It’s been a tough period for the French national side on and off the pitch with all sorts of issues being made public. However, as Jean-Pierre Thiesset writes, at least the team have finally made it to the European Championship finals even if the Corinne Diacre/Amandine Henry row rumbled on.
During the last game of France team against Austria, Corrine Diacre took her captain Amandine Henry off of the pitch after one hour in the match. Even if Amandine Henry was not performing her best game, there was no reason to take her off so soon in this game. France was dominating the game and largely ahead of Austria. Furthermore, Corinne Diacre gave the captain’s armband to Charlotte Bilbault instead of giving it to an Olympique Lyonnais player. This sequence surprised everyone. Things became a little bit clearer yesterday when according to several media, and especially from RMC Sport, we learnt that the clash between Amandine Henry and Corinne Diacre was still going on and even not close to be solved.
Henry and Diacre had a hard exchange this Wednesday during a training session.
While the players were in a training session inside, Corinne Diacre entered the building and went directly towards Amandine Henry, her captain. “Don’t worry you will have your discussion”, is Corinne Diacre launching to Amandine Henry, according to RMC Sport information, referring of course to the public interview of Amandine Henry mid-November on Canal+.
Put on the substitute team since the beginning of the camp by the coach, Amandine Henry answers “I hope so. It would be nice to be able to discuss”. What Corinne Diacre retorts “In life, everything has to be paid for”. Amandine Henry answers “You threat me?”
No answer from Corinne Diacre, the discussion stops there, and she went away as she came, in the middle of silent and stupefied players.
Now, to the actual match itself…
Even without several of its main players (Eugénie Le Sommer, Marion Torrent, Viviane Asseyi, Valérie Gauvin, Griedge MBock Bathy), France won against Austria (3-0) and have qualified for 2022 European Championship in England.
Above: The French team who played Austria on Friday night. Photo: @equipedefrance
Even if Austria is not amongst the best team in the world (in fact they are 22nd), the French team played a good game with a lot of creativity which could have led to more goals.
Once again, Sakina Karchaoui was one of the best players, not to say the best player in this game. Not only she did not stop the impact of the Austrian midfield and defence during all the game from the first minute to the last, but she came back to her defence position each time it was necessary.
Apart from Karchaoui, French players who put in outstanding performances were: Marie-Antoinette Katoto, with two goals; Wendie Renard, one goal and she secured the defence as usual; Delphine Cascarino on her right side, who put in a decisive pass for the second goal and Amel Majri on her left side and with the corners that she delivered perfectly from left and right sides.
Goals :
1-0 – Wendie Renard (11): corner from the left side by Amel Majri. Her left foot strike around the six yard box became a decisive pass for Wendie Renard who launched at the right time to catapult the ball under the crossbar.
Above: Wendie Renard heads France in front on Friday against Austria. Photo: @equipedefrance
2-0 – Marie-Antoinette Katoto (27): Eve Périsset on the right side, slide the ball back to Delphine Cascarino, who played in a perfect centre at the penalty spot to Marie-Antoinette Katoto. She rose higher than the defence to score with an unstoppable header.
3-0 – Marie-Antoinette Katoto (73): corner from the right side by Amel Majri who looked for Clara Matéo at the near post. Clara, on her France team debut, touched the ball and Marie-Antoinette Katoto just needed to push the ball inside the net at the far post.
France’s next game will be against Kazakhstan on December 1st. Even if the result will not change anything on the current standings, we would like to see a French team that finishes this qualification round with an avalanche of goals and have the opportunity to see a few players that have not played a lot since the beginning of the competition.
Teams:
FRANCE: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (GK), Wendie Renard, Eve Périsset, Elisa De Almeida, Sakina Karchaoui, Grace Geroyo, Charlotte Bilbault, Amandine Henry (C), Delphine Cascarino, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Amel Majri. Substitutes: Kenza Dali 60 (for Amandine Henry), Clara Matéo 72 (for Delphine Cascarino), Emelyne Laurent 84 (for Marie-Antoinette Katoto).
