It’s often said you hate to see either team lose. In this case, you hate to see both teams tie. This draw leaves both teams needing a miracle to advance, and neither team has notched its first World Cup win.
But when their grandkids ask what they did at the World Cup, in the future in which we’re all living on ocean barges and soccer has gone entirely indoors while the aliens sell broadcast rights on their home planet, they’ll have stories to tell.
We have to wait (sleep?) six hours for our next game, with England taking on Denmark. Check back with us here, and before I forget …
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And check back with whoever has the nice assignment of covering England-Denmark in a few hours. See you next time.
The momentum-chainging goal …
If Braun made this shot while playing in a US uniform, she’d probably get her own Geico ad.
MT Bran: “What do you think of this strategy by these coaches to use substitutes after halftime?”
It makes sense. Halftime doesn’t count as a substitution window, so in a sense, it’s a free opportunity. Use it or lose it.
Full time: Argentina 2-2 South Africa
Told you that’d be fun!
The teams probably disagree. Neither one got its first World Cup win, which must be especially disappointing for Argentina, which is playing in its fourth World Cup. But South Africa, despite picking up its first-ever World Cup point, also can’t be happy.
Argentina’s defense should take the attackers out to a nice dinner. Those two goals were a nice bailout for a group of players that simply shut off at crucial times.
The first Argentina goal, from Oregon’s own Sophia Braun, was a thing of beauty. The second was a bit weaker, but it was a just reward for the pressure the South American side put forth through long stretches of the game.
90 +5 mins: We’ll get just a bit more time added here as South Africa keeps attacking down the right. But they’re careless with the ball, and it trickles out of play for a goal kick.
And that’s it.
90 +4 mins: Mbane races over to intervene as Argentina tries to attack down the left again.
Free kick to South Africa, and … I’m not sure about this one. There was contact, but enough to force the player down to the grass? I don’t know.
The kick is partially cleared, and South Africa winds up playing all the way back to their keeper.
90 +2 mins: Good rugby tackle by South Africa there. Did anyone else see Invictus? I thought it wasn’t a bad film.
Corner kick to Argentina. Rodriguez flicks her blue mop of hair at the ball and sends it very high in the air. Swart collects it while Bonsegundo crashes in to her.
Swart then takes her sweet time putting the ball in play. That’s disappointing. They need to be going for the win here.
90 +1 mins: Just five minutes of stoppage time? I want more! I say leave them out there until someone scores the winner. It won’t take long.
But now we have a player down. It’s Seoposenwe, who gets up slowly but trots off.
90 mins: Apologies in advance – I doubt I’ll be looking at much correspondence in the final minutes here. Both teams are going for it. This is fun. I’m typing very quickly.
Bonsegundo has five shots.
Updated
89 mins: A brief lull in what has been a frenetic period. South Africa works it down the left and crosses, but Correa handles the ball quite well off the short hop.
87 mins: OK, on VAR – without it, the first South African goal might not have counted. That, to me, demonstrates why it should exist. I don’t like the false precision of the freeze-frame offside robots or whatnot, and I think “clear and obvious” should mean “clear and obvious.” But for calls like that, it’s invaluable.
Argentina squander a free-kick chance, perhaps too concerned about the South African counter.
Reminder: Neither team has ever won a World Cup game. And I doubt either team contends for the round of 16 if they draw here.
South Africa squander a counterattack.
86 mins: Mary Waltz has VAR thoughts: “Beau, greetings from California. VAR was created to eliminate controversy, correct? There is just as much controversy as there was before VAR. It slows the game. It ruins goal celebrations. Keep the Hawkeye goal line tech , ditch the rest and accept there is going to be bad calls now and then. VAR is a curse on the sport.”
I’ll respond to that in a bit …
Peter Oh says not even Messi can save Argentina now. I don’t think they need him.
85 mins: Free kick to South Africa just inside their own half. Argentina wins it in the air.
82 mins: This is all Argentina now. Bonsegundo, still working tirelessly, taps it back to Rodriguez for a shot that goes high.
South Africa replace both goal scorers! Motlhalo and Kgatlana are out. Here come Kgadiete and Kgoale, who played at Louisiana Tech a few years ago.
81 mins: Holweni commits a foul that really should earn her a spot in the referee’s book, but our referee – who has been quite good today – merely awards a free kick. It’s from the side of the field, and Núñez whips a high cross that swings a little too close to Swart. The South African keeper does well with this one.
