Above: Spurs celebrate Ria Percival’s late leveller against Manchester United. Photo: The Times.
After what feels like a long international break followed by FA Cup matches, we’re finally back to a full weekend of WSL games.
Tottenham and Manchester United are in fourth and fifth places respectively on the table and a win by either would move them into third. That result is not to be however and instead they share the points in a one-all draw that sees Tottenham jump Brighton and Hove Albion to take third place anyway and for the first time, take a history-making point off United.
The match was quite even and the result felt fitting with both spectacular goals scored in stoppage time at the end of each half. You know what they say about the last five minutes being the most dangerous.
Spurs apply early pressure and a good early curling strike by Jessica Naz is punched away by Mary Earps.
Things are dull until around 30 minutes when a Kyah Simon cross goes directly to Earps. A clever pass from Maéva Clemaron to Ria Percival goes to Earps and sees Percival leap over Earps in front of goal to avoid a collision.
Above: Midfield tussle at The Hive between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Photo: The Guardian.
From a throw-in, Alessia Russo turns and shoots. The ball is batted away by Tinja-Riikka Korpela directly to Leah Galton but her shot is deflected by Percival’s outstretched boot, safely over the crossbar. This has been United’s best attack so far in the match.
The resulting corner goes to the far post and ends with a wrestle between Maria Thorisdottir and Rachel Williams that looks like it possibly should have been a penalty but nothing is called.
A cross by Simon eventually gets to Naz who has a crack but is a bit high and a bit wide and goes clear and out to the left.
Katie Zelem takes a free-kick which goes straight into the wall and Ash Neville’s arm. She’s awarded another free-kick at the top of the box.
The wall is established again with Percival laying along the bottom to cover the space left by the jump. It’s a bit of a lacklustre shot though and hits Aoife Manion standing next to the wall and is cleared away.
Two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first half,, Russo takes a run into the box, beating Neville and Molly Bartrip and getting a brilliant shot away into the top near corner that’s just over the outstretched arms of Korpela and United take the lead.
Above: Alessia Russo (right) celebrates her stunning goal for Manchester United. Photo: The Guardian
Spurs retaliate immediately but the United defence stands strong. It was a fairly even first half with a moment of brilliance from Russo being the differentiator.
Early in the second half, Ella Toone sets up Kirsty Hanson with a smart pass through the centre but the shot is blocked by Korpela.
Out of the blue, Kit Graham sends a rocket to the goal but Earps is all over it and a precision leap sends the ball over the crossbar in an excellent piece of goalkeeping.
Hannah Blundell gets a yellow card for complaining about who got a throw in and then just before full time Martha Thomas gets a clear shot on goal but it’s just a smidge too high and clears the top post.
Right on 90 minutes Neville takes a left-footed shot on goal but that goes wide too. There’s five minutes of extra time.
A bit of playing around the top of the box by Spurs gives Chioma Ubogagu an opportunity but it’s also wide. Straight back the other end and Russo has a shot on target that’s gathered safely by the keeper.
Four minutes into stoppage time, Kiwi international, Percival takes a free-kick from near the sideline and about 40 meters out not far from the halfway line. As everyone rushes the box, the ball bounces between all the players and Earps, who’s on her line. It bounces over her head and outstretched arms and into the net for one of the goals of the season and the equaliser with less than a minute to go, leaving Earps shaking her head in disbelief.
Above: Wild celebrations from Spurs after Ria Percival’s leveller four minutes into stoppage time. Photo: The Guardian.
United come straight back and a downwards header by Russo is so close but batted up and away by Korpela.
Try as they may, there’s not enough time left to come back and we end with a draw as the whistle blows. The Spurs fans are celebrating like it’s a win.
Above: Fatumata celebrates her goal for Wadi Degla. Photo: CAF Women
History was made in world football on Friday, November 5, when the inaugural edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League kicked off. Although the AS Mande players were tall and athletic, it wasn’t enough to make the ladies of Wadi Degla flinch. It was a rather thrilling opening game between AS Mande and the host nation’s club Wadi Degla. An early penalty kick, an enterprising team goal, and a final goal poacher drove the final nail into the ruins of AS Mande. When it looked like the game could possibly take a surprising turn of events after Awa’s consolation goal for Mande, Jasmine added that goal poacher to seal the deal.
All this ensued in the historic inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League taking place in Egypt. This fixture was the first Group A game of the tournament. The game lived up to its hype and gave all the thrills an opening game must give.
HOW WELDI WADI SAW OFF AS MANDE
The game had an early surprise after the referee blew her whistle to signal a penalty offense caused by Salimata Kone, captain of AS Mande. Hayam Abdelhafez made a thrusting run on the left flank of the Mande defense line and got cut out by Salimata. Captain of Wedi Degla, Noha Mamdouh shot a sublime penalty kick to give the host side the lead in just under 2 minutes of the game.
AS Mande quickly got in their groove desperate for a quick equalizer but that ended in total futility. The Egyptian side got cooking again and Hayam with her nimble feet surged on the left flank and launched an an-inch perfect cross into the 18-yard box. Fatumata got on the end of it with cool composure and slotted in the second goal of Wedi in the eighth minute.
Becki of AS Mande tried her best to cut through the defense of Weldi but her predominantly right foot made her so predictable and easy to nip.
It would have been three goals for Wadi Degla had Basant’s crisp header not been ruled out for offside. The offside call was a wake-up call for AS Mande to get enterprising and find the back of the net before the halftime whistle. After constantly trying, they managed to break through the defense of Weldi, and their Captain Awa Traore slotted it home with two defenders literally breathing down her neck.
The second half saw AS Mandi with more intent and determination to level their half deficit. They were the better of the two sides with Weldi intermittently posing a threat from their counterattacks. AS Mandi squandered so many chances through their striker, Bassira Toure. Little did they know that Weldi’s nimble-foot wingers would shoot them where it hurt the most. Jasmin Theresa poached a goal from a set-piece to restore their initial two-goal lead.
Wadi Degla managed to stand tall in a game where they utilized all their set pieces and nimble wingers to trap Mande in a 3-1 victory. They all bagged three points and are looking forward to their next group game matches. Hayam Abdelhafez was awarded Woman of the match.
In her post-game interview, Abdelhafez said “I’m not the best player, we are all better together. We prepared a lot, and this is beginning is the result of our hard work.”
“I want to win the woman of the match more than once. We have the concentration for every game to win n matter what happens and no matter how the teams play against us”.
Wadi Degla’s next game is against Malabo Kings FC on Monday, November 7, 2021, whereas AS Mande will go head to head with Hasaacas Ladies on the same day as well.
HASAACAS LADIES MESMERIZED FANS AFTER A 3-1 VICTORY OVER MALABO KINGS FC
Above: Evelyn Badu scores the first goal of the game. Pic: CAF Women
Ghana’s Women’s Premier League Champions, Hasaacas Ladies went head to head with the Champions of Equatorial Guinea in Game 2 of the CAF Women’s Champions League. It was an enthralling match and a highly physical game between two teams who are heavily attack-minded. Evelyn Badu of Hasaacas Ladies made history as the first woman to ever score a brace in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
WHAT ENSUED
The game started at a rather slow pace as both teams tried to work their way through the respective gameplan of their opponent. Hasaacas Ladies eased into the game more after ten minutes and set the ball rolling in the half of their opponents. Rahama Jafar found Evelyn Badu after a perfect through pass from midfield and she hit a low drive finish pass goalkeeper Ruth Chinasa to give Hasaacas the lead on the 11th minute. The rest of the half was a midfield battle between both sides with Hasaacas wasting most of their chances. One of such opportunities was a carefully worked pass to Doris Boaduwaa on the right flank of the 18-yard box where she played it directly into the hands of the Malabo Kings goalkeeper.