AUSTRIA: Manuela Zinsberger (GK), Laura Wienrother, Carina Wenninger (C), Viriginia Kirchberger, Verena Aschauer, Sarah Zadrazil, Sarah Puntigam, Jasmin Eder, Barbara Dunst, Nicole Billa, Stefanie Enzinger. Viktoria Pinther 46 (for Nicole Billa), Katharina Naschwengen 61 (for Verena Aschauer), Laura Feiersinger 61 (for Stefanie Enzinger), Lisa Kolb 75 (for Barbara Dunst), Yvonne Weilharter 90 + 1 (for Laura Wienrother).
Yellow cards: Amel Majri (90 + 2) for France; Stefanie Enzinger (42) for Austria.
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland).
Above: France celebrate qualification for the 2022 European Championships. Photo: @equipedefrance
Impetus founder Ben Gilby was invited to speak exclusively to The One Goal Organisation’s Daniela Porcelli about their fantastic campaign with various star international women footballers to raise money to help organisations to use sport to aid communities.
The One Goal was founded in 2018 by Swedish international goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl and Daniela Porcelli, a renowned photographer from Switzerland. As Daniela outlined to me, “The One Goal’s vision is to become a unique worldwide charitable organization that uses an authentic process within the women’s game to achieve it. Our mission at The One Goal is to work locally and internationally to raise funds from the women’s game which we will put back by donating to help organizations that are using sports as a method to help people and their communities.”
“Another important thing is that we want to raise awareness about women’s football and women who play and have played football. We are raising money thanks to famous women footballers donating signed match worn shirts. Every single item that has been donated tells a story that deserves to be told. We want to tell and share those stories.”
The One Goal has its roots in an idea that Daniela developed in 2017: “I thought about establishing a non-profit-organization, but in a smaller way. My idea was to receive signed football items from women’s football players to auction to fans. The money raised would be invested into girls’ projects. A friend of mine told me to ask Hedvig Lindahl for a shirt, and he connected me with her. After the first email we talked about this idea and a few months later The One Goal was officially founded.”
Above: Daniela Porcelli, co-founder of The One Goal. Photo: @joerdeli1
The campaign has raised incredible amounts of money so far: “Since the beginning until before the #TOGetherAgainstCorona campaign this summer, we raised around £10,000 with football items sales and auctions. Then the campaign happened and in just a few weeks we made nearly £25,000. Of course, I have to say, that the first year of The One Goal me and Hedvig were alone in volunteering our free-time to it. Only later on and mostly during the campaign time, we had many volunteers joining to support our goals. This makes us more successful. We are certain about the fact that together, we can make a difference and the more, the merrier!”
Daniela continues: “The most essential thing for Hedvig and me are that the projects we support are transparent and smaller. We are in constant dialog with the owners of those organizations we support. That gives us good and up to date knowledge about the projects and how they use the funds to help girls so we are sure of the fact that our raised money is used as promised.”
The campaign has reached such a momentum that now some really big name players are helping out by donating their shirts as Porcelli explains: “We are grateful to every player who donates a shirt or other items towards our charitable organization and projects we support. We want to give every player this platform and hope someday we can say that everyone was happy to join us. During the present campaign #ShirtsForGirls the most well-known players who have donated their shirts are Sam Kerr, Caroline Seger and Sara Däbritz among others.
Above: Hedvig Lindahl, co-founder of The One Goal. Photo: @hedvig_lindahl
Earlier, Daniela mentioned the increase of volunteers helping the campaign this time round – and their jobs are many and varied: “We are thankful for every volunteer who joined us and is happy to spend some of their free-time to help in a charitable way. To name a few roles: Social Media Creators, Graphic designers, Accountant, Online Store Manager and many more. Everyone can support using their skills and experiences. But we also hope together we can teach each other new things, which brings you further. We are always open to welcome more people into our organization and we believe that everyone can contribute in one way or another.”
This year’s #ShirtsForGirls campaign has run for a month and donations can be made until 23:59 GMT on Tuesday 1st December. The following day will see the winners of each shirt drawn. There’s over twenty incredible signed match worn shirts from some of the biggest names in women’s football. To support the campaign and try to win one of the shirts, go to www.theonegoal.org, click on the shirt’s image and “get entries”. Depending on how much you choose to donate, you receive a number of entry tickets to win the jersey the clicked on. The more entry tickets purchased, the bigger the chance to win. By purchasing entry tickets, the money goes straight into our donation pool and supports the project: the girl’s academy of El Cambio Academy in Uganda.
