A glorious April Sunday afternoon welcomed the return of league football to Kellaway Park for the first time in 2021. Unbeaten Helston were playing host to third placed rivals Mousehole as the Blues looked to carry on their fine form from 2020 and push towards securing a first league title and promotion to the South Western Regional Football League.
Helston started brightly with Abi Locke finishing a good move assisted by debutant Eve Moore who has recently signed from Bideford Ladies. It was role reversal after 26 minutes as Locke set up Moore with a superbly driven cross into the six yard which Moore expertly pivoted on to steer home for her first for the club.
Helston enjoyed a period of control without ever finding top gear and manager Parfitt rung some changed on the half hour mark making use of the leagues roll on roll off substitution rules. Five minutes before half time Locke won the ball in midfield and from 20 yards out curled a wonderful shot inside the far post giving the Mousehole keeper no chance.
After the break Helston showed a little more dynamism with Moxom and Yould controlling midfield with some simple play, this dynamism was spurred on in part by the quick fourth goal scored by captain Sasha Sparkes who finished a cross from Barker-Thomas. Helston’s control in this period was rewarded with Sparkes turning provider this time for a driven finish from Katy Barker-Thomas.
Helston had two free kicks in a dangerous area one of which Barker-Thomas appeared to have scored from only for the referee to deem that it had not crossed the line. The Mousehole keeper pulled off several saves to deny the Helston forwards and when Yould and Moxom combined to send Sparkes through for the home team’s sixth in the 65th minute the result was confirmed. Helston will feel they could and should have scored more but Mousehole fought back and scored and excellently worked goal from Midfield with Richards driving through to score in the 72nd minute.
Both teams were obviously pleased to be back on the pitch for the first time in months and there were signs of rustiness from both sides. Helston will be content in knowing they got the points but the manager will also know there are areas to work on and opportunities to improve in the coming weeks. Helston host Illogan this coming Sunday in their next league fixture.
HELSTON: N Marable, G Sweet, S Sparkes-Bond, E Brewer, C Demouy, D White, K Moxom, A Locke, E Moore, S Sparkes (c), K Barker-Thomas Subs Used: K Yould, R Hannaford, L Bate, S Clouter, C Sparkes-Bond.
MOUSEHOLE: C Britten, I D’escrivian-Nott, F Davies-Kirsop, B Hayward, T lobb, L Mannon, S Richards, R Storey, L Taylor, L Williams, S Wilson Subs Used: K Mayall, H McEwen, J Spencer-Amos.
In our regular Saturday morning round up of the Swedish women’s game, @DandalBs updates us with all the news from the national team’s two games, the big kick off in the leagues and what’s been going on around the clubs.
NATIONAL TEAM NEWS:
Above: Sweden celebrate Lina Hurtig’s goal against the USA. Photo: YouTube
Sweden began their two match international series with a promising 1-1 draw against the USA in Solna. A great header from Lina Hurtig gave Sweden the lead. The Swedes played very well the USA’s late equaliser was deserved, it shouldn’t have been from a poor award of a penalty.
A much changed Swedish side managed to earn a 4-2 win in Poland, but had some problems. Two goals by Stina Blackstenius helped Sweden, but early in second half it was 2-2 thanks to Poland’s Wolfsburg forward Iwa Pajor. There were plenty of second half subs and it took Caroline Seger and Lina Hurtig to score the winning goals.
In the last international window before the Olympics, Sweden will have two home games. First they will play Norway on 10th June and a yet undisclosed team on the 15th. Both matches will take place in Kalmar.
DAMALLSVENSKAN:
The season gets underway this weekend with the first round of fixtures scheduled as follows:
Saturday 17th April:
Djurgårdens v KIF Örebro
Växjö v AIK
Sunday 18th April:
Eskilstuna United v Kristianstads
Hammarby v BK Häcken
Linköpings v Rosengård
Vittsjö GIK v Piteå IF
ELITETTAN:
The first round of fixtures in the second tier of the Swedish league for this weekend is:
Saturday 17th April:
Borgeby FK v Älvsjö AIK FF
IFK Norrköping v IFK Kalmar – POSTPONED
IK Uppsala v Lidköpings FK
Jitex Mölndal v Sundsvalls DFF
Sunday 18th April:
Mallbackens IF Sunne v IF Brommpojkarna
Morön BK v Alingsås FC United
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES:
In the final week of pre-season friendlies ahead of this coming weekend’s Allsvenskan season, all the top tier clubs were without their international players.
