The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup soccer tournament kicked off at
Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai last night. FIFA President
Joseph S. Blatter, China's General Administration of Sport Director
Liu Peng, State Councilor Chen Zhili, Shanghai Party Secretary Xi
Jinping and Mayor Han Zheng attended the opening ceremony before
the match during which defending champion Germany humiliating
Argentina with a stunning 11-0?victory.
Young performers give their
all in the colorful opening ceremony for the 2007 FIFA Women's
World Cup soccer tournament at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai
last night.
The margin of victory was the largest in the
women's World Cup, and the goals were the most by a single
team.
Veteran forwards Birgit Prinz and Sandra Smisek combined for six
goals - three each - as the Germans dominated every part of the
game over their smaller opponents.
Prinz, playing in her 165th game for Germany, scored with a
thumping header, knocked in a loose ball at the far post, and then
slipped a glancing header past Argentine goalkeeper Vanina
Correa.
The last was Prinz's 12th overall in the World Cup finals,
surpassing the previous German record of 11 by Bettina
Wiegmann.
Smisek, who has played nearly 120 times for Germany, scored a
second-half hat trick.
With Germany's midfield in complete control, the Germans were
able to knock balls over the Argentine back wall and also attack
down the wings for a 5-0 lead at halftime.
Germany captain Birgit
Prinz (right) scores her team's eighth goal as Argentina goalkeeper
Vanina Correa tries to stop her during their Group A match at the
Women's World Cup in Shanghai last night.
Prinz scored twice in the first half for Germany, which also got
a lucky first goal in the 12th minute when Correa punched a corner
kick from Melanie Behringer into her own goal.
The other first half goals for Germany came from forward Kerstin
Garefrekes and midfielder Melanie Behringer.
The second half started the same way for Germany, with veteran
midfielder Renate Lingor jumping on a poor clearance at the edge of
the area to loop it over Correa into the far corner.
Smisek then took over, seizing on errors in the Argentine
defense. Her partner up front, Prinz, also scored once in the
second half. Correa also mishandled another corner kick in the last
minute of play for Germany's 11 goal.
Argentina was without suspended Catalina Perez and also lost the
services of midfielder Mariela Coronel on the eve of the tournament
because of a knee injury.
The huge win was a strong message to the other favored teams in
the tournament, especially United States, which is ranked No. 1 in
the world, one spot ahead of the Germans. The Americans open
against the "mysterious" North Koreans in their Group B fixture
today.
Only a few US players have faced Asia's top team and FIFA's No.
5-ranked side. And that was four years ago - when the Americans won
3-0 - in the last World Cup. In the only other game between the
two, the US also won 3-0 in the 1999 World Cup.
"No one has seen them play, so it's very easy for the reputation
to keep growing and growing and growing about how good they are,"
defender Kate Markgraf said. "That has to be based on
something."
The other Group A opener today will be Japan against
England.
The teams, which have never faced each other in the World Cup,
are both led by star midfielders, Kelly Smith of England and Homare
Sawa of Japan.
The 16-team tournament is spread around five cities in China
with the final back in Shanghai on September 30.
(Shanghai Daily via Agencies September 11, 2007)
