Day 3 at The World Games
The last day of the pool play - done! Have a read and see who made it into the semis - and how.
Thursday’s Game Recaps:
🇦🇺 Australia vs 🇨🇦 Canada (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/l7eydWr3
Coming into this game I didn't really know what to expect, as for both teams it was literally meaningless, but after watching it, I think that both Australians and Canadians made it work.
What made the difference was the absolutely clinical Canadian offense having almost a perfect game, with only one turnover (resulting in a break) in the very end (12-9). They looked confident and comfortable, deciding to play mostly through their MMPs this time, as they did in a match against Colombia.
As I said - both teams made it work - despite losing, the Aussies were able to fix their offensive issues and look quite comfortable in possession throughout most of the game.
Unfortunately for them, some simple mistakes gave Canadians the chances - and they capitalized, gaining the lead and not even giving the opportunity to Australia to try and get back into the game.
Quinn Snider, Malik Auger-Semmar and Martin Gallant were all pivotal to the Canadian play with great performances from the likes of Mika Kurahasi, Molly Wedge and Anouchka Beaudry.
Although there might be a potential loss of Brittney dos Santos with what looked like a knee injury after a rather unnecessary bid.
For the Aussies, the all reliable Kya Wiya and Cat Philips were the main forces, with Angela Pidgeon getting a couple scores to her name.
Rob Andrews and Sam McGuckin also did a good job, but seemed to be outmatched by the Canadian MMPs.
The game had a fair amount of calls, most of them surprisingly well resolved. It seems like the Canadians prefer to stop the game and later retract than to let a potential infraction slide.
final score: 13-9 for Canada
🇩🇪 Germany vs 🇯🇵 Japan (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/PXzAHOco
With the game being essentially a quarterfinal, we could’ve expected some great intensity, flashy plays and many close matchups.
We got only 2 of those things, as throughout the game Germany proved to be a much stronger and more consistent side.
From the very beginning we saw the advantage of the Germans in their main strength - physicality - being able to outrun (and outjump) the Japanese side.
Starting the game with a hold and then a quick break they were able to set the tone for the game early and then control it throughout.
On the defense Germany focused on taking away the quick inside windows - what seemed to work pretty well and slow down the Japanese offense quite a bit.
It looked like the Germans were baiting the deep shots which team Japan was happy to take - it proved to be the main source of turnovers with some discs being either overthrown or hung up for too long.
And in the air Germany was (almost) unbeatable with Conrad Schlör being a standout he is (I hope we'll get to see his matchup against Elliot Bonnet later in the tournament).
Japan tried all the different defensive outlooks - from the zone (comfortably beaten with some overheads), to some match defense as well. To be honest, with the physical advantage being with the Germans, I would love to see Japan stick to their zone for a little bit longer as, although keeping some level of pressure, their personal coverage didn't really push Germany.
What pushed Germany was their creativity, sometimes being too much - it worked here (and I suppose it was a part of the game plan), but I'm not really sure if it will against the Canadian side in the semis.
Apart from the point leading to the halftime having ten turnovers, Germany was rather clinical, especially in the early stages of the game, and they seemed like a much better side throughout the whole game.
Taking the half 7-3, Germany never looked back - and although the Japanese were able to break them twice towards the end of the game - they never really came close to tying the score.
Paul Herkens and Nis-Julians Sontag’s quick bookend scores cemented Germany’s lead.
Because of the creative nature of their game, the Germans also accumulated some turns coming from almost every player in the team, but really, every one of them put on an amazing performance, with the standouts in terms of consistency (that I value a lot) being Charlotte Schall and David Metzger.
final score: 13-9 for Germany
🇺🇸 USA vs 🇨🇳 CHN (Pool A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/PPWPUGVk
What should be a smooth ride for the US, proved to be a little bumpy at times. Coming at the game as clear favorites they acted like it from the very beginning, aiming to finish the points quickly with fast breaks and by forcing the deep game.
They managed to get a comfortable lead early on against the eager Chinese side, but still conceded some rather uncharacteristic turns (with Marques Brownlee being responsible for three of them) and even allowed China a break (and almost a second one right after).
It seems like the break was very much needed to wake the sleepy American side up.
Overall, it was a clean game, with both teams showing us some good, fast-paced ultimate - halted by a weather delay during a prolonged half-time.
The Chinese got some smooth offenses and impressive blocks which made the match a little more exciting, but the US managed well, rotating through their roster to avoid excessive fatigue before a big semi tomorrow, and closed the game with a 7-point lead.
final score: 13-6 for the USA
🇨🇴 Colombia vs 🇫🇷 France (Pool B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/6YtwJw4W
France came into the game with a shortened roster due to yesterday's Sullivan Roblet's knee injury - we did see Titchy Latchy on the field though, despite rumours about her not being able to play too.
The first couple of points were all clean holds - I really liked how France emphasized Elliot Bonnet’s capabilities early, just throwing a straight huck to him on their second offense. It automatically resulted in his matchups adjusting and basically making him always open on the unders.
Colombia was pretty steady in their offense too - a lot of pacy, stall-0, passes looked very comfortable with Valeria Cárdenas and Yina Cartagena still dominating the field.
