Cameroon Women V New Zealand Women
Thursday 20 June 2019 – 17:00 Kick-Off
International, FIFA Women’s World Cup
Pick: New Zealand to WIN – 7/5 Unibet
In all likelihood these teams will be heading out of the World Cup on Wednesday after failing to acquire any points so far, that is unless one of them can rack up a very big win to overturn their -3 goal differences. Were that to occur a spot in the next round could present itself as one of the best third-place teams.
Therefore we could be set for an entertaining contest in Montpellier, at the Stade de la Mosson, between Cameroon and New Zealand.
Cameroon
The Indomitable Lionesses arrived at this tournament as one of the lowest ranked sides and with little chance of progressing from a tough group. Back-to-back to defeats, albeit against formidable opposition in the form of Canada and Netherlands, has indeed left them pointless in Group E but not without hope, and certainly with pride still firmly intact after encouraging showings in both matches.
Canada were made to work extremely hard for their narrow win, requiring a goal from a set-piece (Cameroon should have also scored from one later in the game). The Netherlands, meanwhile, needed some Miedema magic to ensure the win in a contest Cameroon had drawn level in at 1-1 and could have repeated the trick with the score at 2-1 but for a bad miss in the second period.
Make no mistake about it, Cameroon were second best in both games but they weren’t rolled over; they defended admirably, never stopped running, and did create the odd opening going forward. A similar performance in this game, versus an also pointless New Zealand side, could see them make light of their status here as slight underdogs.
New Zealand
For a team ranked 19 in the world, New Zealand have massively underwhelmed. It always looked a big ask for them in this group, and perhaps losses in games with Canada and Netherlands isn’t all that surprising, but the manner of both has been, and it continues their theme of 2019: inconsistency.
Victories over Argentina (0-2), Mexico (2-1), Norway (0-1) and England(0-1) in friendlies this year highlight just how capable The Kiwis are, or can be. Losses to Australia (2-0), South Korea (2-0), USA (5-0) and even Wales (1-0), meanwhile, serve as a reminder as to their unpredictable nature.
Competitive for the most part in the opening game with Holland, they were completely outplayed and outfought by Canada second time out as they recorded just 2 goal attempts (0 on target) to Canada’s 22 (6 on target). The final scoreline of 2-0 was incredibly flattering on them.
Now this capable but frustratingly unpredictable New Zealand side must go in search of a big win if they’re to have any chance of securing an unlikely – and probably undeserved – progression into the last-sixteen. They will likely settle for any win, though, with the country still searching for their maiden win at a World Cup despite playing 14 times.
Betting Tip
New Zealand to Win – 7/5 Unibet
Betting Conclusion
If we were to ignore all factors apart from how the teams have performed so far at these finals, Cameroon would be the bet. However, I cannot help but think that had this fixture been the opening game of the group and not the last, then New Zealand would be a lot shorter in price than they currently are.
For starters The Kiwis are ranked much higher (27 places in fact) but they also have some proven form with wins over some good teams this year. We need to go as far back as 2015 – to the last World Cup – for Cameroon’s most recent win over a recognised top team, when they beat Switzerland in 2015. Spain thrashed Cameroon 4-0 in April, while France routed them 6-0 last October.
New Zealand’s proven pedigree should shine through here despite their poor showing at these finals so far.
