Germany vs. Sweden: Score, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Women’s Soccer World … – Bleacher Report

The 2015 Women’s World Cup moved into the knockout stage Saturday, with Germany and Sweden kicking things off. There was no struggle for the German women, who rode two goals in each half to a 4-1 win and an appearance in the quarterfinals.

There was a friendly rivalry going on between the coaches coming into the match. Germany’s Silvia Neid and Sweden’s Pia Sundhage have been able to bond during this World Cup run, but Neid told Emmeline Moore of Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo Sports) that once the game started, both would have one focus:

We know the Swedish players, Pia Sundhage and the players know us. We meet in the elevator. It’s nice that FIFA have put us in the same hotel so we run into each other the whole time. 

There’s small talk, you hug each other, I know exactly how she thinks. She wants to win this match just like us. But when things get going tomorrow it’s of no consequence how much you know each other, you want your team to be victorious.

Once the teams stepped onto the field, Germany was vastly superior.

Anja Mittag opened the scoring for Germany with a goal in the 24th minute. She also made some history in the process, as ESPN’s Paul Carr noted the star forward became the third German with at least five goals in a single World Cup:

Anja Mittag is the 3rd German with 5 goals at a single WWC, joining Birgit Prinz (2003 & 2007) & Heidi Mohr (1991). #GER

— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) June 20, 2015

However, Mittag would not be alone on that list for long. Celia Sasic scored her fourth and fifth goals of the World Cup to give Germany a 3-0 lead. Her first came on a penalty kick in the 36th minute, and she added another goal in the 78th minute to ice the win. 

Sasic’s penalty kick was notable because, as Carr pointed out, it marked 11 consecutive conversions for the German team:

Germany has now converted all 11 of its Women’s World Cup penalties. Obviously. #GER

— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) June 20, 2015

That’s a huge stat, looking ahead in the World Cup. Opponents will have to play extra cautiously to avoid letting Germany get a penalty kick. And if the Germans end up in a penalty shootout, they’ll have every reason to be confident.

Sweden did get on the board in the 82nd minute with a header from Linda Sembrant, but it proved to be too little too late. Dzsenifer Marozsan tacked on the final German goal in the 88th minute just for good measure.

Caitlin Murray of the Guardian noted that Marozsan’s brilliant goal highlighted Germany’s dominance in the match:

Dzsenifer Marozsan! What a great sliding, one-time strike to the upper far post corner. Germany utterly dominant. Sweden can start packing.

— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) June 20, 2015

German goalie Nadine Angerer didn’t have a lot to do, as she faced just seven attempts (three on target), but she was steady when needed.

Angerer said Friday that she was expecting a tense battle between two talented teams, per Women’s Football Compilations:

#GER “I expect a real challenge, and a close match. Our chances are 50-50.” – Nadine Angerer pic.twitter.com/UuHJc3BjtN

— Womens Football Comp (@Jigsawwill) June 19, 2015

Instead, thanks to Angerer, Mittag and Sasic, Germany made its appearance in the round of 16 look like a breeze and only cemented its status as the team to beat in the Women’s World Cup.

The winner of France-South Korea on Sunday will be Germany’s opponent in the quarterfinals. Neither team has been great in the World Cup, as France lost to Colombia in group play and South Korea had just one win in three matches.

Being the world’s best team, according to the FIFA World Ranking, brings with it a lot of pressure. Germany hasn’t shown any sign that it is feeling the heat, winning its third match at this World Cup and increasing its goal differential to plus-17.

Germany deserves to be considered the favorite to win the World Cup. Even though the competition will only get more difficult, Neid has this team focused and playing very well. It will likely dictate the pace and intensity of play in the quarterfinals.