Above: The shirts available in exchange for donations to The One Goal until 1st December 2020. Photo: @DearFootball
To summarise the organisation and its aims, Daniela said: “We have a unique approach in the women’s game. We have thankfully women’s players donating their items to support girls projects. It is a circle. The money gets raised through women’s football and goes back into women’s football. That is what I love about our approach. With only £5 we can make a difference. Each of us.”
There’s still time for YOU to make a difference, visit www.theonegoal.org to donate now and try and win one of their incredible signed match worn shirts!
In Impetus‘ very first feature article back in September 2019, Ben Gilby looked at the incredible achievements of Älvsjö AIK FF Dam in Sweden. It seems only fitting that the last feature article on the site before its’total revamp this coming weekend sees him return to the tiny town outside Stockholm to update us on their wonderful progress.
When it comes to women’s football teams punching above their apparent weight, arguably none have done it more successfully than Älvsjö AIK FF Dam.
Based in a small suburban town with a population of just 1,530 people, Älvsjö (pronounced Elves-Her) is situated 8.5 miles south-west of Stockholm and, other than its incredible women’s football team, it is famous for being the location of Stockholmsmässan (The Stockholm International Fair), northern Europe’s biggest trade fair facility, which hosted the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest, the first to be held in Sweden due to ABBA’s famous win the previous year thanks to their song ‘Waterloo’.
Above: Alvsjo AIK FF Dam 2020. Photo: Alvsjo AIK FF
Despite these heady achievements, and the presence of a large railway station on the main commuter line network which links central Stockholm with the historic university city of Uppsala almost fifty miles away, Älvsjö remains a very quiet, peaceful and unassuming little town. The modern central square is surrounded by small, local shops, a fountain and a café which serves as a venue to promote the Swedish lifestyle choice of fika. Fika is a state of mind which encapsulates the Swedish way of living whereby work/life balance is at the centre of everything the country’s inhabitants do. Even the busiest office stops and makes time for fika – the part of day where plenty of time is devoted to coffee and a bite to eat (usually cake or kanelbullar – Swedish style Cinnamon Buns) and a chat with friends or colleagues. Except in Älvsjö it’s not just coffee and kanelbullar that the tiny local population made sure they fit in, it’s getting out, playing football and honing their skill with such dedication that they became the nation’s top team.
Above: The main square in Älvsjö. Photo: Ben Gilby
For five seasons in a row – from 1995-1999 (football in Sweden is played generally between March and October in one calendar year to avoid playing during the harsh winters), Älvsjö AIK FF Dam, based at the Älvsjö Idrottsparken (Älvsjö athletics ground) took the Swedish Damallvenskan top flight by storm and won the title each year in this period. That a side based in a tiny location with barely 1,500 inhabitants were dominating big city teams in a nation who have always been one of the strongest in the world of women’s football was just incredible.
Above: Älvsjö Idrottsparken– the club’s home ground. Photo: Älvsjö AIK FF
As the twenty-first century began, across in Stockholm, the women’s side of one of Sweden’s top men’s teams, Djurgården IF (DIF) wanted to further the progress of their own female team. The 1980s had seen Djurgården promoted to the Damallsvenskan for the first time only to be relegated in 1992. It took them four years to regain their place in the top division. With DIF still not quite established as a long term member of the highest league, and UEFA about to launch its first pan European club competition for the top women’s club sides, Älvsjö AIK FF Dam and Djurgården IF merged, with the two clubs owning 49% and 51% of the joined entity respectively.
The merger was a huge success on the pitch with Djurgården/Älvsjö, consisting from players taken from the squads of both the original standalone clubs, winning the Damallsvenskan in 2003 and 2004, the Swedish Cup in 2004 and 2005 and finishing as Damallsvenskan runners-up in both 2006 and 2007. Success in UEFA’s Women’s Cup (the forerunner of the UEFA Women’s Champions League) was also achieved in 2005. After coming through a group stage Djurgården/Älvsjö saw off fellow Swedish side Umeå in the quarter-finals before a famous aggregate win over Arsenal Ladies in the semis. The final, played over two legs against the German outfit Turbine Potsdam ended in disappointment, but the achievement of a team who had such humble beginnings reaching a major European final was phenomenal.
