Algarve Cup 2008

Algarve Cup 2008
Number of nations	12
winner	USA (6th title)
venue	Portugal ( Algarve )
Opening game	March 5, 2008
Endgame	March 12, 2008
Gates	68  (⌀: 2.83 per game)
Top scorer	Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir (6 goals)

The Algarve Cup 2008 was the 15th edition of the annual tournament for women's national football teams and took place between 5th and 12th March 2008 in the Portuguese Algarve . As in the previous year, the defending champion from the USA won the tournament in front of Denmark and the Norwegian team .

Participating teams

In 2008, twelve teams took part in the invitation tournament. First-time participants are marked in italics .

Denmark  Germany  Finland  Ireland  Iceland  Italy

Norway  Poland  Portugal (hosts)  Sweden  USA (defending champion)  China

Tournament course

The twelve participating teams were divided into three groups and met in a round-robin tournament . The eight strongest teams were assigned to groups A and B, the four weakest teams competed in group C. In the subsequent final round, the group winners of groups A and B played for the tournament victory in the final, the second and third of these groups for third and fifth places. The best fourth of groups A and B competed against the winner of group C in the game for seventh place, the worst team in groups A and B against the runner-up in group C in the game for ninth, while the third and fourth-placed teams of Group C faced each other in a game for eleventh place.

Group stage

Group A

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Denmark	3	3	0	0	003-000	+3	09
2.	Germany	3	2	0	1	005: 100	+4	06th
3.	Sweden	3	1	0	2	003: 400	−1	03
4th	Finland	3	0	0	3	001: 700	−6	00

March 5, 2008 in Faro
Germany	-	Denmark	0: 1
March 5, 2008 in Lagos
Finland	-	Sweden	1: 3
March 7, 2008 in Faro
Germany	-	Finland	3-0
March 7, 2008 in Lagos
Denmark	-	Sweden	1-0
March 10, 2008 in Lagos
Denmark	-	Finland	1-0
March 10, 2008 in Vila Real de Santo António
Sweden	-	Germany	0: 2

Group B

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	United States	3	3	0	0	010-000	+10	09
2.	Norway	3	2	0	1	007: 700	± 0	06th
3.	Italy	3	1	0	2	004: 600	−2	03
4th	China	3	0	0	3	001: 900	−8	00

March 5, 2008 in Albufeira
China	-	United States	0: 4
March 5, 2008 in Alvor
Norway	-	Italy	4: 2
March 7, 2008 in Alvor
United States	-	Italy	2-0
March 7, 2008 in Albufeira
Norway	-	China	3: 1
March 10, 2008 in Loulé
China	-	Italy	0: 2
March 10, 2008 in Alvor
United States	-	Norway	4-0

Group C

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Iceland	3	3	0	0	009: 100	+8	09
2.	Portugal	3	2	0	1	005: 400	+1	06th
3.	Ireland	3	1	0	2	002: 600	−4	03
4th	Poland	3	0	0	3	001: 600	−5	00

March 5, 2008 in Lagos
Iceland	-	Poland	2-0
March 5, 2008 in Faro
Portugal	-	Ireland	2-0
March 7, 2008 in Faro
Portugal	-	Poland	3: 1
March 5, 2008 in Lagos
Iceland	-	Ireland	4: 1
March 10, 2008 in Vila Real de Santo António
Portugal	-	Iceland	0: 3
March 10, 2008 in Lagos
Poland	-	Ireland	0: 1

Final round

Game for 11th place

March 12, 2008 in Guia
Ireland	-	Poland	2: 2, 5: 6 i. E.

Play for 9th place

March 12, 2008 in Albufeira
China	-	Portugal	1: 1, 5: 4 i. E.

Game for 7th place

March 12, 2008 in Loulé
Finland	-	Iceland	0: 3

Play for 5th place

March 12, 2008 in Olhão
Sweden	-	Italy	3-0

3rd place match

March 12, 2008 in Vila Real de Santo António
Germany	-	Norway	0: 2

final

Denmark		United States
	March 12, 2008 in Vila Real de Santo António (Estádio Municipal) Result: 1: 2 (1: 1) Spectators: 1,000 Referee: Tanja Schett ( Austria )   Match report
	Heidi Johansen • Mia Olsen (75th Marie Bjerg ), Katrine Pedersen , Christina Ørntoft , Bettina Hansen (75th line Røddik Hansen ) • Mariann Knudsen , Cathrine Paaske Sørensen , Camilla Sand Andersen (75th Sine Hovesen ), Johanna Rasmussen (89th line ) Theresa Nielsen ) • Maiken With Pape (54th Janne Madsen ), Merete Pedersen Trainer: Kenneth Heiner-Møller	Hope Solo • Stephanie Cox (72nd Rachel Buehler ), Kate Markgraf , Christie Rampone , Lori Chalupny • Leslie Osborne , Carli Lloyd (34th Angela Hucles ), Lindsay Tarpley (77th Angie Woznuk ), Heather O'Reilly (46th Tobin Heath ) • Natasha Kai (81st Amy Rodriguez ), Abby Wambach (87th Lauren Cheney ) Coach: Pia Sundhage
	1: 1 Cathrine Paaske Sørensen (30.)	0: 1 Natasha Kai (14th), 1: 2 Abby Wambach (49th)
		Stephanie Cox

Web links

• 15th Algarve Cup 2008 (Women's Tournament) , in: rsssf.com , accessed on March 25, 2016.
• 2013 Algarve Women's Football Cup: Results and Standings. , in: fpf.pt , accessed on March 25, 2016 (English), p. 16.