The second half began with Hasaacas ladies probing for more goals. Malabo Kings FC tried to break the defensive line of Hasaacas but the enterprising captain and defender, Janet Egyir gave no such chance to them. She built what could be termed as “the great wall of Hasaacas” at the back. Evelyn Badu showed how enthralling she was as she thumped two ambitious shots on target in high hopes of doubling the lead for Hasaacas and giving them room to breathe.
Her ambition paid off as she found the back of the net after Doris Boaduwaa launched a perfect cross in the 18-yard box. Evelyn converted it into a goal but it was ruled out for offside.
The game became a bit tepid from the 60th minute mark through to the 80th. Hasaacas Ladies, however, won a corner kick on the 83rd minute and Perpetual Agyekum dropped jaws as she scored directly from the setpiece. It was a mind-boggling moment that sealed her name as one of the best setpiece takers in the team and Ghana.
Photo: Evelyn Badu scores the first goal of the game. Photo: CAF Women
A dramatic twist of events occurred after Stephanie Gbogou halved the deficit on the 90th just to announce a classic “Game on” moment. Malabo Kings harbored the idea of staging a dramatic comeback but Evelyn Badu’s ambitions on the pitch were far greater. Doris Boaduwaa teed up a nice ball into the 18-yard box and with cool composure, Evelyn slotted the final goal into the net sealing the victory for her team on the 93rd minute of the game. All hopes for a comeback for Malabo Kings just fizzled into the air.
Evelyn was awarded Woman of the match after her staggering performance on the pitch in her post-game interview she said,
“I thank God for this opportunity in my first match in WCL. The woman of the match award encourages me to do more for the team and for myself, I’m now more persistent to achieve more”.
Hasaacas Ladies will come up against AS Mande on the 8th of November 2021.
At the end of September, a tweet put out by a proud Mum about her young daughter’s footballing experience went viral on Twitter. Impetus and SELK Grassroots joined up to provide seven-year-old Lexi Haffner with the same goalkeeping gloves that her hero wears. Ben Gilby spoke to Martin Haffner about the story behind the tweet.
Above: Lexi pictured with the goalkeeping gloves that Impetus and SELK Grassroots combined to buy her. Photo: Martin Haffner
It started off as just a normal day on 27th September when Julie Haffner put out a tweet on social media about her seven-year-old daughter Lexi who was two months into her goalkeeping career in a boys team loving every minute and proving with her ability that those boys who commented “Ahh! We’re playing against a girl!” would find out just what a girl can do in goal.
Above: The tweet that caught the attention of the women’s football family. Provided by: Martin Haffner
Almost 11,500 “likes”, over 420 re-tweets, and 289 comments later, the Twitter world was celebrating the joy that young Lexi gets from playing in goal every week. Dad Martin told us the story behind the tweet.
“At our match that day, we had one of the children’s parents requesting to take some action photos of the game. My wife decided to put a post-up with a picture of Lexi as she does get some stick playing for a boys’ team especially as she is a goalkeeper.
“I don’t think the boys mean anything by it, I just think they find it strange that they are playing against a girl. Therefore, Lexi’s mum just wanted to put a post on Twitter so men’s Championship side West Bromwich Albion’s goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could see it as well as the WBA fans as she has loads on Twitter. We did not expect it to go viral, to be honest, she was just hoping she got a ‘like’ from Sam!
Above: Among the replies on social media came from Sam Johnstone, goalkeeper for Lexi’s favourite men’s team West Bromwich Albion of the SkyBet Championship. Photo supplied by: Martin Haffner.
“Lexi has been recognised a few times by coaches and referees in the games we have played and she has received positive feedback to say she has only played a few months.”
A big fan of West Bromwich Albion, Lexi certainly did get a response from Sam Johnson – but she also got a lot more than that!
“The response was incredible,” Martin said. “There were so many nice comments to read. Obviously, you always get some negative but I always find it’s people just trying to get a reaction out of you. My wife responded to each and every comment that was posted and I made sure I like each positive post.
Above: Lexi pictured with hero Sam Johnstone at The Hawthorns. Photo: Martin Haffner.
“The main people that replied were parents whose children were goalkeepers, people who are goalkeepers, and we had organizations like Impetus and SELK Grassroots make posts and also some professional footballers and coaches of women’s teams.
Lexi’s story is even more wonderful when you consider what happened before she was even born.
“Lexi was part of a triplet birth,” Martin told us, “She was formed in a sack of her own and had identical twin brothers Lucas and Logan. Unfortunately, Logan passed away 24 weeks into the pregnancy and it was a difficult time. However, on 14th July 2014, Lexi was born nine weeks early at 3lb 3oz and has fought for everything since.”
Martin told us that, whilst Lexi’s goalkeeping career is still only a few months old, her love of playing football goes back a lot longer.
Above: Lexi with her new gloves. Photo: Martin Haffner.
“Lexi has always liked football but her twin brother wouldn’t let her go to Little Kickers (football school for 5-7-year-olds). I got asked to coach an under-eights football team called PS Olympic who are based in Kingswinford, West Midlands. We were training for about six weeks and I needed a goalkeeper. Myself, Lucas (her twin), and Lexi played football in the garden regularly and she always wanted to go in goal, so one day I just asked her if she wanted to play for me. Her mother was hesitant as Lexi is a very good dancer and worried she would get hurt.
“She eventually gave in and I took Lexi to training. Lo and behold that week I ended up gaining two goalkeepers, so they take it in turns in matches. I could just see she had something very natural with her diving and tenacity that she shows, she doesn’t let anything faze her.
“The main thing is that she is really enjoying herself and she just wants to keep learning and have some more coaching. She did get offered to play for an under-nines team (a year above her current playing age) but I don’t want to burn her out as kids can get tired of football when they start playing from such a young age.”
The generosity of the women’s football family has rallied around for Lexi after seeing the tweet, and Martin has been blown away by what has subsequently happened.
Above: Lexi showing off the gloves that Podcast SELK and Impetus provided her with – the same as Sheffield United’s Fran Kitching wears. Photo: Martin Haffner.
“Since the post, Gary Kitching, the father of Fran Kitching, the goalkeeper for Sheffield United Woman’s Team, saw the post and said that it reminded him of when Fran was a kid starting out,” Martin revealed. “My wife got into a conversation with him and he stated that he wanted to send Lexi something. I thought he was going to send her a signed picture which is fantastic. He didn’t just do that, he sent her some of Fran’s gloves she used to wear all signed by her with a fantastic message on it ‘dream big’ and ‘enjoy your football’. We keep in touch with Fran and Gary and we follow all of Sheffield United’s games and we are hoping to go and see her in a match soon.
“Furthermore, we also had a post from the West Bromwich Albion Woman’s Coach Jenny Sugerman. She offered Lexi an opportunity to be their mascot at one of the home games which she is absolutely thrilled about. This is happening on 5th December 2021 where she will be walking out with the goalkeeper and England’s U18 goalkeeper Poppy Bastock.” As West Bromwich Albion are Lexi’s team, this will be a hugely exciting day for her.
On the same day that the tweet went out, SELK Grassroots contacted Impetus and we discussed what we could do together for Lexi. The outcome was a conversation with Martin where we discovered that Lexi had her eyes on a particular pair of goalkeeping gloves that Fran Kitching wears – so it made perfect sense for us to combine and buy Lexi those gloves.
After coming together with Impetus, Andrew of SELK Grassroots said: “When I saw Lexi’s mum’s tweet about her daughter enjoying being a goalkeeper, it really touched me. This tiny young footballer enjoying the game with a smile on her face honestly made me think of my own daughter Evie, and that maybe her being enthusiastic and energetic about the things she loves to do might inspire someone else too.