However, the footballing story of the tiny town of Älvsjö has not ended since merging with Djurgården. The club have a senior side in addition to their huge girls’ section. After several years playing in the third tier Division One South Svealand, the 2019 season saw the return of success.
Going into the final day of the season, Älvsjö AIK FF Dam just needed to defeat third placed Telge United FF to secure promotion to the second tier of the women’s game in Sweden, the Elitettan. However, it didn’t quite go as planned. A 2-2 draw allowed Älta IF leapfrog them to finish top of the table and gain the one automatic promotion place to the Elitettan. Yet Älvsjö had a second chance – as the Elitettan is a national division and the third tier is regional, the second placed sides in the various third tier leagues play-off for the remaining promotion spot to the second tier.
So, over two legs, Älvsjö faced off against Alingsås FC United. A 0-0 draw in the first leg away from home installed Älvsjö as favourites for the promotion. Again, it didn’t quite go as planned with Alingsås FC United claiming a 2-0 win to take the remaining promotion spot.
Yet, still the story was not over. In a case of third time lucky, Älvsjö AIK FF Dam discovered that Älta IF would not be taking their place in the Elitettan, and as runners-up to them for promotion in the league, Älvsjö were given the last spot in the second tier of Swedish football for the 2020 season.
The club would now be facing off against the women’s teams of giant neighbouring sides AIK Solna and Hammarby. As you would expect, the step up from regional level football to the national second tier of the women’s game in Sweden is huge and there is a big gulf between the top sides in the Elitettan and the rest. For a club such as Älvsjö AIK FF Dam, regardless of their glorious past, it was a huge gap to attempt to bridge.
Above: Älvsjö AIK FF Dam’s Linda Niemenen who grabbed one of the team’s goals against eventual champions AIK. Photo: Älvsjö AIK FF Dam.
The aim for this season was survival in the Elitettan and then eventually try and consolidate their second tier status in a bid to try and consistently play at the higher levels of Swedish women’s football once more. The season started promisingly with a 3-1 win at home to Sunnanå SK. Further wins over Lidköpings FK (3-2), Sandvikens IF (2-1), Enskede IK (3-2) and the return game with Sunnanå SK (2-0). Whilst there have been the occasional heavy losses, there have also been glorious efforts in defeat. The mighty AIK Solna, who ended up winning 24 of their 26 matches and won the Elitettan with three games to spare were really challenged by Älvsjö AIK FF Dam and only just emerged with a 4-2 win. Linda Niemenen and Zabrina Koont’s goals emphasised just what a great spirit Älvsjö have.
In the end everything came down to the final three games of the season, and Älvsjö AIK FF Dam knew that they would need a minimum of three points from these matches to retain their Elitettan status. What made this target particularly challenging was that two of the games would be against big Stockholm side and promotion challengers Hammarby – who had only lost two games all season. The run in began with Älvsjö hosting Hammarby. Two goals in the opening seventeen minutes from Ana Rodrigues put the Stockholm side in control – but Älvsjö showed great character again to steady the ship and began to impose themselves on the game. In the final minute, Felicia Saving grabbed the third. It was a defeat, but again, Älvsjö had given their all.
The following week was a huge showdown for Älvsjö when they travelled to fellow strugglers Kvarnsvedens IK. Whoever lost the game would end up in the relegation zone ahead of the final game of the season. With Älvsjö AIK FF Dam knowing they would have to travel to second placed Hammarby for their last match, that was a thought laced with the ultimate danger. That prospect, combined with the incredible spirit this team, the ultimate of underdogs in the Elitettan had showed all season long, was enough to seal the ultimate victory. Magda Le Therien’s goal just before the hour mark sent Älvsjö into raptures. They had earned a vital victory.
Therefore, they went into their final game at Hammarby, who were celebrating promotion to the top tier Damallsvenskan as runners-up AIK. Älvsjö knew that they were still not mathematically safe. A defeat for them and wins for either Kvarnsvedens IK or Sandvikens IK would cause Älvsjö AIK Dam to be relegated.
Like the game two weeks previously at Älvsjö Idrottsparken, Hammarby started on fire. This time, they built a 3-0 lead within twenty-one minutes with two goals from Emma Jansson and one from Emilia Larsson. Characteristically, Älvsjö dug in and were rewarded for their fighting qualities when, just before the break, Linda Nieminen got a goal back.