AIK suffered a 2-1 loss to Brommapojkarna with Ema Paljevic scoring for the Solna based side. Hammarby drew 1-1 Örebro. Ellen Wangerheim was on target for Hammarby with Jessie Scarpa scoring for the visitors. Kristianstad defeated Kalmar 2-1 thanks to goals from Anna Welin and Ebba Jahnfors. Växjö went down 2-0 to Vittsjö for whom Fernanda de Silva and Mie Leth Jans were on target. Finally, EskilstunaUnited lost 2-0 to IFK Norrköping.
Djurgården have announced that their midfielder Malin Diaz is pregnant and will not play during the 2021 season.
Vittsjö‘s 22 year-old midfielder Ebba Wieder has decided to take a break from football for mental health reasons. Wieder played five seasons in the Damallsvenskan for Rosengård before she moved to Vittsjö last season.
Above: Ebba Wieder in action for Vittsjö. Photo: Bildbyrån
Penryn AFC Ladies Kirsty Evans tells us about her footballing journey.
Above: The Penryn Ladies AFC team. Photo via: Yaina Andrew.
“I was born at Blackburn Royal Infirmary in 1990, which is the best year to be born in, and yes, I am a Blackburn Rovers fan.
“I started playing football around the age of six. I always used to be on the back fields playing with the older kids and I then decided during school to join Rhyddings Football Club which then helped me to move across to the academy at Accrington and Rossendale College.”
“The biggest challenge I have faced in football was joining my first adult team. After the Accrington academy I moved down to Cornwall and decided to join a ladies team. At the time I played for Bodmin/Illogan.”
“When I’m not playing football, I work full time at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro as a Helpdesk operative which organises the movement of the hospital, making sure patients get to appointments and staff are safe.”
“This season has been a slow one at Penryn as Covid has effected everyone. The club is trying to rebuild its friendship with the community and with other clubs. Hopefully the club houses will been packed when we have cup games. We have been informed we have a few games left to play, so hopefully we can play them all, have a laugh and enjoy the sport again.”
Ben Gilby speaks to David Kwiatek, the club secretary and first team manager of Pride Park FC who play in the tier seven Derbyshire Ladies League Division One.
Above: Pride Park FC Photo: David Kwiatek
David began our conversation by detailing the journey that women’s football has been on at Pride Park FC.
“The club was originally formed from a group of boys playing at the Soccerdome on Pride Park, as a single boy’s mini-soccer team in 2002 and has grown from there. We formed our first girl’s team as under 10s in 2005-6 and they eventually progressed through all the age groups and into Open Age, with some of those original players still playing for our Ladies team. At our height we had thirteen boys and girls teams but hit a barrier when it came to forming new teams, and the numbers declined. We decided to concentrate all our attention and resources on establishing new girl’s teams and finally reversed that trend when we established a FA Wildcats Centre for Girls. At the same time, having been a club without a home – playing at various venues scattered across the city of Derby, we located all our teams’ training and our Ladies home matches at Moorways Stadium.
David then outlined the specific difficulties that Pride Park have faced over the past twelve months or so since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s been a challenge to maintain enthusiasm and motivation, but we’ve tried to stay engaged with our members and it was a relief all round when we were able to resume training at the end of March. It has taken some juggling on the financial side, particularly early on when we didn’t know whether the League would resume and what costs were still to be faced, but our members have been supportive and patient throughout. It also meant that we lost the momentum we were building through our FA Wildcats Football Centre for Girls as we have had to pause the programme during the pandemic (although we were able to place all the girls that were attending with teams) so will be starting afresh when we resume.”
Apart from the pandemic, Pride Park face other challenges. “Like many grassroots clubs, the biggest challenge we face is having sufficient volunteers to run everything,” David said.
Above: Pride Park in action against Mickleover in September. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
“We have a small and dedicated group of volunteers who work wonders, but are constantly stretched and often covering more than one role, so it is far from ideal. As well as they do, we could do so much more if the work could could be spread. It’s something the Committee have been giving a lot of thought to and we have plans to really push for more volunteers in the coming months.”
“All our volunteers and helpers are unsung heroes, whether they are on the Committee, coaching, helping with a team or running the line or all of these! They all make a valuable contribution without which the girls and ladies would not be able to train and play each week, which is, ultimately, the aim.”