Goal! Argentina 2-2 South Africa (Núñez 78)
Glancing header from near the penalty spot? Sure, why not. Swart looks like she was wrong-footed, and the ball just trickles past her.
Unbelievable. How has South Africa let Argentina off the hook here?
78 mins: South Africa tries to counter by playing the ball ahead to Seoposenwe, but unfortunately, the lively South African attacker is down. She comes off after brief treatment and seems more agitated than injured.
A replay with a statistical graphic says Braun’s shot was 23.0 meters. I didn’t catch the “spin rate,” but I don’t know what that is.
And oh my …
75 mins: Seoposenwe shoots from distance, and it causes Correa some concern.
Goal! Argentina 1-2 South Africa (Braun 74)
Well, a player from the United States just scored one of the goals of the tournament, and it wasn’t for the USA. Bonsegundo’s pressure pays off, and the ball bounds to Sophia Braun, who played at Gonzaga, about 20 yards out. She takes one touch to settle, then unleashes a dipping shot that even a truly solid keeper likely wouldn’t have saved.
Game on.
73 mins: CHANCE, and it’s a messy one. Swart, who has not looked comfortable in goal, punches it just a short distance away and Lonigro puts it back, only to see it cleared off the line.
72 mins: This has an air of inevitability now, but perhaps it shouldn’t, as long as Banini and Bonsegundo are out there …
In fact …
68 mins: Argentine sub. Larroquette, the Orlando Pride player, departs. Lonigro is in. I can’t recall Larroquette’s name being mentioned through the course of this game, which is bad for a center forward.
Goal! Argentina 0-2 South Africa (Kgatlana 66)
Cometti dawdles on the ball, Seoposenwe swipes it and centers, and Kgatlana roofs it from point-blank range.
Too easy. Way too easy. Argentina’s defense has been outrageously naive and lackadaisical.
65 mins: I’m being asked about the biggest scandal in US soccer history, and the multiple-choice answers don’t include Chuck Blazer. That’s weird. Or just wrong.
63 mins: Rodriguez plays a neat little backheel chip, and it bounds up into Mbane’s arm. After some scrambling, Bonsegundo ends up trying a shot from waaaaaay out, and she hits it well, surely stinging Swart’s hands.
Updated
61 mins: Every time Mayorga’s name has been mentioned in this broadcast, the context has not favored the Argentina defender. This time, it’s a handball about 35 yards out. Magaia sends a low roller on frame, and Correa is surprisingly slow to pounce on it.
South Africa quickly win it back and counters, and Holweni hits the side netting. The Argentina defense hasn’t impressed, but South Africa’s counter looks like it would be a nightmare for almost anyone to face.
59 mins: Hey, it’s Megan Rapinoe! Oh, no, just a player with similar hair color. Yamila Rodriguez replaces Gramaglia.
58 mins: Dangerous ball for Banini. South Africa play back to the keeper, and it’s not convincing.
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57 mins: Núñez plays the 45-yard free kick up in the air in the penalty area. Someone gets a head to it, but it’s straight to the keeper.
54 mins: South African subs – Holweni and Makhubela replace Biyana and Cesane. Makhubela is yet another Mamelodi Sundowns defender.
And she picks up a yellow card within two minutes for a foul on Bonsegundo.
53 mins (still): CHANCE for Argentina, with Bonsegundo doing well to center for Núñez. Her volley from eight yards out is … very high. Maybe that’ll hit the roof.
53 mins: When South Africa get running, look out. This time, the centering pass is far too late to punish Argentine’s defense, which is once again far too slothful to make a difference.
51 mins: Banini starts to show her class on the left and earns a corner. Nicely done.
Sally Picciotto adds to the comments on New Zealand attendance: “Greetings from California! I’m enjoying one of the few matches that isn’t in the middle of the night for me. It’s important to note that aside from NZ being a small country, Dunedin is a small city pretty far from the larger population centers. It isn’t fair to compare attendance there to what happens in Sydney.”
Laura Storey: “Why is the roof closed? Rafa Nadal would have a fit about this. If he had anything to do with this match, that is!”
Is it retractable? I’ll have to check, but I’d be surprised.
The corner kick comes to naught.
