Norway probably felt pretty good about themselves after recording a comfortable 4-0 win over Thailand in their Women’s World Cup 2015 opener, but Germany showed them up quickly, dropping 10 on the Ivory Coast. Norway look like they’ll easily advance out of the group in second place, but they probably need a win on Thursday to finish on top.
Germany vs. Norway, Women’s World Cup 2015: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Can Norway pull off a big upset and prevent a Germany win?
Andre Ringuette/Getty Images
Germany look well on their way to producing the leading scorer in this tournament after drawing Ivory Coast, arguably the weakest team in Canada, and beating them 10-0. Celia Sasic, who would have been one of the Golden Boot contenders even if she was drawn in a stronger group, scored a hat trick in that match.
The last time these two sides met was at the 2014 Algarve Cup, where Germany won 3-1. However, Norway recently won a competitive match against the Germans, at Euro 2013. They were the only side to beat Germany in that tournament as they marched to a European championship, beating Norway in a rematch in the final.
Key player: Ada Hegerberg
Don’t expect Norway to get a high volume of chances in this game, but the ones that they do create will probably have a lot to do with the off-the-ball movement and physical ability of Hegerberg. The young prodigy was her team’s best player in the opener against Thailand and is their best hope for a goal on Thursday.
Key matchup: Norway's midfield vs. Alexandra Popp
Norway's central defenders will have their hands full with Sasic, but she's not Germany's only big scoring threat. Popp is going to make a lot of late runs into the box from a withdrawn position, and it'll be up to Norway's midfielders to make sure they track her. She only scored once in the rout of Ivory Coast, but she was very unlucky not to have a hat trick.
Match date/time: Thursday, 4 p.m. ET
Venue: Lansdowne Stadium, Ottawa, Canada
TV: FOX Sports 1 (U.S. - English), NBC Universo (U.S. - Spanish), TSN1 (Canada), BBC3, Eurosport 1 (U.K.), ARD Das Erste, ZRF zwei (Germany), NRK1 (Norway)
Online: FOX Sports Go, FOX Soccer 2 Go, NBC Deportes en vivo extra (U.S.), TSN (Canada), BBC iPlayer, Eurosport player (U.K.), Das Erste (Germany), Eurosport player (Norway)
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