“In that context it’s difficult to single out individuals, and I’d like to give them all a shout out – but will mention Andy Hobson, one of our newest volunteers, having started coaching with his daughter’s team only a short time ago. His enthusiasm and willingness to be involved in the club’s activities – playing a big part in getting three teams up and running – reinvigorates the old hands like me! Our Treasurer, Dave Wilsoncroft has been handling our finances for as long as anyone can remember and longer than he’d like! Then there’s our Chairman James Skinner who coached a team for around ten years, helped out with others, managed kit on behalf of the club, and now provides a steady and calming lead in meetings.”
With football now able to resume again, I asked David what the club’s schedule looks like between now and the end of the campaign.
“We’re about to resume our league season, with the first of eleven remaining fixtures. The Derbyshire Ladies and Girls League had the foresight with the support of the Derbyshire FA to make provision for an extended season, into June, which has proved necessary, and have kept the clubs fully informed along the way. As things stand and with a couple of mid-week games, we should finish our fixtures in mid-June.”
Above: Pride Park on the ball against AFC Mercia. Photo: Shaun Hardwick,
David then went on to outline the pathway from girls to women’s football like at Pride Park.
“We currently have four junior teams – under 8, 9, 10 and 12 girls, in addition to our Ladies, so in total there’s around forty girls and sixty players in total. We were also running a FA Wildcats Football for Girls Centre before the pandemic, so the aim is to resume that with a focus on four to seven year old girls.”
With the club playing in the seventh tier Derbyshire Ladies League Division One, I asked David what the division was like.
“The League has two divisions and a total of twenty-one teams, so it caters for a range of abilities and ambitions, from those who just want the opportunity to play, to those seeking to progress as players or as teams up the pyramid. There’s a sprinkling of players that have played at a higher standard, including the FA Women’s National League. There are, for example three Development teams of clubs with teams higher up the pyramid; Chesterfield, Ilkeston Town and Woodlands, as well as a couple of clubs with a team in each Division.”
“We are first and foremost a real grassroots club – in contrast, say, to those associated with elite professional clubs and who clearly have similar aspirations for their women’s team – all our members pay subscriptions and having done so, have a reasonable expectation to play. Our primary focus is on providing footballing opportunities for girls and ladies based around an ethos of respect, enjoyment and inclusivity.”
Above: Pride Park building pressure against AFC Mercia. Photo: Shaun Hardwick
“Our Ladies team still has a nucleus of players from our original girls’ team of 2005-6, and the value of the sense of community and friendships that creates is important – success can be measured in many ways, not just by the winning of trophies. Having said that, we do aim to be competitive, and have had some successes – we’ve played in Division One of the County League for all but our inaugural season, in four cup finals (winning one), finished as runners-up in the League, and have reached the County Cup semi-final on three occasions.”
“We have considered stepping up to the Regional League in the past, but the travel required for away days has been the biggest stumbling block – particularly for players with family and work commitments on match days – and in line with our ethos we don’t want to be in a position where we have to bring in additional players and turn away existing players in order to make that next step, having seen the impact this has had on other teams. It’s something we keep under review, however, as the make-up of the squad and situations change, so it’s certainly not something we’d rule out.”
As ever with our club features, we ended our conversation by looking ahead to the Pride Park’s goals for the short term future.
“When I first got involved in the female game some sixteen years ago, the prospects for a professional women’s game in England, with mainstream TV and media coverage, and genuine career opportunities for women in and around the game seemed a long way off,” David said.
“In that time, all those things have become reality – which is astonishing progress. I think, and hope, the women’s game will become more established over the next five years with those trends becoming more embedded. More particularly, that heightened visibility and acceptance will, I hope, encourage even more young girls to play the game and to give them the opportunities to do so. There’s a lot of focus by the FA, understandably, on elite clubs being used to promote the game, but I’d like to see more of a link up with grassroots clubs to provide a genuine playing pathway for girls of all abilities.”
Above: Pride Park on the ball against Wirksworth Colts. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
“I also think the increased professionalism at the top level will, inevitably, bring many of the less appealing aspects of the men’s game into the female game – which will, I think, be a pity, as the absence of diving, shirt pulling etc – cheating by any other name – is one of the first things newcomers find so appealing about watching the female game.”
“Finally, I really hope that within the next five years the tendency to try to compare men’s and women’s football will have passed. It drives me mad – amongst many other reasons the games are at different stage of evolution so it’s meaningless! Why can’t you simply enjoy and appreciate elite athletes – whatever their gender – for what they can do? We don’t compare male sprinters to female sprinters, male tennis players to their female counterparts, so why do it with football?! Rant over!”