“The gesture of buying some Lexi some gloves came together after a quick exchange of messages with Ben from Impetus. As a podcast network, SELK Grassroots will continue to offer content creators a place to spread the good news of the women’s game. We hope to hear about Lexi’s progression through youth football to senior women’s football and beyond.”
For Impetus, it was a very easy decision to come together with SELK Grassroots to provide Lexi with the gloves. Something that Laura Montgomery of Glasgow City once said always sticks in our mind when it comes to inspiring young girls to play football, “You can’t be who you can’t see.” Lexi is not only inspired in her football by keepers such as Fran Kitching and Poppy Bastock, but her own story is inspirational enough in itself to inspire girls younger and older than her to persist with enjoying their football. We can’t wait to follow Lexi’s story in the coming years.
Ben Gilby brings us all the news from this week’s media conferences in Australian women’s football. He starts with the announcement of a big international double header from the Matildas. He then hears from three overseas signings, a Newcastle Jets stalwart, Brisbane Roar’s latest signing and Wellington Phoenix head coach GemmaLewis.
Above: The Matildas will be coming together again soon to face the USWNT. Photo: Joseph Mayers.
MATILDAS:
Australia have lined up a blockbuster two-match home series with two-time defending FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions and world number one, the United States Women’s National Team.
Australia will host the USA for the first time in 21 years at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday, 27 November 2021, and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Tuesday, 30 November 2021.
With venue capacities for both matches now lifted by the NSW Government, Football Australia can confirm that playing at Stadium Australia will present an opportunity for Australian and USA football fans to collectively break the previous record for a Matildas crowd in Australia, being 33,000 fans who watched Australia play Sweden during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
With Australia last month successfully leading the return of international sports and major events to New South Wales, the matches against the U.S. Women’s National Team will be one of the first major events in regional NSW following the swift progress of the COVID-19 reopening roadmap.
Football Australia CEO, James Johnson, said: “The exhilarating football played by the Matildas against Brazil in October once more highlighted why this team is loved by Australians. With over 27,000 combined supporters at CommBank Stadium and over 465,000 watching on Channel 10, Australia’s ‘Home of Football’, the Commonwealth Bank Matildas have demonstrated their box office appeal. This was only the beginning, and I now encourage all football fans to celebrate with us again and help us break our previous attendance record at these upcoming games in Sydney and Newcastle and see some of the world game’s biggest superstars.”
“Hosting the U.S. Women’s National Team for the first time in over two decades is another great taste of what the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ will look and feel like at Stadium Australia.”
Following Australia’s positioning in Group B of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™, Commonwealth Bank Matildas Head Coach Tony Gustavsson spoke of the importance of the matches against the U.S. Women’s National Team and the November FIFA Window in relation to their preparation for Asia’s continental championships.
Above: Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson will be facing the USWNT – a team he has lots of experience of working with. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Football Australia.
“This is a vital and final opportunity to see the players against an extremely high-quality nation before we select the final squad for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup,” Gustavsson said.
“Meeting the U.S. Women’s National Team on home soil will mark the sixth unique opponent in the top ten that this team would have faced in 2021. With each match, we are continuing to get one day better as a team, and at the same time providing invaluable experience to the younger players in the roster. The U.S. Women’s National Team are a team with quality across the park and will mark another great challenge for the playing group.”
“We can’t be more delighted with the support which has been provided in scheduling these tough, unique opponents to further the development of the playing squad ahead of major international tournaments.”
Australia and the U.S. Women’s National Team have enjoyed a healthy rivalry in recent years with the last meeting of the two sides in the Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medal match.
NEWCASTLE JETS:
Norweigan International Signs:
Artwork: Newcastle Jets
Newcastle Jets have signed Norwegian international Marie Markussen.
The 24-year-old attacker has signed a deal for the upcoming A-League Women’s Season, arriving from Vålerenga where she recently helped her side win Norwegian Women’s Cup Final with a goal.
The young talented winger has managed 33 goals from her professional career so far, and also recently made three appearances for the national team.
She will be on her way to Australia in the coming week.
Head Coach Ash Wilson was ecstatic to be able to welcome Markussen to the Club and believes she’ll bring a formidable, attacking prowess to the team.
Wilson said; “She brings experience, quality, and versatility in the attack which will be important for consistent winning performances.
“I expect her addition will also increase the tempo, quality, and competition within the training environment.
“She is dynamic, likes to threaten defences with her pace, has an eye for goal, a great assist-ability and she is a fierce competitor.”
As one of only a handful of A-League Women’s signings coming from overseas in 2021/22, Wilson believes her top experiences will help develop the whole squad.
“I want to give our team every opportunity to be successful and part of that is to bring in players that have played at higher levels and who have qualities that are capable of adding value to not only the performances but also the environment we want to create,” she said.
“Marie has had success through the national Youth and Senior setups in Norway, has played in the top leagues of Germany and Norway, and is coming to us with UEFA Champions League experience and cup success with her current team at Vålerenga.
“She is also motivated to come here and do well so I’m sure she will bring much energy and drive.”
Going into the process of the transfer in more depth, Wilson revealed: “Marie’s arrival is an exciting time for us. We’ve been sitting on it for a little bit. She had to finish her Cup Final and commitments with Vålerenga.
“At the end of the day, after last year, we wanted to add a bit more depth and experience. I’m thankful that the club and the owners have heard the things that we’ve been talking about and we’ve had the opportunity to bring her in.
“She’s been scoring goals recently in her league, she scored in the Cup Final. She’s proven that she can do those things on a quality stage and the hope is that she’ll come here, enjoy her football here and add a little bit more of a threat upfront for us.
“An agent reached out to us and she was on our list for a while. We started watching her games, keeping an eye on her week in, week out. Every time she was scoring, I was getting sent things. The more we watched her, the more we liked what we saw. Knowing that she’s had some consistent performances and coming here off the back of them, I’m excited. She was looking for a good experience and to come and get more game time. Building access to agents is a big help in adding to our tools.”
Wilson discussed how she sees Markussen adding to her team’s offensive opportunities. “The attacking third is about executing the key moments, but also allowing players the freedom to know where to get into spaces to hurt teams.”
The Jets head coach revealed that the Norweigian will arrive in the country by 12th November and will not have to quarantine for any period, but this will not be the last addition to the squad that the club will announce.
“We’ve still got a few players to finalize, but in the coming weeks, everyone will see what we’ve got.”
Wilson was asked if the arrival of Markussen would help Jets star Tara Andrews. The Newcastle head coach felt that the Norwegian international would have a wider impact.
“Yes, but we’ve got a lot of players around Tara too. Bringing Marie in will add to that and to the training environment. At the moment (speaking on Tuesday) we’re four days and six sessions into training. We’ve got people now to play off each other. The more time the players get together, the better the relationships will form and that will transfer into being more clinical and effective upfront.”
In terms of how the early training sessions have gone, Wilson identified “Laura Allen and Sunny Franco have come back pretty fit, but to be fair, we did fitness testing on the first day and all the girls were pretty fit. A lot of them surprised me in how they had come back from lockdown and all of them are motivated.
“At this level, you want the players who have the drive and internal motivation. We can give them all the tactics in the world and you have to be able to technically execute what you want to do, but you have to have the drive to have those standards day in, day out, and to drive others. Everyone is behind that.”
Above: Hannah Brewer of Newcastle Jets who spoke to the media this week. Photo: Newcastle Herald.
Hannah Brewer Faces the Media:
Also talking to the media this week was Jets stalwart Hannah Brewer. The 28-year-old was part of the club’s inaugural squad as a 15-year-old in 2008. It’s clear that the right-back is raring to go for her fourteenth season in the competition.
Brewer first spoke about how happy she is to be back on the training field with her teammates after the difficulties she experienced training by herself down on the Central Coast during the five months of lockdown. Although Brewer revealed that she had one of her teammates in her ears during those solitary days.
