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Any football fan making their way to a stadium hopes they will get to witness something special. Stunning goals – and plenty of them – are at the top of most spectators’ wish lists, with cheers growing ever louder when a player manages an exceptional achievement such as scoring several times in one game.
With this in mind, fans at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium undoubtedly got their money’s worth last Sunday as Germany made a formidable start to their FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ campaign by firing no fewer than ten goals past Côte d’Ivoire. To enhance the spectacle even further, the crowd were treated to the sight of two players in particularly fine goalscoring form as both Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic netted hat-tricks to defeat the Ivorians almost singlehandedly.
“It’s good for our confidence,” a delighted Sasic said in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. “It’s fantastic to start the World Cup with a win and the fact that we managed to get so many goals certainly won’t hurt us going into the rest of the tournament.” Her team-mate agreed wholeheartedly, simply adding: “Scoring ten times in the first game is pretty cool.”
The pair exasperated the opposition’s defence with their smart combination play and astute awareness of their strike partner’s positioning. Asked about this perfect harmony, 26-year-old Sasic replied: “We’ve known each other since the U-19s. We played our first tournament together in 2004 [FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Thailand – editor’s note] and we simply know what the other one is thinking and what run we’re each going to make next.”
It soon becomes clear when talking to both players that their understanding extends beyond the pitch. “You can always chat with her,” Mittag said of the team-mate and friend four years her junior. “She’s extremely intelligent, so you can talk about all kinds of interesting topics – it’s fun.” Sasic was more than happy to return the compliment, praising the Rosengard forward’s ability to find gaps and score goals with both feet from a variety of different positions. “She’s got incredibly good shooting technique. She’s pretty much the complete striker.”
Repeat performance against Norway?
According to Mittag, Sasic is extremely strong in the air and a “proper penalty-box striker”. As such, the daughter of a Cameroonian father and a French mother would have naturally been content to continue adding to her tally in the second half but was substituted at the break. With Germany set to face Norway in Ottawa in Group B’s biggest match on Thursday 11 June though, she will not have to wait long for her next chance to get on the scoresheet.
When asked whether they can continue firing at the same rate, Mittag responded confidently: “I hope so. We’ve certainly got the necessary quality,” although both agreed that the score “definitely won’t be 10-0” this time around. Both players are looking ahead to the next match with plenty of respect for a Scandinavian side Germany know very well. The two teams have met at several major tournaments before, and their battles always deliver plenty of excitement.
Some of their most intriguing clashes have included the 2007 Women’s World Cup semi-final that the Germans won 3-0, the 1995 Women’s World Cup final that ended in a 2-0 victory for Norway or, most recently, the final of Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden. Although Mittag only featured as a substitute, she wasted little time in putting her stamp on the latter match, scoring the only goal of the game in the 49th minute to secure the title. Nevertheless, she does not consider that result to be a sign of things to come: “That was a long time ago. I’m definitely looking forward to this match, but we’re aware that it’ll be completely different to last time. We’ve all got to work hard again.”
“We’ve also got to be ready from the very start, soak up the challenges and keep things tight,” added Sasic, “then we’ll get more chances to score and we’ve got to take them.” If she makes good on this threat, the fans in Ottawa can look forward to another spectacular display on Thursday.
With this in mind, fans at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium undoubtedly got their money’s worth last Sunday as Germany made a formidable start to their FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ campaign by firing no fewer than ten goals past Côte d’Ivoire. To enhance the spectacle even further, the crowd were treated to the sight of two players in particularly fine goalscoring form as both Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic netted hat-tricks to defeat the Ivorians almost singlehandedly.
“It’s good for our confidence,” a delighted Sasic said in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. “It’s fantastic to start the World Cup with a win and the fact that we managed to get so many goals certainly won’t hurt us going into the rest of the tournament.” Her team-mate agreed wholeheartedly, simply adding: “Scoring ten times in the first game is pretty cool.”
The pair exasperated the opposition’s defence with their smart combination play and astute awareness of their strike partner’s positioning. Asked about this perfect harmony, 26-year-old Sasic replied: “We’ve known each other since the U-19s. We played our first tournament together in 2004 [FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Thailand – editor’s note] and we simply know what the other one is thinking and what run we’re each going to make next.”
It soon becomes clear when talking to both players that their understanding extends beyond the pitch. “You can always chat with her,” Mittag said of the team-mate and friend four years her junior. “She’s extremely intelligent, so you can talk about all kinds of interesting topics – it’s fun.” Sasic was more than happy to return the compliment, praising the Rosengard forward’s ability to find gaps and score goals with both feet from a variety of different positions. “She’s got incredibly good shooting technique. She’s pretty much the complete striker.”
Repeat performance against Norway?
According to Mittag, Sasic is extremely strong in the air and a “proper penalty-box striker”. As such, the daughter of a Cameroonian father and a French mother would have naturally been content to continue adding to her tally in the second half but was substituted at the break. With Germany set to face Norway in Ottawa in Group B’s biggest match on Thursday 11 June though, she will not have to wait long for her next chance to get on the scoresheet.
When asked whether they can continue firing at the same rate, Mittag responded confidently: “I hope so. We’ve certainly got the necessary quality,” although both agreed that the score “definitely won’t be 10-0” this time around. Both players are looking ahead to the next match with plenty of respect for a Scandinavian side Germany know very well. The two teams have met at several major tournaments before, and their battles always deliver plenty of excitement.
Some of their most intriguing clashes have included the 2007 Women’s World Cup semi-final that the Germans won 3-0, the 1995 Women’s World Cup final that ended in a 2-0 victory for Norway or, most recently, the final of Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden. Although Mittag only featured as a substitute, she wasted little time in putting her stamp on the latter match, scoring the only goal of the game in the 49th minute to secure the title. Nevertheless, she does not consider that result to be a sign of things to come: “That was a long time ago. I’m definitely looking forward to this match, but we’re aware that it’ll be completely different to last time. We’ve all got to work hard again.”
“We’ve also got to be ready from the very start, soak up the challenges and keep things tight,” added Sasic, “then we’ll get more chances to score and we’ve got to take them.” If she makes good on this threat, the fans in Ottawa can look forward to another spectacular display on Thursday.
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