Above: Klara Ovefelt – scorer for AIK at Hammarby having just come into the team from U19 side. Photo: Idrottsfoto via Älvsjö AIK FF Dam.
Cruelly, just after the interval, Emilia Larsson restored Hammarby’s three goal advantage and in stoppage time at the end of the game Frida Thornqvist made it 5-1. Still Älvsjö would not lie down and Klara Ovefelt got an all-important second – as relegation could still, potentially be decided by goal difference.
With the final score being 5-2 to Hammarby, whilst the home team celebrated their place in the top tier of Swedish women’s football, there was a nervous wait for Älvsjö to see if results elsewhere would go in their favour. In the end, Sandvikens IK’s 2-0 defeat at home to Morön BK and Kvarnsvedens IK’s 3-1 loss to IFK Kalmar meant that Älvsjö AIK FF Dam were assured that they were safe from relegation and would be in the Elitettan once more for the 2021 season.
It might not be the same heights as their incredible successes in the late 1990s, but Älvsjö AIK FF Dam earning and then retaining their place in the second tier of Swedish women’s football for a club from such a small town is nothing short of phenomenal.
We will be continuing to follow the club closely over the coming weeks and months – keep your eyes peeled for a special interview coming soon and some exciting news linking Impetus with the club throughout the 2021 season. Quite simply, Älvsjö AIK FF Dam are a wonderful story that just keeps continuing to show new achievements.
Ben Gilbyopens our most comprehensive coverage yet of a Westfield W League season with news of some blockbuster games to open the campaign.
The Westfield W League season is going to be quite different for 2020/21. Last year, pretty much all of the Matildas apart from Sam Kerr took part and we had an exciting end to the season ending with an enjoyable Grand Final in March.
This time round, virtually all of the Matildas are playing in Europe and so will not be competing on home soil.
Consequently there is the opportunity for the next generation of Matildas and current State League’s stars taking centre stage.
Whilst the complete fixture schedule for 2020/21 will be announced at the start of next week, two blockbuster clashes have already been announced.
First, on the opening day of the new season, 27th December there will be a W League/A League (Australian men’s top tier) double header at Parramatta’s 30,000 seater Bankwest Stadium with Western Sydney Wanderers, one of last season’s breakthrough sides, hosting Melbourne Victory.
Three days later there is a hugely significant double header at ANZ Stadium, Sydney’s 83,500 capacity Olympic Stadium where Sydney FC will take on Melbourne City in a repeat of last year’s Westfield W League Grand Final. On the same day, the same two team’s A League sides will also face off.
Due to the very low number of cases of Coronavirus in Sydney at the present it is likely that there may only be minimal restrictions on crowd numbers for these matches, which, provided the FAA market the games well, some great crowds could gather for these two W League clashes over the Christmas period.
Impetus’ W League and Australian Women’s Soccer Coverage 2020/21:
Part of our overall site redesign – our coverage will be bigger and better than ever – a full round-up each week of matches with photos, plus our soon to be revealed new Australian correspondent reporting exclusively for the site on one match a week.
Don’t miss early next week for full news on the key dates and matches in the fixture schedule for the campaign.
The following week, we will begin our review on each team’s squads ahead of kick-off.
In the build up to the new season starting, we will have an exclusive interview with a Matildas World Cup and Olympics star!
Continuing our look at the game Down Under in light of the award of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – features on players, clubs, grassroots clubs and interviews with Australian journalists and sport officials!
Not only did Lyon lose first place to PSG, their biggest rivals for the title, but they produced a performance that was disturbing for their supporters, leaving a lot of questions for the future.
Montpellier stopped their losing run with a 3-1 win over Le Havre, the bottom placed side in D1 Arkema. Bordeaux won 1-0 at Paris FC to remain third ahead of Montpellier in the table.
Guingamp recorded their third win of the season and heaped more woe on Issy‘s dreadful goal difference as a result of their 6-1 win.
The other games saw a 2-0 win for Fleury over Dijon and Stade de Reims won 2-1 at Soyeux.
So, these results mean that suspense is revived for the D1 Arkema championship title as well as the race for third place.
The next round will take place on the weekend of the 5th December.
Blackburn Rovers moved into fifth place in the FA Women’s Championship after a hard-earned 1-0 win at Coventry United in an entertaining game at Butts Park Arena.