“One week back, it’s exciting, the girls are fighting fit which is really good to see, especially during the Covid period. It was a very difficult time doing fitness in isolation. Some of the girls had running partners at the Oval here which was nice for them, but down on the Central Coast, I was isolated which made it hard. I gave Cass(idy Davis) a call whilst I did running which really helped and we got through it.
“I’m not going to lie, it was really tough, but Cass was amazing. She’d call me every other day and say ‘Come on! You gotta get out of bed and do this!’ Then I had to juggle it with working from home as well, so yeah, without Cass and my teammates around me, I would have struggled. I did know though that I had to come back fit. I’d have my air pods in my ears whilst out running around the field and she’d be yelling at me! She’ll be a great coach one day. I’ve still got her voice in my head!”
“There is huge excitement all around – as a squad coming back together and to see the new faces. From the first week back in training they’ve fitted in well and now the news of Marie Markussen joining. We’ve been waiting years to get an international signing and it’s finally happened which is super exciting for us as a club and it can only help us to have a successful season.”
Brewer has been playing in the competition since it started. She highlighted what still motivates her to play at a high level.
“I love playing a team sport and being motivated by those around me. Newcastle is a great city to play in. The fan base is huge and we really feel it. We have a great bunch here and even when results don’t go our way, we don’t drop our heads and that shows the sort of character we have in the team and we work for each other which is nice. That keeps me going.
“Last year we worked really hard but our results and where we finished on the table was disappointing. We know how hard we work and with the new additions and having a chance to gel more, we feel we know we can achieve more.”
“A lot of the younger girls who have come through are really showing it in training. The vibe here is better than last year because we’re so excited to be able to be out to train together and see each other again. Mind you, we’ve always had a great vibe here and not always had great results, so hopefully this year is our year!”
CANBERRA UNITED:
Two NWSL Players Sign:
Artwork: Canberra United
Canberra United this week announced the signing of two international players, with Ally Haran and Chelsee Washington joining the squad for the upcoming A-League Women’s season.
Haran and Washington join United from Orlando Pride, after the side played their season finale in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) last Friday.
Haran spent one season with the Pride, the 25-year-old defender also making brief appearances with Houston Dash and North Carolina Courage.
Speaking to the media via Zoom this week, Haran explained her reasons behind joining Canberra United. “I have lots of teammates who have played in Australia and they have no bad words at all about playing out there. When the opportunity came up I was all for it.”
“I see Australian soccer as a chance to learn and grow plus a chance to play against players I haven’t played against before. Learning a different style and seeing new places is also good.
“Getting game minutes is such a big thing for me. Canberra did really well last season and I want to help them go all the way this year.
“Vicki (Linton) reached out to me and said that she had a spot in the team available. I had a teammate who played with Canberra in 2019, Kayleigh Kurtz, and she absolutely loved it. I talked about it to her a little bit. She said the city was awesome and it was a great group of girls. I liked the way that Vicki talked about the team and what their goals were for the year and it fitted well with what I want to do.
“Coming over with Chelsee is really exciting, we actually lived across the hall from each other this year and it’s great I’ll know someone already which will help with the transition.”
In terms of her favoured position, Haran said how she likes to “play with an organized backline so we don’t have too many ‘oh no’ moments. I’m pretty speedy so I’m good at shutting down things when we need to.”
Chelsee Washington was then introduced to the media on Zoom. The midfielder was selected by the Orlando Pride in 2020 out of Bowling Green State University. She made 10 appearances for Pride in 2021, and started two matches. She spoke of her excitement about making the move to Canberra.
“The women’s league in Australia has been known to be a catalyst for development and an overall incredible opportunity for younger players like myself to grow and learn,” Washington said.
Above: Canberra United’s new signing Chelsee Washington. Photo: Bowling Green State University Athletics
“I’m especially excited to play for Canberra because from what I’ve seen, this team has an incredible fan base and prioritizes unity which are two exciting components to be a part of.”
She outlined her hopes for her time in Australia’s capital: “Basically I want to end the season as a better player to the one I start with. I haven’t played many games. I’ve done a lot of concentrating and growing off the field and get experience in another country.
“I hope my time at Canberra will do everything for me in making me a better player. It’s been very inconsistent for me at Orlando Pride for the last two years, first with Covid last year and this year with coaching changes.
“I am a natural midfielder, but this season with Pride I found myself in a wide forward position which is not, in my opinion where I’m best. When I spoke to Vicki she said that she sees me as a holding midfield and dictating the tempo of the attack. I’m excited to play a deeper role.”
Washington then spoke about some of the frustrations she has experienced at Orlando Pride over the past two years which have made her so excited to get game time in the A-League Women competition.
“I would say that the last two years have taught me a lot about mentality. There has been a lot of training with few games, so there’s been little payoff. Vicki asked me about bringing competitiveness to the club when I come and I was like, ‘Don’t worry about that!’ When you train for months and there’s no games for you the slightest thing makes you competitive!
“There’s been some questionable calls by our coaching staff (at Orlando Pride) and it’s been frustrating. This (coming to Canberra United) is going to be like a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to get games and not be so bottled up I guess.”
In terms of how contact was first made between Washington and Canberra United coach Vicki Linton, she revealed it was in the form of an early morning text. “I saw it and shot up on my bed and she asked if I could get on a call with her right away. The timing of it in Australian time I think would have been around two hours before midnight. I spoke to her for about an hour before I had my first morning coffee so I had to pitch myself the best I could! The club sounds a really good fit for me, so I can’t wait to just get going.
“Coming over with Ally is great. She said to me ‘I heard you were going to Canberra!’ and I was like ‘Who told you that?!’ We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks and we’re super excited. We hang out a lot already, so it is super cool to know someone already.
The pair will arrive in Australia at the end of the week and will join the squad on Monday.
BRISBANE ROAR:
Experienced QueenslanderTathem Returns Home:
Artwork: Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar has welcomed another experienced Queenslander back into its A-League Women’s squad with Natalie Tathem returning to her hometown team.
Tathem, 25, returns to the Roar for her fifth season in orange following a stint with Grand Final winners Melbourne Victory. The versatile defender or midfielder enjoyed Premiership success in Brisbane in 2017/18 and now reunites with Head Coach Garrath McPherson, who was an assistant to Mel Andreatta at that time.
“I’m super pumped to be back. It’s home being here, which is nice,” Tathem said. “I only left last year for a new experience, a new challenge. This year, coming back from injury, I think it’s going to be better to be around the people I know, and know that I’m supported and at home, and in a familiar environment. It’s home to be at the Roar.”
Though her time in Melbourne was impacted by a Round one injury, Tathem has now been part of two successful squads at the top level and looks forward to sharing her wisdom with younger team-mates.
“I think being involved with that Premiership-winning team four years ago, and even last year being around those girls through to the Championship, I’ve been around enough teams now to know what it takes to get to that end product,” she said. “That’s what everyone wants. I think I’m going to be able to help the younger girls and new girls bring that winning mentality, that intensity you need every session, the one-percenters to put in to get us, hopefully, to the Grand Final.”
McPherson said: “It’s awesome to have another Queenslander return home for the season. Nat brings experience, leadership, and positivity to our team. She is another player who was developed in Queensland and made her debut at the top level for Brisbane.
“I have admired her dedication and love for the game that has been on show as she returns from the injury she sustained last season.”
WELLINGTON PHOENIX:
Further ThreeFrom NSW Added:
Artwork: Wellington Phoenix.
With the Wellington Phoenix A-League Women’s team now based in Wollongong NSW, the inaugural squad continues to take shape with Australian players Brianna Edwards, Jordan Jasnos, and Hannah Jones signing with the team on Wednesday.