49 mins: Hey, it’s an MLS game! Or, at least, it’s starting to look like it, with players from both teams confronting the ref after a late whistle to call a foul on Kgoale for putting a strong hand in Bonsegundo’s face.
47 mins: CHANCE and that should’ve made it 2-0. That was on a platter for Kgatlana right in front of the net, and she scuffed it wide. Could that prove costly?
Yes indeed. Here comes Núñez. And Julieta Cruz. They’re in for Falfan and Benitez.
And regarding that “El Motorcito” nickname …
@duresport it’s because the Spanish for motor is “el motor”, doesn’t really matter that it’s describing a woman
— Simon Frank (@simonfranq) July 28, 2023
So will we see the nickname-bearer, Romina Núñez, in the second half?
On the platform formerly known as Twitter, which I don’t check very often any more, Kate expresses surprise, admitting that she doesn’t know much about football outside Europe but still would’ve expected Argentina to be on top here. Argentina certainly has more experience, both in terms of playing in World Cups and having players who have been in big-time leagues in the USA and Europe. So yes, I think it’s fair to be surprised.
Halftime: Argentina 0-1 South Africa
Play to the whistle!
Seriously!
Argentina didn’t do that. They assumed Kgatlana was in an offside position, and they let play go on without their full involvement. Motlhano made a full-speed run, and Kgatlana unselfishly tapped it to her.
And they almost got caught again on a nearly identical play, but this time, South Africa was indeed caught offside.
And again, South Africa continued to play when a ball that looked like it would roll out of play did not, and the Argentina defense was caught flat-footed.
It’s shambolic. It’s hard to believe players from a country that’s practically synonymous with soccer would have such lapses.
But credit South Africa. They’ve shown a stronger attack throughout the game. This is not a bad team at all. Can they hang on this time, unlike the opener?
45 +8 mins: CHANCE for South Africa, and again, it’s South Africa continuing to play while Argentina assume the play is done. A ball rolls awkwardly down the line but stays in play. Kgatlana hunts it down, slices into the penalty area and centers. Motlhano bids for her second goal, and this would’ve been spectacular from about 20 yards. She didn’t miss by much.
45 +6 mins: OK, I think this one is actually offside. It’s not close, the replay shows. No second goal for South Africa. Not yet.
45 +5 mins: Cesane bangs into Banini a few times, eventually drawing a whistle. Then she stands in front of the ball so Argentina can’t take a quick free kick, something referees in this Cup have been lax about penalizing. That’ll make my job more difficult when I get back on the field with a whistle this fall. (“But ref, Vietnam and South Africa did it!”)
45 +3 mins: Magaia already has one goal in this tournament, and she may well end up with another in this one. She has been consistently dangerous every time she’s had the ball on the left.
Another nasty collision, but there’s no foul here. There’s no intent on these. It’s just decadent carelessness.
45 mins: I like Taylor Swift, for the record, even though I have enough prog-rock sensibilities to appreciate Alexi Lalas citing Rush in the pregame show.
Nasty collision as South Africa tries to counter after a corner, and Mayorga gets booked for running through Kgatlana’s leg.
And now she will miss the next game. Hate to say it, but the way she has played in this half, Argentina might be able to do better.
Eight minutes of stoppage time.
43 mins: Biyana picks up a yellow for getting her foot up in the air after an opponent got her foot in the air and, more importantly, knocked the ball away. She also picked up a yellow in the opener, so she’ll miss the next game. Not many players can say that in this Cup, where referees have been as hesitant to show their cards as US concert-goers have been to part with their Taylor Swift tickets.
41 mins: Callum Wilson defends New Zealand’s attendance – “So far they have averaged approx. 22000 per game. That’s 4.5 thousand per million people. Pretty good, and probably the best in history anywhere for a womans sporting event per capita. 4500/million would equate to avergae crowds of 120000 in Aussie and 250000 in England.”
I like it.
I was there when New Zealand took their first point in a World Cup game, getting two late goals to tie Mexico in 2011. To say they were thrilled would be an understaement.
Kgoale loses a shoe. Well, she doesn’t lose it. It comes off her foot, and she runs around with it for a while before getting a chance to put it back where it belongs.
39 mins: Some confusion among both teams in the Argentine penalty area. They cancel each other out.