The home side came into the game on the back of a four game losing run, during which they had scored only two goals. For Rovers, the same period had resulted in two wins and a draw with six scored.
A hugely enjoyable first half opened with the visitors from Lancashire having most of the possession in the early stages, with the majority of the game in this period being played on their left wing. The pressing at this stage forced United to make hurried clearances, the majority of which went straight to a player in blue and white halves.
Blackburn had a great chance to take a lead when Natasha Fenton’s ball through was put out for a corner. The in swinging flag kick was pushed out by Sue Wood in the Coventry goal but only as far as Maria Edwards who hit an effort which rebounded back into the path of team-mate Saffron Jordan who prodded an effort goal wards and prompted an almighty playground style scramble before Anna Wilcox cleared for the home side.
United’s first effort on target took just over ten minutes to come and a good run from Shannon O’Brien saw her cut in from the left and hit an effort which Alex Brooks in the Blackburn goal dealt with.
Buoyed by this effort, Coventry began to show more of an attacking flair. O’Brien again was involved and found Amber Hughes, but her shot was blocked by defender Ellie Fletcher.
The home side mounted another attack and a sensational move saw Wilcox’s cross field ball met with a glorious first touch and instant control by Katy Morris. She played in O’Brien but the Rovers defence snaffled up the danger.
Rovers replied immediately as Aimee Hodgson forced a save from Sue Woods. They then created another chance as Coventry United’s Alice Hassall was caught in possession and the dangerous Saffron Jordan broke clear down the left, but the home side were able to marshal mass ranks of red and green to clear.
Blackburn benefitted again by a home player losing possession, this time Becky Anderson, and Jordan was in again. Once more United dealt with the danger and launched a counter attack as Wilcox found O’Brien. Hughes was then played in down the left before cutting inside and lashing a shot into the side netting.
Coventry finished the half on the front foot and more great skill, this time from Hayley Crackle which saw her juggle the ball over the head of an opponent and play in Wilcox before she was brought down by Fletcher, who received a yellow card for her sin. The resulting free kick from Crackle was cleared.
The home side pressured Rovers into an error when Natasha Fenton’s attempt to make contact with the ball ended with a fresh air shot. Hassall intervened, gained possession and got a shot away which Alex Brooks saved.
The final opportunity of the opening period went the way of the visitors as Hodgson stole the ball away from Crackle and curled in an effort which was deflected out for a corner. United dealt with the danger again ahead of the half-time whistle.
The even nature of the contest continued in the early stages of the second period. Coventry United’s first effort came from an incredible free kick inside their own half which was launched goal wards by Anna Wilcox and Alex Brooks was forced into a save in the Rovers goal.
Saffron Jordan continued to look dangerous for Blackburn and a quality turn and shot needed a smart save from Sue Wood to deny the Lancashire side’s captain.
The end to end sequence followed and this time United were only denied by a magnificent save by Brooks. Becky Anderson combined with Amber Hughes who struck a fierce effort which was only kept out by the outstretched legs of the visitors’ keeper.
Alex Brooks had to be at her best again shortly afterwards when Hughes found Phoebe Warner. Her pass played in the ever dangerous Shannon O’Brien but Brooks pushed the effort away.
With nine minutes of the second half played, the deadlock was finally broken – but not without the slightest hint of controversy. On another dangerous sortie into the Coventry penalty area, Saffron Jordan was brought down. Play continued momentarily before the assistant referee on the right hand side flagged and a penalty was awarded – but Coventry were convinced that contact was made with the ball first. The arguments fell on deaf ears and Elise Hughes stepped up to dispatch the spot kick for Rovers.
Shortly afterwards, United came close yet again. Katy Morris’ corner was headed towards goal by Chelsea Weston but her effort was dramatically cleared off of the line. Another chance came for the home side as Amber Hughes broke through and played in O’Brien whose effort was just over.
Blackburn were not without their own opportunities to extend their lead. First, Aimee Hodgson looked up and saw United keeper Sue Wood off her line and fired in an effort on target which was dealt with. Natasha Fenton then cut in from the right and hit an effort which forced a good save from Wood.