Edwards is an 18-year-old goalkeeper who played in the Football New South Wales (FNSW) Institute programme last season. Edwards has been involved with both the Junior Matildas and Future Matildas programmes and in 2020 was selected into the NSW’s inaugural Women’s State team side for a ‘State of Origin’ clash against Queensland. As a dual citizen, Edwards will be eligible to play for New Zealand at the U20’s Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022.
Jasnos is an 18-year-old Australian attacker who has also progressed through the FNSW Institute setup – playing alongside Edwards last season – and in 2019 appeared in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship where she scored three goals over in matches, including the winner against Vietnam which secured the Matildas’ qualification.
In June this year, Jasnos participated in the 2021 NSW All Schools Championships for Westfields Sports HS, earning a place on the All Schools Merit Girls Team, while also appearing with Edwards for NSW in the State of Origin match versus Queensland.
Jones, 19, has been involved with the Newcastle Jets development side since the age of 14 where she has trained alongside the Jets A-League Women’s team, before joining Sydney University FC for the 2021 WNPL Season. Jones also gained national attention in 2019, when she participated in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship held in Thailand.
Wellington Phoenix head coach Gemma Lewis spoke of her delight of securing these three youngsters. “It’s great for the Club to have these three talented Australian players – all with Junior Matildas experience – onboard for the coming season,” says Lewis. “Given their ages, what these three girls have achieved in the NSW football space over the past several years is impressive; they’ll now be taking the next step in their careers with the Phoenix and we’ll help them to continue developing their skills as professional players.”
The Phoenix Women’s squad now stands at 18 players heading into the pre-season, with the team’s first match scheduled for Friday 3rd December versus Western Sydney Wanderers at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
First A-League Women Kit Revealed:
Artwork: Wellington Phoenix
For the first time in Club history, Wellington Phoenix have launched a range of Paladin-branded retail kits and team apparel for both its men’s and women’s teams for the upcoming A-League 21/22 Season.
The home jersey brings back the iconic black and yellow stripes design that has been popular with the club fanbase over the years. The women’s kit is currently blank, pending confirmation of a major sponsor. The away kit continues with the aqua look first launched by the Club last season, with a fresh new design introduced by Paladin in September which was well-received by fans across Australasia.
Phoenix’s David Dome said: “We absolutely love the look of this season’s playing kit – we think it’s the best kit in the league – and it’s exciting for us to be launching a women’s-specific kit for the first time; it’s an important step in the right direction for this Club.”
The Phoenix Women’s team will take to the field in their new home jersey on Friday 3 December at WIN Stadium, Wollongong when they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers for their first-ever A-League match.
With season’s end approaching, Ben Gilby rounds another week of action in the top two tiers of Swedish women’s football as champions are decided and the Elitettan’s final promotion spot nears confirmation.
DAMALLSVENSKAN:
Above: Rosengårdcelebrate lifting the title. Photo: @fcrosengard
Kristianstads’ third place hopes took a major dent after they went down 1-0 at home to already relegated Växjö. Emmi Alenen’s strike after 73 minutes ensured that Växjö recorded only their second win of the campaign in front of a frustrated crowd of 692.
Above: Emmi Alenen, who struck Växjö’s winner. Photo: Goalzz
KIF Örebro took advantage to keep their hopes of third place alive, now two points behind going into the final round of matches after a 2-1 win at home to Piteå in front of 333 fans. Emilia Pelgander put Örebro ahead after 13 minutes with Heidi Kollanen doubling the advantage with just under 20 minutes to go. Hanna Andersson netted a consolation with seven minutes to go.
Rosengård lifted the Damallsvenskan title after their final home game, which resulted in a 3-1 win over Eskilstuna United in front of 2,548 fans. Mimmi Larsson put the hosts ahead after nine minutes with Sanni Troelsgaard making it 2-0 ten minutes before the break. Jelena Cankovic increased it to a three goal lead before Noor Eckhoff got one back for Eskilstuna. The visitors will now need to get a better result than Kristianstads on the final day to overtake them in third place.
Above: Rosengård players acclaim their fans post-match. Photo: @fcrosengard
BK Häcken ended their difficult run by dispatching Djurgården comfortably 4-0 in their final home game of the season in front of 882 spectators. Stina Blackstenius’ hat-trick plus a goal from Elin Rubensson completed the rout.
Hammarby rounded off their home campaign by drawing another impressive crowd – 2,173 for their clash with Linköping. The visitors continued their improved run of results by coming away with a 3-1 success. Uchenna Kanu’s hat-trick earned the points for Linköping with Nina Jakobsson’s effort being the sole strike for the Stockholm-based hosts.
Above: Uchenna Kanu, who scored a hat-trick for Linköping at Hammarby. Photo: Linköping media
AIK signed off their home campaign with a victory when they dispatched Vittsjö thanks to Kaisa Collin’s strike after just nine minutes in front of 233 fans.
Table From: Svensk Fotboll
Round Twenty-Two Fixtures:
Växjö v Hammarby
Eskilstuna United v BK Häcken
Vittsjö v KIF Örebro
Linköping v AIK
Djurgården v Rosengård
Piteå v Kristianstads
ELITETTAN:
Above: Umeå IK – confirmed as champions of the Elitettan with two games to be played. Photo: Damallsvenskan
Umeå IK clinched the Elitettan title with two games to spare after a 2-0 win over Morön BK. Henna-Riikka Honkanen and Alexander Sandstrom’s goals sealed the trophy in front of 518 fans. Also confirmed was IFK Kalmar’s promotion to the top flight after they gained a 1-1 draw at home to IK Uppsala. Angelina Thoresen gave the visitors, who still have hopes of taking the third and final promotion slot, the lead before the prolific Tabby Tindell levelled just after the break to the delight of the gathered crowd of 541. IF Brommapojkarna are fourth on goal difference after coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Mallbackens IF Sunne. Mathilda Splendor gave Bromma the lead with 19 minutes on the clock before goals from Linnea Berger and Irvana Bajamovic on either side of the break put the mid-table visitors ahead. With eleven minutes to go, Splendor grabbed Brommapojkarna’s equalizer in front of 156 fans. Lidköpings FK are still in the mix for the third and final promotion spot after a 3-1 win at home to Älvsjö AIK FF. Two goals from Evelyn Ijeh in the first 27 minutes put the hosts in the driving seat. Alice Bergstrom gave Älvsjö hope when she scored just after the half-hour mark, but Lidköpings secured the win that puts them just a point adrift of third-place when Emilia Bengtsson scored just past the hour.
Above: IFK Kalmar’s result confirmed their promotion to the Damallsvenskan. Photo: Damallsvenskan
Latest Results: IFK Norrköping 1-1 Borgeby FK, Umeå IK 2-0 Morön BK, Sundsvalls DFF 0-2 Jitex Mölndal, Alingsås FC United 2-1 Bollstanäs SK, Lidköpings FK 3-1 Älvsjö AIK FF, IK Brommapojkarna 2-2 Mallbackens IF Sunne, IFK Kalmar 1-1 IK Uppsala.
Next Fixtures: Bollstanäs SK v Umeå IK, IFK Kalmar v IFK Norrköping, Alingsås FC United v Lidköpings FK, Jitex Mölndal v IK Brommapojkarna, Mallbackens IF Sunne v IK Uppsala, Älvsjö AIK FF v Sundsvalls DFF, Borgeby FK v Morön BK.
Table From: Svensk Fotboll
NEWS ROUND-UP:
Eskilstuna United have announced the retention of two key players as both team captain Matilda Plan and experienced wingback Anna Oskarsson have extended their contracts with the club.
Olympique Lyonnais and Belgian international Janice Cayman spoke EXCLUSIVELY to Impetus’ French editor Jean-Pierre Thiesset about her career, life off the pitch and how she got her unique nickname.
