In the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 second group match, Canada played against New Zealand. In the first match, Canada took all the three points against Cameroon thanks to Kadeisha Buchanans goal. However, their manager Kenneth Heiner-Moller claimed his team did even better in this match.
On the other hand, New Zealand tended to play counter-attacking football in the Womens World Cup. They lost against the Netherlands in the first group game. Their manager said the mood is still here. However, they were outplayed by Canada. In this tactical analysis, we will show you how Canada dominated the game.
Formations
Canada played in a 4-4-2 formation when they were defending. When they attacked, they played with three at the back. They had only one change from the last game. Jayde Riviere replaced Allysha Chapman. Their key player and captain Christine Sinclair also started the game.
New Zealand started with the same team. They played in a 4-4-2 formation. C.J. Bott, Rebekah Stott, Abby Erceg and Ali Riley formed the defensive line. At the upfront, Sarah Gregorius and Rosie White played as forwards.
Canada played good counter-press
In my tactical preview, I mentioned a good counter-press should be executed against New Zealand. Canada used this approach to dominate the game. A good counter-press compresses space, forces your opponents to play the ball quickly. As a result, it is more likely the ball was not accurate. Then, the defenders could win the possession back easily since they could read the pass easier.
The below image was an example of Canada’s counter-press. New Zealand goalkeeper Erin Nayler saved a shot and she threw the ball to Riley. The Canada players reacted very quickly to counter-press their opponents. The below four red lines showed how the Canada players marked the closest players around the ball. Riley did not take the risks to pass back to the central defenders or midfielders. Betsy Hassett was freed, but the body shape of Riley would make this pass difficult, too risky. As a result, Riley was forced to play the ball into the red area where was full of red shirts. The Canada players won the ball back easily throughout the game. They had 70% of possession throughout the game.
Canada’s dominance at the back
Another factor that contributed the above stat (70% Canada possession in the game), was their dominance at the back. Canada did not want to take the risk to lose the ball in their backline. Therefore, they tried to maintain an absolute numerical advantage in their own half. The New Zealand players tried to sit back and maintain the 4-4-2 defensive shape, they did not press high in this game. As a result, Canada players kept the ball easily.
The below image showed Canada’s shape. When attacking, they tried to play in a 3-1-4-2 shape. The three centre backs stay at the back with Sophie Schmidt. Given the spaces between New Zealand’s midfield line and forwards were huge. Schmidt usually stayed between the lines to provide support for the back three. As a result, these four players could easily outplay two opposition forwards. Then they spread the ball to sides.
However,
