Matildas vs Italy Game Delayed Till 6:30pm Due To Heat

The football ‘powers’ knew all week that it was going to be stinking hot. Shame on them for leaving it to the day to change the time. My next door neighbours (family of four) went out there at 4pm and returned home as the match time had been changed. They said they wouldn’t attend another game.

Thanks for the reports. 🙂

Saw it with a bit more jaundiced eye, Astrojax. No question that Italy were a class above, but the Matilda’s passing was not at all impressive – I’m sure that at least a couple of Italian goals might not have occurred if the ball hadn’t been passed to them by the Aussies.

And the Australian goal-shooting accuracy was abysmal! There were 5 shots at goal in the first half alone – not one made it in, and not because the excellent Italian goalie stopped them – they just went wide, wide, wide.

And they seemed reluctant to go for the ball, often watching it like a hawk, but not actually making a move on it, whereas the Italians just pounced!

In many ways it reminded me of a Swans game – basic errors that take your breath and all hope away for the first three-quarters – but without the redeeming, heart stopping brilliant last 15 mins where they score a dozen goals to win.

worth the wait – an entertaining game, with the 1-5 scoreline not really a true reflection of the football played. it was quite nice sitting enclosed in the shade of the western stand and watching some entertaining football in a nice evening – wasn’t til after the game when we stepped back out into the full heat again we realised what we’d missed. ‘we’ bing almost 3000 people, not a bad crowd for a women’s football friendly played in almost 40 degrees and rescheduled at the last minute.

the azzure were a class above us and it told – we hit too many hopeful long balls at a lone striker – katie gill – too often; we looked good when we tried to play it through feet and made some good opportunities that were thwarted by typical resolute italian defence.

we simply left too much space on the flanks early which they exploited for the first couple of soft goals, then our own canberra keeper, williams, came out way off her line for a ball which she didn’t get, copped a boot for it and, worse, a goal – but a ‘keeper is at fault if she doesn’t get a ball she comes out for. so quickly, by quarter time (ref stopped each half for a drinks break) we were three down.

so the rest of the game we were a little more composed and only lost 1-2, really from there on.

can’t wait for the socceroos game.

A quick check of the Elders weather website shows that at 4pm it was 37°C and at 6:30pm it was 36°C, haha.

At 11:20pm it is saying the temp is still 31.8°C, so no matter what, it’s just damn hot. Mind, I saw 44°C on the car’s outside temp reading driving up to Sydney today.

They are now showing it live on ABC2 at 6.30pm.

ABC musn’t be too happy, stuffs up their programming or delays showing until later. I was wandering why they were showing last weeks game.