“As for Pride Park, I hope we will be buzzing with one, possibly two Ladies teams, a girls team for each age group, and a thriving Wildcats Centre to bring along the next generations of players, all supported by an army of committed, skilled and well supported – and appreciated – volunteers!”
Ben Gilby rounds up all the news from the myriad of international matches over the past five days.
Euro 2021 Qualifying Play-Offs:
Above: Northern Ireland celebrate a second leg goal at Seaview. Photo: @NorthernIreland
Northern Ireland completed their fairy tale qualification for the European Championships after seeing off Ukraine, who are ranked 25 places above them in the world, 4-1 over the two legs.
In the first match played in Kovalivka on 9th April, Kenny Shiels’ charges started strongly. Marissa Callaghan, the Northern Ireland captain saw an early effort charged down before Nadene Caldwell narrowly missed connecting with Kirsty McGuinness’ cross.
Northern Ireland took the lead five minutes in when Tamila Khimich’s cross field ball was intercepted by Rachel Furness who went on to score.
The hosts levelled on 22 minutes when Daryna Apanaschenko headed home Iya Andrushchak’s cross.
Despite losing Furness to injury, Northern Ireland kept plugging away and received their reward just before the hour mark when Simone Magill got free and shot powerfully home to ensure the visitors took a 2-1 lead back for the second leg.
That second leg saw a clinical and controlled performance from Northern Ireland as they clinched qualification in style. The second half performance was particularly impressive and goals from captain Marissa Callaghan and a late clincher from Nadene Caldwell sealed the 4-1 aggregate success. This is almost certainly the greatest achievement in any sport for Northern Ireland and arguably one of the most amazing successes in UK sport.
Above: The scenes of joy in the Northern Ireland dressing room after the game. Photo: @SimoneMagill
Switzerland narrowly qualified for the European Championships after a play-off with the Czech Republic that was tight and tense all the way. The first leg in Chomutov saw the Czechs lead for the vast majority of the second half through Katerina Svitková’s penalty. The Swiss needed a penalty of their own in the last minute of normal time from Ana-Maria Crnogorčević to leave with a draw.
The second leg in Thun three days later followed a strangely similar pattern as Svitková gave the Czech’s a second half lead, with Coumba Sow levelling just before the hour mark. No further goals were scored, including extra time, so the qualification place was decided by a penalty shoot-out.
The tension ratcheted up with the first three spot kicks being missed as Switzerland’s Malin Gut and Sow failed along with Eva Bartoňová for the visitors. The Swiss never looked back after that with Alisha Lehmann, Lia Wälti and Crnogorčević all on target. Lucie Martínková and Svitková missed the decisive kicks for the Czechs, so it was Switzerland who qualified for the finals in England 3-2 on penalties.
Above: Joyous scenes for Switzerland after their penalty shoot out win over Czech Republic to qualify for the Finals. Photo: @nati_sfv_asf
The final qualifying play-off was another tight clash between Portugal and Russia. The decisive moment came in the 51st minute of the first leg when the only goal over the two games was scored by Nelli Korovkina.
Above: Nelli Korovkina, scorer of the goal which sealed Russia’s qualification. Photo: Alchetron
Friendlies:
7th April:
The international action kicked off with Belgium hosting Norway at Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium. In a game which was largely even, the visitors emerged 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Guro Reiten and Lisa-Marie Utland.
Belarus gained a 2-1 win over India in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Shuppo Nastassia’s penalty gave them the lead after 66 minutes before Pilipenka Hanna made it 2-0 on 75. India got a goal back in second half stoppage time – a thirty yard rocket from Sangita Basfore.
Japan thrashed Paraguay 7-0 in a thoroughly dominant performance which saw them have 16 shots on target to their opponents’ none. Two goals from Mana Iwabuchi, an own goal from Tania Riso and further strikes from Yuika Sugasawa, Yuka Momiki and Mina Tanaka settled matters.
Above: Action from the Republic of Ireland’s home game with Denmark. Photo: RTE.
Denmark dominated proceedings away to the Republic of Ireland but could only emerge with a 1-0 win thanks to a ninth minute goal from Nicoline Sorensen.
Argentina and Venezuela played out a 0-0 draw.
8th April
France defeated England 3-1 in Caen. For our full report on the game click here. For a French perspective, click on Jean-Pierre Thiesset’s review here. It also appears in the French language here.
