Tasman Trails: Day 15: Noch ein Neustart nötig?
Korea Republic 1-1 Germany
Translation: Another reboot needed? After Die Mannschaft failing to get out of the group stage of the last two Men’s World Cup and now the women’s team failing to advance despite opening with a 6-0 win over Morocco, one has to wonder if a full reboot is needed in German football similar to the one what culminated in a World Cup for the Men in 2014. It doesn’t help that South Korea played a part like their male counterparts did in 2018.
Upset by Colombia and then falling behind early to South Korea and not being able to get a winner spelt elimination for Germany. So the second-ranked team in the world according to the FIFA Rankings joins the seventh (Canada) and eighth (Brazil) taking the long flights home.
Morocco 1-0 Colombia
Meanwhile, the team ranked 72nd is moving on after defeating a Colombian side that was very much safe and just had to avoid a heavy defeat. The Atlas Lionesses advancing after a 6-0 loss in their opening match shows their resilience and they make history as the first Arab nation to make the Round of 16 in the Women’s World Cup and the third African team to advance in 2023 as well joining Nigeria and South Africa. This continues a history making period for football in Morocco after the Atlas Lions march all the way to the semifinals and a fourth place finish.
Now, a date with the French is their reward for advancing and bringing back memories of Qatar from eight months ago.
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So now we’re set for the Round of 16 and it starts midnight CT on Saturday (or late Friday night depending on your view). If you thought the group stage produced some crazy results, who knows what chaos will come Down Under. Anyway, here are the dates, matchups, times, and what channel you can find them.
ROUND OF 16:
Saturday, August 5th:
Switzerland vs. Spain, Auckland, midnight CT (FS1/NBC Universo)
Japan vs. Norway, Wellington, 3am CT (FS1/Telemundo)
Netherlands vs. South Africa, Sydney, 9pm CT (FOX/Telemundo)
Sunday, August 6th:
Sweden vs. USA, Melbourne, 4am CT (FOX/Telemundo)
Monday, August 7th:
England vs. Nigeria, Brisbane, 2:30am CT (FS1/NBC Universo)
Australia vs. Denmark, Sydney, 5:30am CT (FS1/NBC Universo)
Tuesday, August 8th:
Colombia vs. Jamaica, Adelaide, 3am CT (FS1/NBC Universo)
France vs. Morocco, Melbourne, 6am CT (FS1/Telmundo)