Argentina vs. Sweden
A tournament with a surfeit of fascinating stories shall surely have more in store for football fans tomorrow. Group F and Group G of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup get set to conclude on the penultimate day of group-stage-play. Seven nations among the double cohort of eight still stand a chance of qualifying for the knockouts. Two programs that recently had to endure the humiliation of disbandment, Jamaica and Argentina, can propel their countries to new heights.
Jamaica’s “Reggae Girlz” went a full six years (between 2009 and 2014) without an active women’s team. It took an additional four years of stop-start efforts to put a team together that FIFA officially recognized. The CONCACAF Nation managed to qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, but lost all three group-stage games against Brazil, Italy, and by lopsided margins. The team only scored one goal themselves, finishing in second-to-last place in the tournament with a minus-11 goal differential.
Signs that their second appearance in this competition would be different were quickly apparent. Manager Lorne Donaldson’s team earned their first WWC point via a hard-fought 0-0 draw against European giants France in Round One. Despite the fact that their star captain Khadijah “Bunny” Shaw had to sit out the second round on a red-card suspension, Jamaica were able to eke out a 1-0 victory over CONCACAF rivals Panama in Round Two. Currently in second place in the group, a draw against Brazil – who dismantled them 3-0 in their first World Cup match four years ago – will be enough to advance.
The Argentine women’s national team endured disbandment for a little over two years between 2014 and 2017. The program was eventually resurrected under the auspices of long-time head-coach Carlos Borrello and the country qualified for its third Women’s World Cup in 2019. Few gave the mostly amateur roster of players much of a chance four years ago, particularly considering the fact that La Albicleste finished as dead-last doormats in both the 2003 and 2007 WWCs.
Borrello’s team shocked everyone by earning two draws against Japan and Scotland in group stage play. The 0-0 result against Japan showcased how disciplined the squad was defensively. The dramatic 3-3 comeback win against Scotland shall forever be remembered as one of the greatest women’s football matches in history. La Albiceleste came back from a 0-3 deficit with just 15 minutes remaining to (to the chagrin of some) knock the Scots out of the competition.
While the Argentines are still seeking their first ever World Cup win, another dramatic erasure of a 0-2 deficit against South Africa – again with just 15 minutes of normal time remaining – in Round Two has cemented their status as certified “Comeback Queens”. With one point, the nation currently sits at the bottom of Group G behind Sweden, Italy, and South Africa. They need to win against Sweden, and have Italy and South Africa to draw their concurrent fixture, in order to finish second an earn a round-of-16 place.
Note that Swedes have already qualified and will rest their regulars.
Argentina
The author must begin by addressing the absence of Borrello. Another aspect of the 3-3 draw with Scotland that sticks in the mind concerns the perplexing substitution choices the Argentine trainer employed in that match. Borrello memorably yanked both of his lead strikers – Sole Jaimes and captain Estefania Banini – before the comeback took place. Banini’s reaction wasn’t one to forget. The skipper refused to shake her coach’s hand and went to the bench in a Birger-Prinz-like huff.
Borrello’s two substitutes, Milagros Menendez and Dallia Ippolito, surprised everyone by combining for the first pull-back goal. The team began to believe. An own-goal and (controversial) penalty later, they completed the comeback. Despite the fact that Argentina delivered us the best “Long live football!” moment since Maradona, a quartet of key players ran a boycott against their coach. Borrello was eventually replaced by Germán Darío Portanova following a fourth-place finish in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup.
Portonova runs a simple 4-2-3-1 system that – not unlike his predecessor – emphasizes stabile tactical rigor. It reminds one a great deal of Borrello’s 5-4-1 on the overhead. Forward committing players are generally not joined by more than one colleague. Wingers with no chance to affect the play drop back to guard against the counter. It’s fairly sophisticated clockwork; at least during the early stages of the match. Improvisation comes later. So does an apparent “Plan B” 4-4-2 reformat.
Lineup—Argentina—Match One (4-2-3-1)
The opening group stage 0-1 loss against Italy falls into the category of the matches in this tournament described as “surprisingly physical”. Lots of fouls amid the crunching midfield challenges. Portanova’s squad remained so committed to synchronizing their forward and backward movements that the shape often resembled a 5-4-1. Offensively, Banini occasionally located some space on the half-left. Much of the diagonals and crosses aimed at targets in the box were frequently too hopeful as only one attacker awaited.
Portanova nevertheless saw enough potential in his system to keep it in place for the second group-stage tie against South Africa. Fair enough considering that Mariona Larroquette came close on a couple of occasions. The center-forward got caught by surprise on a few occasions when balls reached her. Paulino Gramaglia replaced Romina Nunez in the one change to the XI. This helped the attack on the right. The new introduction hit the post. Sophia Braun roved forward on some dangerous underlaps.
The South Americans still had to contend with a 0-1 halftime deficit in their fixture against Africa’s “Banyana, Banyana”. Portonova took off his two sixes Lorena Benitez and Daiana Falfan. The benched Nunez and Julieta Cruz entered. An almost immediate 4-4-2 re-format not only kept things tidy, but also ensured that the Argentine trainer had set placeholders for the two strikers he would introduce later in the match on substitutions staggered ten minutes apart.
The second half of Match Two:
Lineup—Argentina—46th minute (4-4-2)
Some misunderstandings in the midfield meant that this got off to a rocky start. A giveaway from Aldana Cometti even enabled the South Africans to go up 2-0. The 4-4-2 still pressed tirelessly until it began forcing mistakes out of the Banyana back-line. Portanova freshened up the top axis first in the form of Yamila Rodriguez for Gramaglia and then Erica Lonigro for Larroquette. Rodriguez immediately interjected new life into the game. Lonigro had an effort cleared off the line not long after checking in.
Within a five-minute-span between the 74th and 79th, the South Americans had completed another stunning comeback. The ever-active Braun bulged the back of the net with a screamer after a poor clearance for the 1-2. Rodriguez and Nunez combined for the equalizer shortly thereafter. Pleasant waves of nostalgia filtered over female footballing enthusiasts watching this one. It felt just like that magical night at the Parc des Princes four years ago. This is what football is all about.
Sweden
The question remains. Can this side pull off something spectacular against the Swedish juggernaut? Well, considering that the Swedish Steamroller already qualified for the next round by flattening out Italy in a fixture most of us had hoped would be more competitive, it’s not inconceivable that this crew can earn three points against the Swedish reservers. One expects heavy rotations from Blaugult trainer Peter Gerhardsson, who bucked his own trend by making no changes to his previous XI.
Gerhardsoon did experiment with his shape somewhat. At times his 3-4-3 functioned a bit more like a 4-2-3-1. This probably portends something genuinely weird in a match he’d rather not play and certainly won’t take too many risks in. In all likelihood, veterans such as Caroline Seger, Sofia Jakobsson, and Linda Rembrandt will get sentimental starts for their “curtain calls” here. So too will one of the backup keepers and barely capped central defenders. Nothing suggests the Swedes shall make it easy for the Argentines.
One can still always dream.