Above: A fantastic win for Spain over the Netherlands. Photo: OneFootball.
Spain gained a fantastic 1-0 win over Netherlands in Marbella with Patricia Guijarro scoring the only goal after 31 minutes. The Spaniards mustered seven shots on target to the Dutch’s zero and had 69% possession in an impressive victory.
Wales went down to a 3-0 defeat to Canada in Cardiff. The Welsh put in a good performance but couldn’t match their visitors on the scoreboard. Deanne Rose, Evelyne Viens and Chelsea’s Jessie Fleming were on target.
Above: Canada celebrate a goal against Wales. Photo: Clwdpeldroed.
9th April:
Germany defeated a makeshift Australia 5-2 in Wiesbaden. Our full report of the game can be read by clicking here.
Italy edged out Iceland 1-0 in an even encounter in Coverciano. Arianna Caruso’s goal after 72 minutes was the difference.
Sweden gained an impressive 1-1 draw with the USA in Solna, and it could have been even better as the world champions needed a penalty from Megan Rapinoe three minutes from full time to equalise. Lina Hurtig put the Swedes ahead seven minutes before half-time. It was the first time the USA had not won a game they have played since November 2019.
Mexico drew 0-0 with Slovenia in Austria.
11th April:
Finland came from 2-0 down after 19 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw in Austria. Early strikes from Nicola Billa and Marie Hobinger gave the Austrians a flying start. Two second half goals from Eveliina Summanen ensured the Finns ended the game level.
Above: Tine de Caigny celebrates her match winner for Belgium against the Republic of Ireland. Photo: RTE.
A goal from Tine de Caigny after 19 minutes was enough to give Belgium a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Brussels.
Japan hit seven goals again with no reply for the second time in three days, with Panama the victims this time. Yuika Sugasawa’s hat-trick plus goals from Riza Shimitsu, Yui Hasegawa, Yuka Momiki and Hina Sugita completed the rout.
Above: Action from Japan’s game against Panama. Photo: Japan Times.
Belarus won 3-1 in Uzbekistan despite going behind after just eight minutes to a goal from Nllufar Kudratova. Anastaslya Shlapakova levelled matters just before half-time with Pollna Shatsllenia and Karina Olkhovik settling matters in the second half.
13th April
England suffered a 2-0 defeat to Canada in Stoke. Our full report can be read by clicking here.
Above: Germany earned another victory, this time against Norway. Photo: Archy Sport.
Germany completed a very pleasing few days, chalking up eight goals in two games with a 3-1 win over Norway. Chelsea’s Guro Reiten gave the visitors an early lead before Laura Freigang levelled just four minutes later. Further goals from Linda Dallmann and Paulina Krumbiegel completed the victory.
Italy hosted Iceland for the second time in four days. This time, the outcome was a 1-1 draw. The Italians got off to the best possible start when Valentina Giacinti scored in the opening minutes. The scores were level five minutes before the break thanks to Karolina Vilhjálmsdóttir.
Netherlands produced an outstanding performance in defeating an Australia side missing three first choice defenders. Our full report can be read by clicking here.
Sweden returned from Poland with a 4-2 win. Ewa Pajor put the Poles ahead on 26 minutes, but there was a dramatic turn around with two goals in six minutes before the break from Stina Blackstenius. Pajor equalised for the home team just after the break. Again, there were two goals in quick succession from the Swedes just before the end of the half – this time through Caroline Seger and Lina Hurtig – to seal the victory.
Above: Spain celebrate a goal in their 3-0 win over Mexico. Photo: Football24News
Spain gained a routine 3-0 win over Mexico – clocking up 78% possession for the ninety minutes in the process. Despite this domination, it took until the 66th minute for them to score, with Marta Cardona finding the net. Nahikari Garcia scored twice in the last fifteen minutes to complete the win.
Wales earned a 1-1 draw with Denmark in Cardiff. Pernille Harder put the Danes ahead on 24 minutes after escaping through and slotting home. The Welsh, in Gemma Grainger’s second game as head coach, competed well and, following a brilliant team move, the equalised on the hour from an eye catching Jess Fishlock volley.
Above: Jess Fishlock wheels away after scoring for Wales against Denmark. Photo: Wales Online
France were defeated 2-0 by USA. Our review the game can be read by clicking here or in the French language here.
Jean-Pierre Thiesset rounds up the two friendly games of the France squad against England and USA.