Banini takes a knock to the shin. Aly Wagner is furious with the lack of a whistle, but that would’ve been difficult to spot. (Have I mentioned that I’m a ref? It’s … difficult. Really difficult.)
38 mins: CHANCE! … This is more promising from Argentina. Gramaglia works down the right and chips it … a shot? a cross? … and it dings off the far post.
36 mins: Phew! I’ve caught up. Argentina has not.
32 mins: Another misadventure for South African keeper Swart, who tumbles over a couple of players like an NFL wide receiver being upended. Bonsegundo, falling backwards as she shoots, sends the ball to the sky. Well, not quite – this stadium has a roof.
Goal! Argentina 0-1 South Africa (Motlhalo 30)
Argentine defenders all put their hands up and stopped. Kgatlana probably thought she was offside, and she went slowly ahead with the ball. Motlhala smartly sprinted down the center. Kgatlana tapped it over to her, and she easily slotted into the net.
And no one celebrated.
Until the replay showed that Kgatlana was a full yard away from being in an offside position. Forget the silly little freeze-frame offside-line nonsense that isn’t as precise as it claims. This wasn’t close.
What a lapse by Argentina.
30 mins: The ball is in the net, but the entire stadium seems convinced South Africa was offside.
Now we see the replay. Uh oh. I don’t think she’s off …
29 mins: South Africa once again wins it in midfield and attacks quickly. Seoposenwe will rue her missed touch – if she could’ve settled that, she would’ve been one-on-one with the keeper.
27 mins: South Africa attacks down the left, and the omnipresent Kgatlana earns a corner.
Nick Terry asks if women cover more kilometers in a game than men. I wouldn’t think so, but there are some sites that’ll show such stats.
24 mins: The fans here aren’t numerous, but they’re nice and loud, singing with full voice. We get a good chance to hear it because we’ve apparently lost contact with Fox’s commentators, JP Dellacamera and Aly Wagner.
Nomvula Kgoale replaces Jane for South Africa. Losing Jane is a terrible blow for this team, which has started so brightly here.
22 mins: The international broadcast feed has been erratic about showing replays. We just saw one of the incident that left one player from each side down, and it’s a little gruesome. South African captain Refiloe Jane didn’t seem to be hurt too badly in the collision, but she landed with her foot twisted horribly upward, away from the ground. That’s not good. South Africa is playing with 10 players for now.
20 mins: A couple of players are down after an awkward tangle of legs and bodies, and we might see a South African substitution, an unfortunate turn this early in the game.
MT Bran writes: “Greetings from Jacksonville, FL. Will the teams tonight surpass the 58,791 passes you reported the Dutch completing in last nights game?”
Let me think about this for a second … um, no. This has not been a possession-heavy encounter so far.
18 mins: Drop ball in the South African area, which gives us a chance to notice that the referee looks like she’s wearing a goalkeeping jersey and vice versa. It’s very strange. More importantly, South Africa plays it ahead quickly and works it to the left for Magaia, who has looks exceptionally tricky and dangerous so far.
16 mins: Argentina earns a corner and … where is the keeper?! Swart makes an absolute mess of it and ends up in front of her defenders while they contest possession with the Argentine attackers.
They finally clear, but Gramaglia brings it back into the South African penalty area before putting a cross behind one of her teammates, spoiling a promising spell for Argentina.
14 mins: Nominally, South Africa is playing with one forward, but Kgatlana looks like two or three players out there. She is covering a lot of the field.
Argentina gets a bit of possession on the left, where Banini may have a chance to get to work.
12 mins (still): A turnover in midfield, and the ball is played quickly ahead to Kgatlana. Mayorga barely wins the foot race and stops the South African attack.
12 mins: Sophia Braun, from Oregon by way of Gonzaga and Liga MX side Leon, takes a throw-in about a foot from the corner flag.
10 mins: Now it’s Argentina’s turn to attack – not that teams are required to take turns, this not being American football. A cross in the air nearly finds two Argentine players, and if that sounds like a spacing problem, that’s because it is.
9 mins: Kgatlana draws a foul at midfield. Then there’s a lovely through ball, but Argentine keeper Correa has experience to spare, and she’s alert to the danger.
7 mins: Cesane turns a couple of Argentine defenders into knots on the right flank.
Nothing too concrete to report thus far, but this has the looks of a fun one. Both teams really need a win to have a realistic shot at the next round.
