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Day Six
It Never Rains …
by Jeremy Ruane
I can know safely declare that this FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, the fifth in history, has had everything.
Great goals, top-class games played in a terrific atmosphere, some superb individual skill … even a hint of a spy scandal. And now Mother Nature has come to the party.
Typhoon Wipha is looming large off the coast of China, and has already impacted on Shanghai via a right royal deluge throughout Tuesday afternoon. The worst of the weather is expected tomorrow, and has prompted FIFA to change the competition's schedule.
The Group C encounter between Norway and Ghana, originally scheduled for Shanghai on Wednesday evening, has been transferred to Hangzhou, and will now take place on Thursday evening, as the first match in a double-header.
The other match affected is in New Zealand's group. Brazil's clash with Denmark in Hangzhou has been postponed twenty-four hours, and will now take place on Thursday evening also, at 8pm.
The matches involving Australia - against Canada in Chengdu at 5pm on Wednesday - and the Football Ferns, against China at 8pm on Wednesday in Tianjin, are unaffected, as, I hope, are my travel arrangements - a flight from Shanghai to Tianjin is scheduled on Wednesday morning, having travelled back to the competition's hub city today from Hangzhou.
What a delightful city. Its tree-lined streets make it very pleasant to walk around, as the fumes from vehicle exhausts aren't an issue. And I can thoroughly recommend the Hangzhou Lily Hotel to all-comers - a beautifully appointed operation with everything you could wish for. FIFA certainly made a great choice for
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 A Chinese bullet train, bound for Shanghai
 Nigeria and the USA line-up for the anthems at a rain-soaked Hongkou Football Stadium, with the impact of Typhoon Wipha affecting the attendance markedly. Less than 7000 were on hand to witness this match.
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the media's accommodation with this one.
As for China Rail's service, it certainly can't be faulted where long distance trips, such as the 200km trek to Hangzhou, are concerned. Straight through, no problems, both ways, with the return leg on the express train, which saw the countryside whizzing by at 140 kph. Shanghai's Metroline system is very good too - extremely efficient, in fact.
Lest I forget, a couple of games took place today as well, specifically the deciding encounters in “The Group of Death”. The USA were fortunate to score a 1-0 win over Nigeria, Lori Chalupny netting the only goal via a deflection just 54 seconds into the match.
The Nigerians deserved a draw from the match, but the Americans' ability to “win ugly”, as they like to describe it, has seen them out of many a tight spot before today, and their reward for doing so in this match was to finish top of the group.
That's because North Korea, who went into the day's matches holding pole position, were upset 2-1 by Sweden, who needed to win by three clear goals against the Asian champions to clinch a quarter-finals berth.
That they didn't wasn't for the want of trying. Two goals from Charlotta Schelin, early in each half, rocked the North Koreans, who were only able to respond to the first effort through Ri Un Suk's equaliser half-way through the first spell.
The outcomes of these matches see Sweden and Nigeria heading for home, while Saturday's quarter-final clashes see the USA playing England in Tianjin, with Germany and North Korea clashing in Wuhan - that match, in particular, should be a belter.
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