France – England on April 9, 2021 (3-1):
For the first time in years, the only Olympique Lyonnais player on the field, Nikita Parris, was not in the France squad but in the England squad. In fact, only Eugénie Le Sommer was in the France squad but did not play in this game.
Due to Covid19 in Lyon, Corinne Diacre, French coach had to change a lot her team and put no less than five Paris Saint Germain players to start the game: Perle Moroni, Kadidiatou Diani, Grace Geyoro, Sandy Baltimore and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. French team, which played in 4-4-2, gave the England team 62% of possession and used the technicality and speed of their midfielders and strikers to try to quickly go towards England goal each time they had the ball.
There was almost the same number of shots (17 for France and 18 for England) with 8 on target for France and only 6 on target for England. At the end France won 3-1 in part due to the skills of its strikers, with a special mention to Sandy Baltimore, and to an outstanding game from its goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. Goals for France from Sandy Baltimore (32), Viviane Asseyi (63 penalty), and Marie-Antoinette Katoto (82). The goal for England from Fran Kirby (79 penalty).
If the penalty for England cannot be discussed because the fault from Torrent is obvious, the penalty for France has been discussed. In my own opinion, I think there should have been a penalty; when we look at the replay, we can see that when Daly collides with De Almeida, the ball is not here anymore so she cannot argue that she was playing the ball, she was just late in this action.
In summary, without Olympique Lyonnais players, France team had a lot of problems in defence where Wendie Renard and Griedge Mbock Bathy were badly missed in the center. However, France team produced a fairly good game in the middle and in front. If we add those two missing defenders and Delphine Cascarino, Amel Majri, Eugénie Le Sommer, Selma Bacha, Melvine Malard, and Sakina Karchaoui to this squad, France could have an impressive team for the European Championships.
France – USA on April 13, 2021 (0-2):
Above: USA celebrate Megan Rapinoe’s fifth minute goal from the penalty spot against France. Photo: ESPN
Without another outstanding performance of its goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, France team would have probably have been more than two goals behind USA at the end of the first half. With the entrance of Sandy Baltimore, from Paris Saint Germain, in second half, we saw a little bit more action in front of USA goal but Baltimore alone was not able to really change the outcome of this game.
In second half, the USA controlled the game and secured their play by keeping the ball in the middle without trying to score more goals.
Goals for USA came from Megan Rapinoe (5 penalty) and Alex Morgan (19).
Should we worry about the real level of France squad? I think that the result of England which lost against Canada make the victory of France team on April 9 less impressive and that we know now that without the major Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Lyonnais players in the team, France is far from the level of the other teams. Let’s hope that players from these two major teams in France will be all available and all in good fit for European Championships.
Above: Lineth Beerenstyne looks to get away from Beattie Goad and Emily van Egmond. Photo: Fox Sports
Despite producing a performance which was arguably better than in their defeat to Germany on Saturday, the Matildas, without three first choice defenders went down to a heavy loss in Nijmegen.
The Dutch, who came into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Spain at the weekend, were dominant in possession in the early stages, but it was possession from patient passing rather than pressing.
Ironically, Australia had begun to look more solid at the back, largely due to the presence of Emma Checker, but with five minutes gone, all that counted for nothing.
Mary Fowler misjudged her pass which went straight to an orange shirt. Within the twinkle of an eye, Vivianne Miedema got a shot away which was pushed out by Mackenzie Arnold into the path of her Arsenal team mate Jill Roord who couldn’t miss.
The Matildas tried to hit back and seven minutes later a one-two between Sam Kerr and Checker resulted in the ball flying over the bar.
Back came the Netherlands and Miedema hit a shot from long range which was parried by Arnold and cleared for a corner by Checker.
The pressure continued to grow and with twenty minutes gone the Dutch doubled their lead. Danielle van de Donk played in Lieke Martens who hit a shot from the left hand side of the box. The ball bounced in front of Arnold and went under her arms into the net.
Four minutes later, Arnold saved The Matildas after a glorious move from the Dutch. Dominique Janssen had the ball out on the right and fed van de Donk who then played in Martens. The scorer of Holland’s second goal played a delightful reverse pass to Roord who got a shot away which Arnold blocked with her feet.
There was no such luck for Australia on 27 minutes when the heavy press from the Netherlands forced an error and Miedema passed across to Manchester United’s Jackie Groenen who swept the ball into the net for 3-0.
