away in this match.


Back from the locker room, we find the same pattern, with Iwabuchi but also Kumi Yokoyama, the Frankfurt attacker very active on the left side or to combine at the heart of the opposing defense. However, Iceland managed to equalize in the 74th minute by Glodis Viggosdottir on a corner that the Japanese defense had not managed to clear. Viggosdottir, one of the players entered the game in the second half, as Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir, the Icelandic captain who started this game on the bench.

Players out of the bench who also make the difference on the Japanese side. The two entrants, Emi Nakajima and Yui Hasegawa, combine left side on corner and Nakajima finds Rumi Utsugi at the first post who manages to deceive Gunnarsdottir surprised by the trajectory of the ball (85th). This goal gives the victory to Japan which takes the second place of the group C, behind the Dutch.