Above: Janice Cayman in action during Olympique Lyonnais’ game against Fribourg (Switzerland) on July 31, 2021. Photo: Jean-Pierre Thiesset for Impetus.
Janice Cayman was born on October 12, 1988, in Brasschaat, Belgium and she started to play football with the boys’ team at Ossmim, her hometown club at the age of six.
Janice played for several Belgian clubs up to 2009 including the TKV Tienen with which she played three games in Women UEFA Champions League in the 2008-2009 season. Then, before joining Olympique Lyonnais on June 18, 2019, Janice also played for:
2009: Pali Blues, California, USA (10 games)
2009-2012: Florida State Seminoles, USA (48 games, 16 goals)
2012-2016: Juvisy (now Paris FC), France (90 games, 13 goals); 1 semi-final of UEFA Women’s Champions League
2016-2017: Western New York Flash, New York, USA
2017-2019: Montpellier, France (52 games, 18 goals)
Janice won three titles in France with Olympique Lyonnais in 2020: France D1 Arkema Championships, France National Cup, UEFA Women’s Champions League. Since 2019 with Lyon, she has played:
18 games (2 goals) in France D1 Arkema Championships
3 games (1 goal) in France National Cup
9 games (1 goal) in Women UEFA Champions League.
In international football, Janice played for Belgium U17 from 2003 to 2005 (three games, one goal), U19 from 2005 to 2007 (18 games, three goals), and the national senior team from 2007 onwards (115 games, 42 goals). Janice became only the second to earn 100 caps with the Belgium squad.
Janice has a bachelor’s degree in STAPS “Sciences et Techniques des Activités Physiques et Sportives” (Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sport Activities) from KUL (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – Catholic University of Leuven), Belgium and a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University, USA. Right now, she is in progress to follow the courses of the UEFA A level (highest level before the PRO level) to becomes coach.
Interview:
Jean-Pierre Thiesset (JPT): What is your preferred position and which other positions could you play?
Janice Cayman (JC): My preferred position is offensive right or left as it is my training position, but I can play in defence on the right too. It is what is good with Lyon because it is a team which often dominates, we can go forward and use the right-hand corridor. I think that it is very good also to play several positions because we learn how a striker and a defender think and what they will try to do. I play mostly on the right because I am right-handed even if I play sometimes on the left even as a defender when the left defenders were injured last season.
JPT: Is it true that your nickname is the “Belgium Knife” (in reference to the “Swiss Knife” with which we can do everything) because you can play almost everywhere?
JC: Yes, some people say that (laughs). It is the coach Jean-Luc Vasseur that gave me this nickname when he started to make me play in defence.
JPT: What are your favourite women players? (French and foreign)
JC: It is difficult to say because I know so many players but at Lyon there are great players, and it is an honour to play with them daily. We have also several good young players in Belgium squad that I like.
JPT: Who is your role-model if you have one?
JC: It was more men players than women players because in my time there was not a lot of women football on TV. When I was young, I liked Romário (Brazil) and then Diego Forlán (Uruguay).
JPT: What is your greatest challenge on the pitch?
JC: It is to succeed in my game for my teammates and that we do a good collective match. I am rather a team player.
JPT: What is your greatest challenge off the pitch?
JC: It is to do as much as possible of my days and to have a good time with my teammates off the pitch. There is a lot of focus on football because it is our job, but we are very lucky because it is also a passion. In the past I worked in a supermarket, and it is different to wake up to go there than for playing football.
JPT: Who are your closest teammates?JC: I get along very well with everybody, but it is true that between the foreigners we are a little bit closer.
JPT: What do you like to get up to off the pitch?
JC: I like to listen to music; I do that a lot. I like a bit of everything. I also read a little bit. I have a guitar, but I need to take lessons, what I hope to start soon.
JPT: What makes Olympique Lyonnais such a great club to play for?JC: It is the best club in the world. I played against Lyon with Juvisy (now Paris FC) and Montpellier and it was difficult, now I am pleased to be on the right side and it is only happiness. There are good players at every post, and we must be at the best of ourselves during the week in the training sessions to play the weekend; it forces us to progress.
JPT: You have been Captain for 20 minutes, how it feels?
JC: Yes, it was an honor for me and above all it was a special moment with Wendie (Renard) for her 400th game; it was a great pleasure when she gave the armband to me for the rest of the game. I would never have thought in my career that I could be captain even for only 20 minutes.
Above: Janice Cayman, with the Captain Armband during the game against Dijon on September 12, 2021. Photo: Jean-Pierre Thiesset for Impetus.
JPT: What would you like to do when you stop football?
JC: I do not yet know exactly what I want to do next, but what is certain is that it will be something in football (laughs).
JPT: What is your favourite animal?
JC: A dog. When I was younger, it was more a Dolphin, but it is difficult to have one in a house; I think it would not enter in my apartment (laughs). I had a Dalmatian when I was with my parents, and I will have a dog for myself when I stop football.
JPT: What are your preferred foods?JC: I am vegetarian, and I like grilled tofu so I cook Thai pasta with grilled tofu.
JPT: What is your main quality?
JC: I try to see the good in everyone. I always focus on the good and I am positive.
JPT: What is your main fault?JC: I am too nice sometimes.
‘Boot Room’ provides us with a full preview of Impetus Partner Club Pride Park’s Derbyshire Ladies League Division One encounter with Chesterfield Inspire Blues.
Artwork: Pride Park FC
This weekend brings a first up for Pride Park, with a home fixture against Chesterfield Inspire Blues. The teams have never met previously, so represent something of an unknown quantity.
The Blues came into Division One this season after winning the Division Two title last tie round, with only two defeats and 11 wins from 13 games, in which they scored 45 and conceded just nine times. The Blues finished three points clear of Sandiacre Town, who were also promoted.
The Blues currently lie sixth in Division 1, with four points from four games. The transition to Division One hasn’t been plain sailing, but after a couple of heavy defeats in their opening fixtures, against Belper Town and Draycott, the Blues have steadied the ship, with a draw against Sandiacre and a win and clean sheet last week against Mickleover, suggesting they may now be finding their feet in the division.
The Blues’ main goal threat comes from Kim Harrison-Sinclair, who scored 13 in last season’s title campaign, and has maintained that form of around a goal-a-game with five so far this season.
Both teams come into the game with wins behind them and unbeaten in two games and will be looking to continue that form and build momentum, so it promises to be a good game. Kick-off at Moorways is at 1.30pm.
Craig Walker, media officer for Partick Thistle Women spoke to Ben Gilby about the journey that the club has been on, their successes last season, and the challenges that they faced having gained promotion to the top flight in Scottish Women’s football at the eleventh hour.
Above: Partick Thistle group together for a positive start to their top-flight campaign Photo: @ThistleWFC
“It’s been an incredible journey since the team was started around eight years ago,” Craig began. “In that time we’ve built the club up and gained promotion through the league to where we find ourselves now in the top tier of Scottish women’s football. A lot of hard work has gone on to gain that both on and off the pitch and I think we have what is regarded as a very professional setup.”
Last season saw Partick Thistle finish third in the SWPL2, Craig summarised their campaign.
“It was a very stop-start season due to COVID so very much a season of two halves. It’s been tough with the split season that the pandemic caused last season and lockdowns affecting training, but I think we managed quite well. Not having fans last season was obviously a challenge but I think we did well to keep fans involved and interested in the team.“I think we did very well overall and were up fighting for the entire season, a few results early on and towards the end cost us a place in the top two but the girls did extremely well and were disappointed at that point to miss out on a promotion place, although of course later on that situation changed.”
It was a real tussle with Aberdeen, Hamilton Academical, and Dundee United in the top four of the SWPL2 last season. Craig detailed how the games went against their other promotion challengers.