It could have got even worse three minutes later and it was Miedema involved again. This time she found Martens who curled a great effort just wide.
Above: The impressive Lieke Martens heads away under the watchful eye of Laura Brock. Photo: @oranjevrouwen.
As the half entered its final five minutes, Australia were finally able to launch some offensive moves. Hayley Raso got free on the left, cut inside and got a shot away which Sari van Veenendaal held and it remained 3-0 at the break.
Ahead of the second half, The Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson brought on Dylan Holmes for her debut and the former Adelaide United star would go on to produce an excellent performance amidst a real baptism of fire.
Australia continued to create coming forward with a real opportunity coming just before the hour mark when Kerr combined with Emily van Egmond to play in Raso. The Everton star’s cross towards Kerr who found her way into the box was just cleared before the Chelsea hot-shot could get there.
The Netherlands responded instantly as Miedema pulled a ball back for van de Donk who forced Arnold into a save.
Back came the Matildas and Checker got forward and played in a dangerous ball which Stefanie van der Gragt sliced out for a corner. The flag kick came in to van Egmond who fed Holmes outside the box and the debutant’s half volley was just over the bar.
The hosts made Australia pay for those two missed opportunities with a great piece of skill. Martens played an outstanding cross field ball towards substitute Lineth Beerenstein. Arnold came out to meet her, but Beerenstein got there first and touched it over the Matildas keeper and into the net.
Within three minutes, even more salt was rubbed into Australian wounds and it was all too easy when Miedema crossed in and Holmes’ attempted clearance went straight to van de Donk and the Arsenal star was not going to miss.
There was one further opportunity for the Matildas to get a goal back. Holmes combined with Emily Gielnik who played it on to Caitlin Foord. Her shot was parried by van Veenendaal into the path of Holmes but the follow up went wide.
It’s been a tough two games in four days for Australia. Ultimately they played two of the top teams in the world whilst unable to put together a full strength squad. It was not unexpected that they would lose both of these games, but even the most pessimistic Matildas fan would not have expected ten goals to be conceded in those matches.
Teams: NETHERLANDS: van Veenendaal, Janssen, van der Gragt, Nouwen, van Dongen, Spitse, van de Donk, Groenen, Roord, Miedema, Martens. Substitutes used: Beerenstein (for Spitse 45), van Es (for Janssen 62), Snoeijs (for Miedema 73), Folkertsma (for Groenen 82), Janssen (for Martens 82),
Scorers: Roord 5, Martens 20, Groenen 27, Beerenstein 67, van der Donk 70.
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
Above: Eyes on the prize – England’s Demi Stokes and Canada’s Vanessa Gilles (23) and Allysha Chapman (2). Photo: @Lionesses
England suffered another defeat in a game of few real clear cut chances in Stoke.
The Lionesses got off to the worst possible start after just three minutes when Manchester City’s Janine Beckie was able to run through the midfield and played a ball on towards Evelyne Viens who was in an offside position. Demi Stokes, coming back into the team after a spell out injured, could only prod the ball towards Viens in to fire Canada in front.
Five minutes, later, the Lionesses fashioned an opportunity when Georgia Stanway looked up and saw Canadian goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe off her line and the City star hit a long range effort just wide.
England continued to push forward but struggled to find the final ball. Canada were stacking the midfield which made it challenging for the likes of Fran Kirby to get the sort of pass that they would turn into a potential goal scoring opportunity at club level.
Therefore, it took until just before the half hour mark for their next serious attempt. The Lionesses were awarded a free kick just outside the box, right of centre. Jordan Nobbs stepped up and rifled it in with Labbe forced to tip it onto the bar.
Shortly afterwards, Stanway had another long range effort which flew over the bar.
Five minutes before the break, Canada produced a rare serious chance on goal when Rebecca Quinn’s side foot half volley from outside the box was pushed over the top by Carly Telford for a corner. Lauren Hemp cleared Beckie’s ball in comfortably.
England responded with Hemp getting free down right and playing a ball in for Beth England who got ahead Shelina Zadorsky but hit her left footed effort wide.
Above: It was a frustrating night for Fran Kirby and the Lionesses. Photo: @Lionesses
The Lionesses began the second period on the front foot with a Beth England header being claimed by Labbe five minutes in.
Just after the hour mark, Canada began to consistently threaten again but both teams were still finding it tough to make that telling final pass to transfer chances into potential goals.
