Women's World Cup Schedule 2015: Live Stream and TV Times for Tuesday's Bracket
There’s just one more spot up for grabs in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, with reigning champions Japan and the Netherlands set to battle it out in the round-of-16 finale.
Up to this point, the knockout stages of this competition have been engrossing, with drama aplenty for supporters from across the globe to take in. Expect no lull in standards when these two sides meet in Vancouver either, with both nations showing enough in the tournament so far to suggest they could be the side joining the exclusive quarter-final lineup.
Here are all the key details you need to catch the holders in action and a closer examination of both teams as the Oranje bid to spring a surprise.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Date: Tuesday, June 23
Time: 10 p.m. (ET), 3 a.m. (BST, June 24)
Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), Fox Sports GO (US)
TV Info: BBC Two (UK), Fox Sports 1 (US)
Netherlands out to Shock Holders
Facing the reigning champions in any tournament is often an ominous proposition, but every now and then the prospect seems to stir something in a less illustrious nation. After all, in this instance, there’s a brilliant opportunity for the Dutch team to spring a big surprise against Japan.
The Netherlands coach Roger Reijners admitted that for the majority of this team, this last-16 encounter is the biggest match of their careers, per Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports):
"These are the exact matches we love to play: a large podium, a huge crowd. This is probably the biggest one that they've played up to now. We have put a goal in our heads and it means that we need to win as many as you can win. The more the better. If tomorrow if things go well we'll know exactly where we stand.
"
The Oranje do have the players to get at Japan, too. They possess a lot of pace in their XI—something that Japan are a little short of—and if they play with composure on the counter-attack, the Dutch should have spaces to exploit, especially if Lieke Martens, Vivianne Miedema and Manon Melis can all perform.
As noted by Bleacher Report’s Andrew Gibney, the trio of forwards likely to be fielded by Reijners are very exciting to watch:
However, the Dutch have been inconsistent so far. They’ve only been able to score two goals in their opening three matches, with Reijners searching for a system that best accommodates the attacking talent at his disposal. It’s so important that the Netherlands strike a better balance if they’re to progress here.
That's because Japan are a quality outfit. While they may not boast a dynamism to match their last-16 opponents, Norio Sasaki’s side are industrious and expertly organised. With players like Homare Sawa and Aya Miyama knitting things together in midfield, the holders should be able to get a tight stranglehold on this match.
As noted by Sportsnet’s Jerrad Peters, the former, who is playing in her last ever World Cup, is a legendary figure of the women’s game:
However, Japan haven’t been at their very best, either. Yes, they won all of their group-stage matches, but to this point they’ve yet to scale the levels which saw them win the tournament four years ago. We should see a replenished Japanese team, however; Sasaki has used all 23 players in his squad so far.
While this unique rotation policy has almost certainly contributed to some fractious displays, expect Japan to up their game at this stage of the competition. Netherlands have impressed in bursts, but this young side don't possess the nous required to get through a massive game against a team as talented as the holders.
Prediction: Japan 2-1 Netherlands