“Our result of the season was probably the 5-1 home victory over Aberdeen when they were unbeaten. We were excellent that day and deserved our margin of victory. We were disappointed in our showings against Hamilton which probably contributed to them finishing second rather than ourselves.”
Above: Action from Partick Thistle’s (red, yellow and black) most recent SWPL 1 game against Spartans. Photo: @ThistleWFC
Promotion came late in the day for Partick Thistle, and in unfortunate circumstances due to difficulties at Forfar-Farmington which led that club to withdraw from the top flight. The knock-on impact of having to build for a top-flight campaign at very short notice was very tough.
“We’re obviously very sad for Forfar and what happened to them, you never want to see that happen to a fellow club and we hope they are back as soon as possible. The opportunity however was one we couldn’t turn down and one as a club that we relish and believe we are ready for. We have a very hard-working squad with plenty of togetherness and team spirit so while it’s a challenge it’s one they’ve all gone into together and one they are determined to meet.
“We’d obviously started putting a squad together for SWPL2 so we’ve had to swivel slightly with recruitment, it meant we were a little behind some clubs round about us while also having to get things ready off the field for a higher league. It’s been challenging but one we are determined to be successful in.”
The next step, competing with the top sides in Scottish Women’s Football is an exciting one for the club, and Craig is positive that Partick has what it takes to be competitive and ensure that higher-level football is sustainable.
“I think we’ve got all the ingredients to be successful. A hard-working talented squad with a mix of experience and youth and a manager that knows how to get the best out of the players and has been there and done it in the men’s game so has a lot of footballing knowledge and experience.
“I think believing in ourselves and staying together is important. There are a lot of tough games in the division that might not always go our way but the team will always give it their all.”
Above: A tussle for possession in Partick Thistle’s (white shirt) away derby to Glasgow City. Photo: @ThistleWFC
Partick Thistle’s promotion to the top flight now means that four of the division’s ten clubs are based in Glasgow. There are plenty of exciting local derbies for the Jags this season as Craig highlighted.
“The three other Glasgow sides are obviously fighting for the title and are full-time. So while these games will be hard, having them as Glasgow derbies make them that little bit more exciting for the supporters.”
Partick Thistle has a good pathway in place to bring girls through to the senior teams at the club.
“We have a good partnership with Drumchapel United, a local girl’s team where some of their players come to train with our squad and there is a pathway for them to move up to our senior team. We also have some of their younger players as ball girls on match day which allows them to come and watch and be involved in match day.”
Another positive is the ties between the men’s and women’s teams at the club. “We have two of the men’s squad in the coaching staff. Manager Brian Graham is the men’s top scorer while coach Ross Docherty is the men’s captain. So there is a close link between the two sides,” Craig highlighted.
The club has clear aims to be a long-term member of the SWPL1 as Craig underlined: “Staying in the top division is the main goal for the team. To stabilize at that level and build each year, always moving forward. Growing interest and support of the team while giving young girls something to look up to and aim for is also important.”
Above: Midweek action from Partick Thistle’s (right) most recent game against Spartans. Photo: @ThistleWFC
Jean-Pierre Thiesset summarizes the seventh round of D1 Arkema.
Above: Fleury celebrate. Photo: @FCF91_feminines
Fleury won 1-0 at home against Reims. In a game between two teams who are fighting to get to fourth place. The game was marginally dominated by Reims (58% of possession for Reims), but Fleury were more efficient and could even have scored more goals if Léa Le Garrec was a little bit more successful. With this win, Fleury is now fourth in the standings while Reims stays in the middle at the eighth place. Léa Le Garrec had a very good game, scoring a great goal with a shot just under the crossbar from around 25 meters (57′) and had three other big opportunities to score at the 41st minute (shot from 20 meters deviated from the corner), 50th minute (shot just to the left of the goal), 55th minute (shot stopped by the Reims goalkeeper).
Without another great performance from Katriina Talaslahti, the Fleury goalkeeper, who did not let any ball enter the Fleury goal and allowed her team to make another clean sheet, one goal would not have been enough to win this game. Katriina made five stops (10th minute on a long shot, 28th minute at the feet of Reims striker, 43rd-minute ground stop at her left post, 65th minute on a cross at the first post, 80th minute on another long shot), and three clearances (21st minute with her fists on a corner, 35th minute with her foot on a back pass from one of her teammates, 53rd-minute clearance with her foot just in front of Kessya Bussy ready to score). Goal for Fleury from Léa Le Garrec (57).
Paris FC won away from home 5-0 against Issy. There was no suspense at all in this game as it was fully dominated by Paris FC (73% of possession). Even if we had to wait the 21st minute to see the first goal for Paris FC, with only three shots Issy were never able to bring any danger to the Paris FC goal. Paris FC consolidates its third place in the table only three points adrift of Lyon and Paris St. Germain but with already six points clear of the fourth place. Goals for Paris FC from Julie Soyer (21), Mathilde Bourdieu (32), Ouleymata Sarr (37), Clara Matéo (90), Oriane Jean-François (90+2).
Above: Paris FC had plenty to celebrate during their match with Issy. Photo: @PFC_Feminines
Montpellier won 2-1 away from home against Saint-Etienne. In a strange game which was pretty even in terms of possession and passes as shown by the statistics (For Montpellier, 54% of possession and 301 passes with 71% successful; For Saint-Etienne, 46% of possession and 292 passes with 71% successful), Montpellier shot 20 times (9 on target) while Saint-Etienne shot only four times (two on target). However, as Saint-Etienne scored first in the sixth minute and as Montpellier was not able to put the ball in Saint-Etienne goal despite their great number of shots, we could have thought that Saint-Etienne would win this game. Unfortunately for Saint-Etienne, and hopefully for Montpellier, Sarah Puntigam and Lena Petermann scored both in the last minutes of the game giving the win to their team. There were also two red cards in this game: Kelly Gago, Saint-Etienne (60); Nérilia Mondésir, Montpellier (85). Goal for Saint-Etienne from Esther Okoronkwo (6); Goals for Montpellier from Sarah Puntigam (90), Lena Petermann (90+4).
Bordeaux won 3-0 at home against Guingamp. Another equal match, and even slightly dominated by Guingamp in terms of possession and passes (For Bordeaux, 46% of possession and 370 passes with 73% successful; For Guingamp, 54% of possession and 427 passes with 70% successful), but not in terms of shots (For Bordeaux, 20 shots with eight on target; For Guingamp, five shots with four on target). Bordeaux were more efficient, scoring three times. With a little bit more realism, Claire Lavogez, who still delivered a good performance in this game with one goal (39′) and one decisive pass (13′), could even have scored another goal in first half. Goals for Bordeaux from Maëlle Garbino (13), Claire Lavogez (39), Katja Snoeijs (68).
Above: Action from Montpellier against St. Etienne during week seven. Photo: @D1Arkema
Paris Saint-Germain won away from home 3-0 against Dijon. Paris SG dominated this game but still didn’t scored as many goals as we could expect when we look at the statistics of the game: For Paris SG, 73% of possession, 653 passes with 89% successful, 21 shots with six on target, six corners; For Dijon, 27% of possession, 249 passes with 65% successful, seven shots with one on target, no corner. Sara Däbritz, Paris SG, missed a penalty at the end of the game (90+3). Goals for Paris SG from Kadidiatou Diani (24), Léna Goetsch (58 Over Goal), Marie-Antoinette Katoto (60).
