City still setting the standard

IT now looks very much as if Glasgow City will win a 10th successive league title, a feat which eluded the Celtic and Rangers men’s teams.

The 4-0 victory against Hibernian last Sunday leaves the Glasgow side five points clear of their nearest rivals. There are just eight games left, and although one is against Hibs, the defending champions hold all the aces.

I was among those who felt Hibs had the better side this season and might well deny City their title record. The nine-times champions have lost so many players to professional teams in other countries that inevitably they are not quite the force they were two or three years ago. The Scotland squad no longer contains a nucleus of Glasgow City players.

What demonstrated last Sunday is that Hibs, while continuing to close the gap, still have some way go to dislodge the winning mentality of long-time City players such as captain Leanne Ross and Jo Love. It was, nevertheless, one of those days when everything clicked for the winners. They took their few chances ruthlessly and were in command of the areas that mattered.

With the Champions League looming in October, for both clubs, Scott Booth has shown he can organise his team to play to their strengths. Every good side also needs flair, and there are pleasing signs that Fiona Brown, pictured, is returning to her best after recovering from a second ACL knee injury.

WHAT a thrill for Sweden and Germany, who were both contesting their first Olympic final in the Maracana on Friday night. The Rio stadium was opened in 1950 – to coincide with Brazil staging the men’s World Cup – and an astonishing 199,854 fans allegedly squeezed in to see the hosts lose to Uruguay in the final.

Despite now having a much smaller capacity, the Maracana remains one of the world’s most iconic footballing theatres. Marta and her Brazil teammates must have set their hearts on winning gold at the ground, but instead were dispatched to Sao Paulo, where they were beaten by Canada in the bronze medal match.

Although not entirely convincing themselves, Germany played the better football to get to the final and deserved the title. Sweden got just four points in the group and thereafter had to rely on penalty shoot-outs.

Although Hope Solo, the ungracious United States goalkeeper, made herself look foolish by calling the Swedes cowardly, it would have been a travesty had they won the tournament given the nature of their performances.

So, congratulations Silvia Neid and Germany on the 2-1 success that made them Olympic champions.