Denmark vs. China PR
A tight and tense tactical affair between the 13th and 14th ranked women’s teams in the current FIFA rankings very nearly yielded the second goalless draw of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. In the end, Lars Søndergaard’s Danish women’s national team were just able to eke-out a slender 1-0 victory when substitute Amalie Vansgaard headed home a Pernille Harder corner at the beginning of second half-injury-time.
The fixture featured tactical shifts from both managers as both sides sought to gain an edge in mostly even affair. Shui Qingzia’s “Steel Roses” – the reigning Asian continental champions – turned in a gritty performance and will surely feel slightly hard done by with the result. The fact that the Danes pushed for the win in the final stages nevertheless leaves the result feeling fair.
England and Denmark share top spot in the highly intriguing Group D after narrow wins today.
Tactical Analysis: Denmark
One expects the unexpected whenever first reading a Søndergaard team-sheet. Decorated women’s footballing superstar Harder can settle in right, left, and center on the front line and also play just about anywhere in attacking midfield. General assignments can prove even more difficult to figure out given that the Danes rotate heavily. As is often the case when watching the rød-hvide (men or women) on an overhead cam, trying to figure it all out can leave one a mite crosseyed.
Lineup—Denmark—Match One (4-1-2-3)
Here we have the writer’s honest best guess. It looked as if Harder’s primary assignment lay on the left. Katherine Kühl and Josephine Hasbo switched slants often, sometimes swapping places with Nicole Sorensen and Janni Thomsen on the charge. A back-four seemed to be the order of the day, but Karen Holmgaard often dropped back to hold a triangular back-three whilst Rikke Sevecke and Katrine Veje pushed high as wingbacks.
In any event, it took a long time for the constellation to find its rhythm. The Steel Roses made life especially difficult for the Europeans by breaking up play out of the back and forcing many turnovers. The first effort toward goal, the first shot on target, and the first three corners of the match all belonged to “Team Dragon”. Lou Jiahui pulled off a magnificent dribble in the 34th and the Roses showcased some nice set-piece designs.
The Danes gradually paved a way forward and gained confidence in their short-passing game. One still considered China the more dangerous side throughout much of the opening 45. There was one case in which Sevecke could only stop a promising Chinese counter via a tactical foul in the 40th. Harder nearly pulled off a something spectacular after catching up to a long ball at the baseline a couple of minutes later, but couldn’t find a colleague.
Hence, we went into the dressing rooms goalless. Søondergaard didn’t appear to make any radical alterations to the shape until slightly before Signe Bruun entered for Kühl in the 62nd. Veje, Boye, Stine Ballisager, and Karen Holmgaard had been in the process of re-formatting into a back-three prior to that. Harder, too, was on the move operating a little further back.
The Danish manager had to try something after the Chinese again looked better after the restart.
Lineup—Denmark—63rd minute (3-4-3)
This entailed some additional risk. Ballisager, Veje, Boye largely proved themselves up to the task despite a few nervy moments with roughly a quarter-of-an-hour remaining. Harder remained active on the charge throughout and most definitely deserved to notch an assist on the 1-0. Vansgaard – on for Thomsen on a like-for-like in the 85th had an easy finish thanks to the fact that some of her teammates swarmed and screened keeper Huan Zu.
Top Performers, Denmark
1) Kathrine Veje
The veteran defender handled the flexibility of her assignments very well and appeared to be the most sovereign of all the defenders. On a night during which the Danes had some difficulty exerting aerial dominance, the writer didn’t see her lose any duels in the air. Veje’s Everton teammate Holmgaard also handled her positional switches gracefully. The pair played a very large part in ensuring that a goal was not conceded.
2) Signe Bruun/Amalie Vansgaard
Congratulations to the latter on her first goal in nine caps for country! Twenty-six-year-old Amalie Vansgaard has had some year when between the PSG transfer and this. Signe Bruun also interjected quite a bit of life into the Danes late-on. She might have made a case for reclaiming a place in the starting XI. Harder seems to benefit from working behind her.
Tactical Analysis: China PR
As we all learned back in 2015, one can’t get a read on Chinese tactics whenever Wang Shanshan is on the team-sheet either. The captain can be deployed as both a forward and a center-half. All of these years later, it’s still impossible to predict where the 33-year-old shall be utilized. Wang Shuang’s absence from the starting XI left one thinking Shansan would work up front.
Nope.
Lineup—China PR—Match One (4-4-2)
The Chinese attack also took on various forms on the overhead. Yang Lina and Zhang Rui often pressed forward with Wu Chengsu the apparent designated striker to tuck in underneath. It’s possible that Qingxia intended this to work as a 4-1-2-3 on the ball. Difficult to tell. Shuang’s introduction at the restart cleared matters up a bit, though the author remains unsure as to whether the 28-year-old served as a true false-nine or more of a short-striker.
Lineup—China PR—46th minute (4-3-3)
Some fireworks in the opening minutes before the general thrust petered out. All three of the Chinese head-coach’s substitutions in the closing minutes appeared aimed at battening down the hatches. The defensive line – as evidenced by Shanshan’s near own-goal in the 74th – were in desperate need of some relief after a long and grueling evening. Truly amazing how great all the defenders were repelling Danish crosses in the box. Wow. Zero fear in the air.
Top Performers, China PR
1) Wang Shanshan
Some incredible defensive stops both on the ground and in the air from the captain before she got leggy late-on. It’s rare indeed to behold an off-match from the best player this country has produced since the legendary Sun Wen. Always a treat to watch irrespective of which area of the pitch she operates on.
2) Linyan Zhang
The Swiss League’s “play-of-the-season” fired warning shots at goal at the beginning of both halves. The 23-year-old also fed all three strikers on chances in the second 45 and executed a nice cross-field switch over to teammate Li Mengwen. Clearly a youngster with some big ambitions in this competition.