Coventry created two final chances to in a bid to obtain the draw that they deserved for their efforts. First, Amber Hughes turned Charlotte Newsham and hit a shot which was deflected out for a corner. The resulting set piece saw a great header from Alice Hassall which forced a save from Brooks. Then, an incredible run from Hayley Crackle down the entirety of the left wing saw her shrug off umpteen attempted challenges and win a corner. Amber Hughes’ goal bound header was cleared by the Rovers defence.
In the closing stages, Blackburn kept possession in a professional manner despite Coventry United’s best efforts. It was enough for them to end up winners of a game in which they were severely tested by a United side who are a point off the bottom of the FA Women’s Championship. There is absolutely no doubt that Coventry United are a far better team than their present league position suggests.
Last night saw Paris St. Germain bring to an end Olympique Lyonnais’ four year unbeaten run in D1 and potentially cause a major change in the destination of the French title for the first time in fifteen years. Jean-Pierre Thiessetgives his opinion on the big game.
Some will say that it can happen, but when we see how Lyon lost, it is a little disturbing. The team was not in the game and there had been too many errors and too many duels that were lost. In my opinion, apart from Delphine Cascarino, Ellie Carpenter and Sakina Karchaoui, who tried to play and do something, all the other players were way under their usual performance levels.
I remember discussion with a few OL fans about the level of their midfielders a few months ago, saying that they were not back to their usual performances and that this would penalize the team; they may have been right.
Furthermore, Lyon lost Eugénie Le Sommer with injury, a tear on the inside of the left thigh that will probably keep her out of action for a few weeks and prevent her playing with the France national team at the end of November. If you add to this Valérie Gauvin who is already out after injury for Everton in the Women’s FA Cup Final and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, from PSG, who is also injured and may not be available, the France team will probably have to play against Austria without a recognised central striker.
Is it the beginning of the end of the huge domination of Lyon in French women’s football? The future will tell us and especially the return game against PSG next year and the Women’s UEFA Champion League games that will soon be on their schedule.
Paris St. Germain stuck a symbolic blow in the D1 Arkema title race with a deserved victory over perennial top of the table rivals Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes – a result which condemned the visitors to their first league defeat in four years.
The early exchanges were typically cagey in such a vital game. It was OL who had the best of the possession and pressed PSG back in this period.
Indeed, it was Lyon who forced the opening corner after just four minutes when Saki Kumagai crossed in, Le Sommer dummied and PSG diverted the ball over the bar. It all came to naught as home goalkeeper Christiane Endler was adjudged to have been fouled from the corner.
Then, with just eleven minutes played, PSG hit the lead. The visitors lost possession on the right wing and away went Kadidiatou Diani. She slid a pass into Marie Antoinette Katoto who raced towards the onrushing Sarah Bouhaddi. The Lyon keeper committed herself early and Katoto rounded her and ensured that Kadeisha Buchanan couldn’t scramble back to stop her and rolled the ball into the net from an acute angle.
Above: Marie Antoinette Katoto guides her effort towards the Lyon net for the only goal of the game. Photo: @PSG_Feminines
Three minutes later, Kumagai gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box in a central position. Sara Dabritz stepped up, but her effort landed on the roof on the net.
Shortly afterwards, Eugenie Le Sommer got away and was tugged back by Ashley Lawrence whilst closing in on goal to the left of centre. Up stepped Dzsenifer Marozsan to rifle in an effort on target which Endler had to fist away.
Unsurprisingly, the Parisians were buoyed by the goal and the balance of play shifted into their favour. Dabritz’s dangerous ball in was calmly cleared by Ellie Carpenter, but it returned to the area quickly as Buchanan combined with Katoto before moving play onto Luana and Diani. PSG kept the possession and built slowly as they patiently looked for the right moment to launch an incisive pass and it came from Lawrence’s cross – unfortunately, Katoto couldn’t make the right contact with her attempted volley and Bouhaddi gathered.
Katoto was then played in Diani, but Australian international Carpenter got back brilliantly to deny her with a magnificent tackle. Just before the half-hour mark, Lyon’s early woes increased when key player Eugenie Le Sommer went down off the ball with what appeared at the time to be a hamstring injury and she was replaced by Lionesses star Nikita Parris.
Lyon rallied and an outstanding piece of skill by Sakina Karchaoui down the left saw the ball played in to the box but PSG cleared.
