Nice: Australia and Norway occupy opposite sides of the globe, but the FIFA Women’s World Cup Round of 16 clash brings together the two nations Australian midfielder Tameka Yallop has recently called home.
A cursory glimpse at the current Australian squad reveals the United States as by far the most popular destination for the 2019 crop of Matildas, with star striker Sam Kerr one of 13 players in Ante Milicic’s travelling party to ply their trade in the traditional home of the professional women’s game.
But a deeper look into each player’s history reveals a team with more than a passing knowledge of Saturday’s opponents, with Chloe Logarzo and Aivi Luik among a handful of players to have spent time in the Norwegian Toppserien.
Of those with on-the-job training against the Grasshoppers, Yallop is the only Matilda still on the books of a club in the Scandinavian nation, making her as well-placed as anyone to scout Martin Sjögren’s side.
“They’re quite physical,” she said. “They’re also tactically pretty strong as well.”
“They’re quite disciplined in their formation and their shape, and they look to play good football as well, so I think it will be a good clash coming up against them.”
.@TheMatildas have completed their final session ahead of #NORAUS.
It’s time to face Norway in the @FIFAWWC Round of 16. #WeAreMatildas #FIFAWWC #GoMatildas pic.twitter.com/53Uat78PtH
— Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 21, 2019
Yallop is mid-way through her third season with Klepp IL, who finished runners-up in last season’s Norwegian championship and sat second on the table before the competition paused for the Women’s World Cup.
Unlike Australia, Norway has no Klepp players in their France 2019 squad, but they do boast seven from champions LSK Kvinner, a club which has established itself as the dominant outfit in the nation, leading to a growing competitive rivalry with Yallop’s employers.
Despite the vast distance between the nations, both geographically and in terms of average temperatures, Yallop believes they share a lot of cultural similarities, as well as on the football pitch.
“It’s a pretty different country. I can’t say I’m at the beach all the time,” she laughed.
“But they’ve got high living standards and high standards in all areas of life in Norway. Apart from the language barrier, there’s not too much that we don’t understand between each other."
“I think (playing in Norway) is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. It’s not going to affect the way I play, or our team plays and it’s not going to affect the way (Norway) play.
“They’ve got a solid team and so do we, so the performances of the day will be of a high standard regardless.”
It’s match day minus 1️⃣ ahead of our @FIFAWWC Round of 16 match up against Norway in Nice! ??#WeAreMatildas #FIFAWWC #NORAUS pic.twitter.com/L4yrq4TCXG
— Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 21, 2019
But while Yallop afforded herself a joke about the climatic difference between the two nations, some believe it could play a part in deciding the match in the Matildas’ favour.
By their own admission, Australia’s players love nothing more than a day at the beach and they’ve relished their time in sunny Nice, whereas Norway are used to playing football in far cooler conditions.
With the match expected to kick-off in a warm 24 degrees Celsius, Yallop believes the backdrop of the French Riviera can potentially cancel out the one-day preparation advantage enjoyed by the Norwegians.
“I didn’t play the last group game (against Jamaica), but I’ve had time to reset and recover and I’m feeling fresh,” she said. “Being here in Nice has helped a lot too. Everyone’s feeling refreshed and ready to go.”
“Being an Australian, and the temperatures we suffer from down under, I think we’re a little bit more experienced in the heat.
“Whether that goes our way on the day? Who knows, but we’ll be prepared for it.”
Photos: FIFA via Getty Images, AFP
Source: the-afc.com