Women's World Cup Schedule 2015: Live Stream, Times for Thursday Group Fixtures
After four days of 2015 Women's World Cup play in Canada, all 24 teams have had a chance to test their might on women's soccer's biggest stage.
We've seen draws, laughers and nail-biters. A few clear hierarchies have been established within a couple of groups, but there is still much to be settled with six more days of group-stage play.
Groups A and B are on Thursday's docket, which means fans will be treated to the likes of all-mighty Germany, last seen thrashing Ivory Coast by a 10-0 scoreline, host nation Canada and brave (but overmatched) Thailand.
Here's the schedule for Day 5, the tables for the teams involved and a preview of the top games to watch.
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| Germany vs. Norway | B | 4 p.m./9 p.m. | Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa | FOX Sports 1, BBC Three |
| China PR vs. Netherlands | A | 6 p.m./11 p.m. | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton | FOX Sports 2, BBC Red Button |
| Ivory Coast vs. Thailand | B | 7 p.m./12 a.m. | Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa | FOX Sports 1, BBC Red Button (second half) |
| Canada vs. New Zealand | A | 9 p.m./2 a.m. | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton | FOX Sports 1, BBC Red Button |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| China | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Thailand | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 0 |
| Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 1 | -10 | 0 |
Note: Live streams can be found at BBC iPlayer and Fox Sports Go.
Top Match to Watch: Germany vs. Norway
If there is any group whose order is unlikely to change after the first round of games, it's Group B.
World No. 1 Germany proved its worth as one of the top threats to win the whole tournament with its 10-goal display against hapless Ivory Coast. Forwards Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic both scored hat-tricks, with the latter's coming in the first 31 minutes, a World Cup record. It was a complete 90 minutes from this excellent squad, with five goals popped into the back of the net on either side of halftime.
According to FIFA's website, Die Nationalelf had 61 percent possession and notched a staggering 29 attempts on goal, far beyond the four mustered by Ivory Coast.
FiveThirtyEight's Allison McCann noted on Tuesday that Germany had the best chance of winning the World Cup at 31 percent, despite the United States—a 28 percent chance—notching a 3-1 win over Australia, a much tougher opponent than Ivory Coast. McCann did note that Norway would prove to be a formidable test:
"But we’d caution against reading into this too much; we’ve yet to see how Germany fares against an opponent like Australia. That won’t happen until Thursday, when Germany faces Norway (whose WSPI rating, 88.9, is almost identical to Australia’s). Although the matchup seems similar to U.S.-Australia, the Germans are heavily favored to win—72 percent to Norway’s 11 percent.
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Norway beat Thailand 4-0 to open its World Cup, overcoming a bright start from the underdogs to coolly control the vast majority of the match. Isabell Herlovsen notched a brace in that contest, but it could be 19-year-old Ada Hegerberg who gives Norway the best chance at keeping pace with the mighty Germans.
Hegerberg scored in the 68th minute against Thailand, and Deadspin's Kevin Draper noted she's one of the key members of the team, capable of bridging the Norwegians' past and present styles of play:
"If Norway are to return to the top of the mountain, it will have to come through players like Hegerberg, who successfully marry Norway’s past—brute strength and athleticism—to soccer’s future—intricate passing and clever movement without the ball. That is the only way they will compete in the present.
"
888 Sport passed along a look at Hederberg's formidable skill and footwork against Thailand:
Norway managed almost as many chances (25, per the FIFA website) as Germany against a stauncher opponent. With talent like Hederberg out on the pitch, Sasic is well-aware this game will prove a much tougher test for her brilliant side, per Emmeline Moore of the Agence France-Presse (h/t Yahoo Sports):
"It will be a completely different game. We have to be aggressive against Norway, be robust, compact and come out on top in the challenges.
We need to create chances and convert them. We certainly won't get as many chances against Norway as we did against Ivory Coast.
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Norway should be able to break apart Germany's attack and create a few strong chances of its own, but the midfield talents of Lena Goessling and Simone Laudehr will keep the Germans in control and put them on their way to topping Group B and a favorable matchup in the knockout rounds.
Prediction: Germany 4-2 Norway
