5 things we learned from Group D at the 2019 Women’s World Cup

England, Japan, Argentina, and Scotland – the four teams in Group D at this summer’s event. One of the four was a debutant, still another the runners-up from the 2015 edition. Then there are Three Lionesses, who, certainly encouraged by the impressive heroics of the men’s side, will be looking to make a huge splash this summer. And last but not least, Argentina, who have struggled for equality in a country where women’s football has a long way to go, were hoping to avoid the disaster from 2007.

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from Group D.

Japan no longer a force to be reckoned with

They made history in 2011 as the first Asian side to win a World Cup, but it seems like the golden era is over for Japan. In 2015, they were outclassed and outplayed as the United States got revenge on them for their 2011 defeat, and Carli Lloyd was the star of the show, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Although Japan won the Asian Cup in 2014 and 2018, star player Homare Sawa has since retired. But still, they are ranked seventh in the world, so much was expected of Asako Takakura’s team this summer, especially as they got a pretty fair group.

A dull scoreless draw with Argentina – a team they have always beaten in the past – was clearly a warning that something was wrong. Although Japan rebounded on matchday two, they struggled against debutants Scotland and were barely able to hang on for a 2-1 victory. They were unfortunately no match for England, who were able to beat them 2-0 without much fuss and to be honest, they were very fortunate to be in Group D. Otherwise, they may not have been able to qualify for the round of 16. Only Spain matched their four point total, and even La Roja had a better goal differential (+1), so Japan were basically the “lowest ranked” side who managed to progress (that doesn’t include the best ranked third-placed sides).

Next up will be the Netherlands, and with the form the Oranje have been in, it’s hard to see Japan getting anything out of that contest – as unfortunate as it will be for their fans.

Will the Three Lionesses emulate the Lions this summer?

Well, so far, it’s been pretty solid sailing for Phil Neville’s team, who are only ranked behind the USA and Germany in FIFA’s list. Nine points out of nine, starting with a solid victory in a UK derby against Scotland, had them firmly in control of Group D by the time the dust settled. Argentina tried to park the bus, but they found a breakthrough and then rounded up their group stage campaign with a comprehensive 2-0 victory against struggling Japan.

England will surely be happy with the result, and more important their round of 16 opponent – Cameroon. They join hosts France, the USWNT, Germany, and the Netherlands as the teams to complete their group stage campaign sans defeat, and although Cameroon will put up a good fight, certainly, the three Lionesses are already looking forward to the quarter-finals – and perhaps beyond.

The men’s team were really unfortunate to lose to Croatia in the semi-finals, as for large spells of the match they were the better side. That heart-breaking defeat after the whole country really started to believe that it was finally coming home knocked the wind out of their sails, but Gareth Southgate’s men really made the country proud as it was the highest finish at a World Cup many had seen in decades.

So, will the ladies be able to bring it home? We will have to see, but so far, they are well on their way.

Argentina manage to put 2007 disaster behind them

Although they didn’t qualify for the knockout rounds, Argentina can still be happy with their performance. 2007 – which was the last time they featured in a World Cup – was nothing but an epic failure. The team set records for all the wrong reasons, including a humiliating 11-0 defeat to Germany.

This time around, they showed signs of improvement – notably picking up a scoreless draw against Japan. That’s the first point ever earned by Argentina at a World Cup after losing all six of their group stage games in the 2003 and 2007 tournaments. And they showed that they don’t always have to park the bus to get results. Perhaps because they figured they still had a shot at qualifying, they decided to go all out against Scotland, and impressively clawed their way back from three goals down to secure a three-all draw against the debutants.

It wasn’t enough to help see them through, despite Japan’s loss to England, but at the very least, they didn’t finish bottom of their group and arguably, they have shown that they have come a long way since 2007.

Debutants Scotland put up a great fight…despite disappointing finish

Scotland ended up bottom of their group at their first ever World Cup, but they still put up a good fight. Notably, they were never shut out at any of their matches, and scored five goals along the way. That’s more than the output of teams like Nigeria and China, who netted a measly two and one respectively and still managed to qualify for the round of 16. Even Canada, who finished as runners-up in their quartet, only scored four times.

Hopefully this is the start of something bigger and better from Scotland as they truly put on a good show, and fans and neutrals alike certainly would hope to see them back at the next World Cup in four years’ time. Arguably, they were the best-performing debutant side at this tournament by a long-shot.

England and Japan look to continue journey – but as it stands, it’s the Three Lionesses who look more likely to go deep in this competition

As noted before, Japan will be expected to struggle against the Netherlands. That being said, they did make it to the final in 2011 and showed everyone that it wasn’t a fluke by making it to yet another final in 2015. So, although they have started off slowly, they could hit form at the right time as in the absence of expectations, many teams do shine. Just look at the case of Croatia – the Vatreni quietly went about their business and next thing people knew, they were in the final. Two of their wins came via penalty shoot-out (against Denmark and Russia) but at the end of the day, it’s not how one gets there, it’s just getting there.

England, meanwhile, will be fancying their chances to get to the quarter-finals due to getting a more comfortable draw. Cameroon, naturally, will play a very physical game, but when it’s all said and done, the Three Lionesses should come out on top against the Indomitable Lionesses, who are still relative novices at this stage.