Lucy Bronze entered the fray with twenty-five minutes left and her first job was to put the ball behind for a corner after Nichelle Prince got a dangerous ball in from the right.
Nobbs created real damage down the right on 68 minutes and played a glorious cross field ball towards substitute Ella Toone but Jayde Riviere managed to intercept for the Canadians in time.
In the last ten minutes, there was another great chance for England as Hemp got away and advanced into the box. Just as the Norfolk born star was about to get a shot away, Vanessa Gilles got in a superb tackle.
With four minutes left, any hope the Lionesses had of preventing another defeat went out of the window and it was another catastrophe at the back. Millie Bright’s back pass looked routine to Karen Bardsley, but the England keeper took a touch which allowed Michelle Prince to nip in from close range to score.
Despite their best efforts, England were not able to create another goal scoring opportunity and it was another frustrating night.
On reflection a draw would have been the fairest result, but in the end, yet again, it was the all too familiar story of defensive errors that did for the Lionesses.
Last night, three of Impetus‘ four Australian women’s football contributors were invited onto the Since ’71 Podcast to review the W-League season and more widely introduce Australian women’s football to a UK audience.
Myself, Kieran Yap and Kris Goman spent just over an hour talking about the game Down Under to Since ’71 founder Stu Barker.
Among the discussion points were reviewing the Grand Final, introducing some of the young stars of the season, talking about the clubs and looking at The Matildas prospects over the coming months.
Impetus‘ coverage of the W-League this season has seen us report on every single match played in the competition, interview some big name players and profile some of the key names.
Whilst the season has just come to a close, keep an eye out for a couple of special #DubWrap features over the coming weeks where we’ll be reviewing the season with head coaches and players.
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
Above: Kyra Cooney-Cross – an amazing end to an amazing season. Photo: Kris Goman
Wow, what a game what a season, what a goal!
You couldn’t script it, the title fight was a rematch of the Premier’s Plate decider a fortnight ago. On that evening, Sydney FC took the bragging rights, the trophy and the status of Grand Final favourites.
Ominously on that night, Kyra Cooney-Cross struck a late, curling shot to pull one back for Melbourne Victory in that 2-1 loss and in the last possible moment in the final she stepped up again to score the most important goal of her career so far.
At the very end of extra time, with a minute remaining until the lottery of penalties, the Victory playmaker took the responsibility of a corner kick. With the pressure both on her and on a tired Sydney defense she opted to whip it in to the most dangerous area possible, the goal line itself.
It was almost definitely a shot. Regular viewers of Victory games will have noticed that she has been trying this at least once each week. She’s usually been on target but rarely troubled the keeper. When it mattered most it flew in, Cooney-Cross became a W-League legend and the victim of the most delirious game of stacks-on the W-League has ever seen.
Above: Jada Whyman – an outstanding performance. Photo: Kris Goman
The player it beat was Jada Whyman, the 21 year old Sydney Goalkeeper who put in one of the best games of her career. All night she made save after save. Spectacular efforts kept out Annalie Longo twice and a brave moment where she closed down a goal bound Melina Ayres typified her night. She looked unbeatable at times and was rightly recognized as the official Player Of The Game.
Without Whyman’s efforts, the contest could have been over much earlier, Victory pummeled the Sydney goal and on the few occasions that the ball did escape her reach it crashed off the woodwork.
Her desperate lunge to keep out a Cooney-Cross header at point blank range was barely believable, she made this Grand Final the most rare of football gems, brilliantly entertaining yet scoreless.
Of course finals aren’t won or lost by individuals. Clare Wheeler was dangerous throughout, Lisa De Vanna looked determined to add to her remarkable legacy and before she was injured Princess Ibini looked the most threatening for Sydney.
But titles are decided by moments and between them Whyman and Cooney-Cross had the biggest and best moments of the night. Whyman is surely a senior Matilda in waiting and the usually reserved Cooney-Cross was bold in her post match interview about what her future holds, Europe & the national team.
This was a final for the ages and the actual ages of it’s key protagonists make the future very bright for Australian football.
Whilst this is the last of the #MidweekDub for the season, stand by for #DubWrap where we review the season with head coaches and players.
Impetus’ coverage of Australian Women’s Football is supported by The Chicken Salt Co. They are offering every Impetus reader 5% off all orders of Chicken Salt from their website. Go to https://www.chickensalt.co.uk/?mate=impetus and place your order – 5% will automatically be taken off of the cost. The coupon code is impetus.
impetusfootball.org 