That was until Cartagena misread a slightly inaccurate throw of Laura Ospina to give France a chance to take a lead.
And that's exactly what the Frenchmen did - with an absolute dime from Gaël Ancelin, an upwind forehand huck curving gently into a breakside, phenomenal.
Technically, the break made the score 4-3 for France and would normally lead us into the heat break which didn't happen this game - the teams just continued to play.
What followed was a rather comfortable hold by Colombians and a rather messy and emotional hold for France - Colombia was close to getting their break back, but Sacha Poitte-Sokolsky’s heroic layout D helped France retain the lead - with a great display of integrity from Colombians after a little confusion with the injury sub from Elliot Bonnet (he continued to play after resting an additional point after) - and go into a 5-4 lead.
Which could've been easily extended to 6-4 if not for Ivan Alba, who got the disc back for the Colombians and then scored a point with a double effort layout, after initially misreading the disc a little.
Colombia's tight defence (and a lot of stoppages) slowed down and visibly frustrated France (both teams, really) which resulted in a rushed decision near endzone and Colombia being able to get back their lead.
After back to back holds, we went into the galaxy point with Colombia starting on offense.
It looked relatively safe for Colombia until Manuel Candamil decided to launch Yina Cartagena, overthrowing her by a mile.
A beautiful huck from Elliot Bonnet to Lison Bornot (almost identical to the one of Gaël Ancelin) made them take half and come into the second one starting on offense.
Both teams were able to get a couple of holds later after some rather colorful sequences. The level of physicality was rising, and so was the fatigue, resulting in even more stoppages.
Through the second half, Lison Bornot shone on the receiving end, getting a couple scores to her name for France and Valeria Cárdenas being all over the field for Colombia.
For the yellow shirts it became a matter of stopping the deep game of their opponents - and they did a good job on that by leaving a last back (most often Manuela Cárdenas), implementing a handler poach and a straighter mark.
After taking away their long shots, France seemed to struggle, although they were able to patiently move the disc through the field, until a drop from Titchy Latchy in the redzone gave Colombia the chance they so desperately worked for - and let me tell you, if they got one, they are not going to miss it.
After the sequence, the score stood at 10-10 with France having an offense in hand. The time expired right after Colombia's score, so it was effectively a game to 12.
The Frenchmen took their time to set up their next offenses with a time out - it looked really messy at times, with too many cutters providing options at the same time and often leaving a thrower without a reset.
It looked much better and they were able to hold, making it a do-or-die situation for Colombia.
Manuela Cárdenas certainly knew the stakes - her absolutely unreal shoulder-high layout to save the possession, kept Colombia alive.
The point lasted for a while - in the redzone Colombia was really close to tying the game and sending us to universe, but they just wobbled on the final pass, giving the opportunity to close the game to France.
After the contested foul from a highly-questionable hammer, the French were literally 2 centimeters from the win, with Zoe Forget receiving an upline from Camille Blanc for the score, but not being able to retain possession of the disc through the ground contact after a much necessary layout.
After this series of events Colombia was able to comfortably score, finally sending us to the universe point.
In the end France had enough and decided to just send, who else, Elliot Bonnet to do the job - receiving the full field huck from Paul Benvegnen, despite being out of position, was able to make enough of an effort on catching the disc to force the defense to tip it… and CATCH IT ON THE SECOND EFFORT.
Normally I would say it was a coin flip, but that's not true when Elliot Bonnet is involved. The man is a monster.
An absolute emotional rollercoaster for everyone and a very tough game indeed.
final score: 12-11 for France
For some more spicy takes, check out the extended version on Chris’ blog here.
WHAT’S ON FOR TOMORROW?
GET HYPED!
🔥 THE BRACKET IS ON 🔥
GAME 1: 🇨🇳 CHN vs 🇨🇴 COL (4A vs 3B):
[NO OFFICIAL STREAM]
Ultiworld works on providing an alternative stream, we'll keep you posted
GAME 2: 🇦🇺 AUS vs 🇯🇵 JPN (4B vs 3A):
[NO OFFICIAL STREAM]
Ultiworld works on providing an alternative stream, we'll keep you posted
SEMI-FINAL: 🇨🇦 CAN vs 🇩🇪 GER (1B vs 2A):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/UaVfLHHD
SEMI-FINAL: 🇺🇸 USA vs 🇫🇷 FRA (1A vs 2B):
https://live.theworldgames.org/m/nP7K31Jm
Both semis will be an absolute delight to watch - with a Europe vs North America showdown here in Chengdu, China.
In the first one, the Germans will take on Pool B winners - Canada. Both teams very physical and with some crazy athletic players we can expect a very flashy game with a lot of highlights and tight matchups.
Our forecast predicts the second one is to be absolutely phenomenal too. Both France and the US need to polish their offenses, because at this stage one bad throw might decide if you're going up or down. We're going to see how a much younger French side will do against a slightly more experienced team USA. One thing’s sure - it's going to be a fight.
Stay tuned for more coverage and insights as we continue to bring you the latest from Chengdu, China. The stage is set for the semifinals! Watch tomorrow at these times👇