Olympique Lyonnais won 6-1 away from home against Soyaux. Lyon were totally dominant and could have scored a lot more goals if they were more efficient in attack. Statistics of the game: For Lyon, 68% of possession, 506 passes with 84% successful, 20 shots with 10 on target, seven corners; For Dijon, 32% of possession, 253 passes with 62% successful, three shots with two on target, three corners. Selma Bacha, who played on the left of Lyon attack in the first half and as a left back in the second half, delivered another good performance with the following personal statistics (recorded by Jean-Pierre Thiesset during the game): almost 50 balls played, 29 passes with 89% successful, two decisive passes (a cross for Signe Bruun at the 40th minute, a corner for the head of Griedge MBock at the 79th minute), and she was involved in the Janice Cayman goal at the 29th minute with a free-kick at the back post which wasn’t successfully cleared by Soyaux defense. Bacha is always impressive whether she plays in front or behind; not only she is able to adapt herself in these two positions, but she can also do it even in the same game. Very good game also from Catarina Macario in the middle. Goals for Lyon from Catarina Macario (5), Signe Bruun (13, 39), Janice Cayman (28), Melvine Malard (76), Griedge MBock (79). Goal for Soyaux from Corina Luijks (6).
Above: High flying action between Olympique Lyonnais and Soyaux. Photo: @OLfeminin
For the next round of the D1 Arkema championships, Olympique Lyonnais will receive Paris Saint-Germain in its Groupama Stadium for the first big game of the season on November 14, 2021. I will be in the Stadium for Impetus and hope to bring full photographic coverage from pitchside.
Above: Erin Cuthbert (22) celebrates with Guro Reiten after putting Chelsea 1-0 up in the FA Cup Semi-Final. Photo: Getty Images.
Chelsea profited from a dominant first-half performance to send Manchester City to their heaviest home defeat since 2014 in the FA Cup semi-final at the Academy Stadium.
In the fifth meeting between the two sides in the last seven seasons of the Women’s FA Cup, the ultimate difference on the day was Chelsea’s greater ability to take the chances that came their way, aided by two errors by Manchester City goalkeeper Karima Benameur Taieb.
City were still without ten players through injury and head coach Gareth Taylor was forced to name 16-year-old keeper Grace Pilling on a bench of five players compared to Chelsea’s nine.
Notably, for the defending champions, Lauren James was named in a matchday squad for the first time since joining the club in the summer from Manchester United, although Chelsea boss Emma Hayes indicated that she was not yet ready to play . Pernille Harder’s quad injury picked up during international action for Denmark kept her out of the line-up.
Above: Pre-game scene at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium. Photo: BBC.
City, who had the benefit of a strong wind in their favour in the first half, made a solid start with Khadija Shaw and Ellen White combining well down the flanks, with Dutch international defender Aniek Nouwen doing well to keep alive to the danger for the visitors. However, Chelsea, backed by a large group of vocal supporters who could be heard throughout the afternoon, gained their first chance in the opening five minutes when Kerr found Fran Kirby in the box, but the Lionesses’ star’s header was well wide.
Lauren Hemp was in typically rampaging form, targeting runs at Jess Carter down the left. Just after the quarter-hour mark, the City flyer skipped past her Chelsea shadow and got a low ball in for Ellen White coming in at the near post in the six-yard box, but she hit her shot narrowly wide.
The South-West Londoners replied from a free kick on the right-hand side of the box after Demi Stokes felled Erin Cuthbert at the cost of a yellow card. The Scottish international floated in a free-kick which Nouwen nodded the wrong side of the far post.
Chelsea pressed on 22 minutes when Cuthbert combined with Melanie Leupolz on the right. The German international played an angled pass into the path of Kerr who, as she was about to shoot was denied by a superb tackle from Jill Scott.
Above: Erin Cuthbert is embraced by team mates after putting Chelsea ahead. Photo: Getty Images.
The resulting corner came in directly to Cuthbert on the right-hand side of the box. The Scot took a touch, got away from Lauren Coombes, and smashed a shot that went through the raised hands of City keeper Karima Benameur Taieb.
Ultimately, the deciding moment of the game came five minutes later as Chelsea doubled their lead with Benameur Taieb culpable once more. The move began with a throw on the right from Carter. Cuthbert was involved before the ball found its way back to Leupolz in the ‘D’ who got between two markers and hit a low shot which Benameur Taieb got a hand to but the ball squirmed into the right-hand corner of the net.
Chelsea were rampant now and did not give the hosts a single second to settle on the ball and executed their relentless high press. The visitors had a penalty shout when Hemp had Carter by the arm as she advanced into the box and looked to tug the Chelsea midfielder down, but nothing was awarded.
With ten minutes to go before the break, Benameur Taieb redeemed herself when she denied Kerr after the Matildas star was played in with a beautifully angled pass from Kirby. Carter held back by Hemp
Kirby could have made things worse for City with six minutes to go in the half when she had all the time in the world at the left-hand post and a powerful effort was saved at point-blank fashion from Benameur Taieb.
Above: Melanie Leupolz (right) and Sophie Ingle pictured after Leupolz put Chelsea 2-0 ahead. Photo: Getty Images.
City ended the half on the front foot. With three minutes to go before the break, Carter lost possession to Hemp who was fouled by Leupolz left of centre around 25 yards out from goal. Alex Greenwood played in the free-kick towards the back-post. Scott tried to side foot the ball across the box but Chelsea cleared, albeit awkwardly and it remained 2-0 at the break in the Londoners’ favour.
Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor looked to shake things up by changing to a 4-4-2 formation and also bringing on 20-year-old Jess Park for Shaw, who faded after a promising start.
Chelsea continued to press with Benaumeur Taieb called upon to stop Cuthbert whose fierce shot was denied from point-blank range after she was played in by Kirby.
Just before the hour mark, Kerr was replaced by Beth England. City forced a corner shortly afterward as Park was played in via a long ball from Greenwood down the right-hand side and forced Ann-Katrin Berger to palm an effort away. The resulting corner found Caroline Weir who played the ball back at the near post towards Hemp who lost Cuthbert, but put an effort well wide of the right-hand post.
Matters became increasingly scrappy through the middle period of the second half which favoured the visitors due to their lead on the scoreboard. Whilst Hemp continued to offer the most threat, City still lacked the creativity to unlock the Chelsea defence as too many of the home side’s attackers, notably Janine Beckie and White saw very little of the ball. With the hosts having limited numbers of the bench, their options to look for game changers were limited compared to the massed talent which included Beth England, Jessie Fleming, and Ji So-Yun on Chelsea’s substitute list.
Above: Beth England pictured after sealing Chelsea’s win with their third goal. Photo: Getty Images.
In the final minute of regulation time, Chelsea put the icing on the cake with a third goal as Sophie Ingle found Fleming on the right-hand side. Her ball in found England in far too much space from a City perspective and the Barnsley-born star headed home.
Therefore, Chelsea were able to clinch their place at Wembley relatively comfortably at the end with Berger having fewer shots to save than she may have expected – but there was time for one outstanding stop in the final exchanges when she pushed Park’s rasping shot which was heading for the top left-hand corner onto the post.
With this being last season’s FA Cup competition, Chelsea are now just one win from clinching a domestic quadruple from 2020/21 as they look to add the final trophy to the cabinet which already contains the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, Conti Cup, and FA Community Shield.
As for City, whilst injuries are a big part of their current malaise, there are enough quality players across the team to be obtaining far better results than they have so far.
Teams: MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Benameur Taieb, Beckie, Scott, Greenwood, Stokes, Coombes, Walsh, Weir, Hemp, Shaw, White. Substitutes: Angeldahl, Raso, Park (for Shaw 46’), Losada (for Walsh 67’), Pilling (GK).
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Berger, Nouwen, Bright, Eriksson, Carter, Ingle, Leupolz, Reiten, Cuthbert, Kerr, Kirby. Substitutes: Musovic (GK), England (for Kerr 58’), Ji, Fleming (for Reiten 73’), James, Charles (for Kirby 79’), Spence (for Leupolz 73’), Andersson, Fox.
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