5 mins: The stadium in Dunedin is “the world’s first permanently-roofed stadium with natural turf,” according to a trade publication.
Both teams are showing some attacking intent.
2 mins: Corner kick to South Africa.
It’s really bright in the stadium they call the Greenhouse. The crowd is … not full. New Zealand fans really haven’t shown up for this. In fairness, it’s not the most populous country in the world.
Peter Oh is watching: “I don’t speak Spanish, but am surprised that the nickname is El Motorcito, not La Motorcita. Speaking of names, Stabile shares a legendary one with the leading scorer of the 1930 men’s World Cup.”
Speaking of similar names – I learned yesterday that Casey Phair, the youngster on South Korea’s team, is the niece of a friend of mine who lives about a mile away from me. It occurred to me that they had the same last name, but I somehow didn’t think they’d be related. Small world. But, as Steven Wright said, I wouldn’t want to paint it.
Our referee is …
… someone who didn’t have to travel far. Anna-Marie Keighley is from New Zealand. This is her third World Cup. Assistant referee Sarah Jones is also on home soil, while the other AR is Samoa’s Maria Salamasina.
I don’t make a habit of talking about other games while I’m doing one of these, but we haven’t kicked off yet, so I’m going to be contrarian once again and suggest this – Vlatko Andonovski made the right decision by not bringing in a sub late in the US women’s draw with the Netherlands. They were dominating play. No one seemed tired. Why disrupt it?
South Africa lineup
Goalkeeper: Kaylin Smart (JVW)
Defense: Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Bongeka Gamede (University of the Western Cape) are in the center. Like Mbane, the fullbacks are from former African champion Mamelodi Sundowns: 21-year-old Karabo Dhlamini, who did not play against Sweden, is on the left; Lebogang Ramalepe is on the right.
Midfield: The two players listed as “2” in a 4-2-3-1 are two players based outside South Africa – captain Refiloe Jane (Sassuolo) and Linda Motlhalo (Glasgow City). The wingers are based in Mexico – Jermaine Seoposenwe (FC Juarez) set a Liga MX record for fastest goal (nine seconds) last year, while Noxolo Cesane (Tigres) is on the left. The star player here is attacking mid Hildah Magaia (Sejong Sportstoto), who staked South Africa to the lead against Sweden.
Forward: Thembi Kgbatlana’s resume doesn’t end with her current club (Racing Louisville). She formerly played with Atletico Madrid and has 22 goals for her country.
Argentina lineup
Goalkeeper Vanina Correa (Rosario Central) spent six years out of the sport after giving birth, then came back for her third World Cup in 2019. She’ll turn 40 next month, and she showed against Italy that she’s still a stubborn impediment for any team.
Defense: Aldana Cometti (Madrid CFF) also impressed against Italy. Her fellow center back, Miriam Mayorga (Boca Juniors), is also a doctor. Left back Eliana Stabile (Santos) is a strong set-piece taker. Sophia Braun (Club Leon), who hails from the Pacific Northwest, is on the right.
Midfield: Lorena Benitez (Palmeiras) is the defensive anchor here. On the right is 20-year-old Paulina Gramaglia (Red Bull Bragantino), who’s on loan to Brazil from the Chicago Red Stars. Florencia Bonsegundo (Madrid CFF) is in the middle along with Daiana Falfan (Deportivo UAI Urquiza). Old-school NWSL fans will remember Estefania Banini (Atletico Madrid), a dangerous dribbler who’ll operate on the left.
Forward: Mariana Larroquette (Orlando Pride) is the starter.
Subs: One of the better nicknames at the World Cup, “El Motorcito” (the “little engine”), is bestowed upon Romina Núñez (Deportivo UAI Urquiza), the only midfielder to earn a rating of 7 against Italy in The Guardian’s analysis. She’s on the bench along with 21-year-old Dalila Ippolito (Parma).
Preamble
Will we see a team win a World Cup game for the first time?
Barring a draw, yes. Neither of these teams has found that breakthrough yet. And both teams gave up late goals to lose their openers in this Cup, which means someone needs a win to have a reasonable chance of advancing.
Even if you follow the global game closely, the names in these lineups will likely be unfamiliar. But their first games – and indeed, this Cup as a whole – have shown us that we really can’t rule teams out by how they look on paper.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Anita Asante’s look at what’s becoming a World Cup of the unexpected.