With four minutes to go until the break, Luana found Sandy Baltimore who teased her way past Carpenter and won a corner off of Buchanan, but the visitors survived.
Above: Olympique Lyonnais’ Ellie Carpenter tussles for possession in the Parc des Princes. Photo: @PSG_Feminines
Such was PSG’s control after the goal, they may well have been disappointed not to add a second before the break as history tells you that OL always seem to find a way to force themselves back into a game. The hosts had controlled the dangerous pair of Karchaoui and Cascarino well and had the better of the all-important midfield battle. A continuation of these circumstances would go a long way to earning PSG a hugely important and symbolic victory.
There was noticeably more energy about Olympique Lyonnais immediately after the interval. They fashioned an early opportunity when Sara Dabritz miscued to allow Amandine Henry to gather possession. The France skipper found Delphine Cascarino whose close control brought her into the area but was muscled out by Grace Geyoro before getting a shot in.
On the hour mark, Diani was pulled back by Amandine Henry on the right. Dabritz’s free kick was cleared by Renard, and on the counter attack, Nikita Parris sprinted away with plenty of support but back came Perle Morroni to put in an outstanding tackle.
All the signs were that PSG had weathered the early chances that Lyon had made. On sixty-five minutes, Diani’s cross field ball found Katoto who eased past Carpenter to put in a cross which Bouhaddi grabbed at the near post.
Cascarino won a throw near the corner flag and the hosts made a series of blunders in trying to clear, but Lyon were not able to make PSG pay for their less than sound defensive play.
With seventy-two minutes gone, Wendie Renard hacked down Marie-Antoinette Katoto on the left hand side just outside of the box and was lucky to only receive a yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, substitute Alana Cook’s header was poor and Bouhaddi gathered comfortably.
Katoto didn’t recover from the foul on her by Renard and she was replaced by Signe Bruun within minutes.
With twelve minutes left, Karchaoui found Parris who in turn played a pass inside to Marozsan, but the German’s shot was way off target for the visitors.
With three minutes to go, substitute Melvine Malard raced into the box but a superb challenge from Irene Paredes closed down the danger and Formiga put the ball out for a corner, which the home side defended successfully and they went on to see out the remainder of the game to record an excellent victory.
Above: Alana Cook and Saki Kumagai contest possession deep into the second half. Photo: @PSG_Feminines
Whilst this win does not decide anything this season, the defeat of a team who has won fourteen consecutive league titles by a side who have been trying to snap at their heels for many years means that the D1 Arkema title race now takes on a fascinating twist. OL know they have no margin for error now. If this was seen as a big game, the return in the New Year at the Groupama Stadium will be absolutely monumental.
Jean-Pierre Thiesset gives us news of the announcement of France’s squad for the upcoming final qualifiers for the Women’s European Championships. With qualification still in doubt and all sorts of behind the scenes conflicts, there were many eyes on Corinne Diacre’s selection this time round.
Corinne Diacre has announced her list of players for the next two games for France’s national team. During her introduction to the announcement, she tried to minimize the current situation (relating to the behind the scenes conflicts with players) and was rather calm and said that the most important thing was to win the next games to ensure the qualification of the French team for the European Championships in England. She did not want to talk about the current problems and said that she will not use media to answer these matters.
The selection is without big surprises:
GOALKEEPERS: Durand, Munich, Peyraud-Magnin
DEFENDERS: E. Cascarino, De Almeida, Karchaoui, Morroni, Perisset, Renard, Torrent, Tounkara.
FORWARDS: Asseyi, D. Cascarino, Diani, Katoto, Laurent, Le Sommer.
Despite her television interview at the weekend (see: https://impetus885775742.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/the-view-from-france-5/ ), Amandine Henry is back in the team and Diacre said during the press conference that she will captain the French team. Amel Majri, who had spoken a little bit in support of Henry, is also in the squad.
Sarah Bouhaddi, who had said the day before the squad announcement that she would accept selection, is not named; Corinne Diacre said that she learnt the previous night of Bouhaddi’s opinion and said and that so far Pauline Peyraud-Magnin did the job during the last two games.
Now, we just need to wait for November 27, 2020, the important match against Austria, to know who will be on the field as starters. Personally, I think that there will be most of the Lyonnaises and Parisiennes players on the field.
I expect the following starting team:
Goalkeeper: Peyraud-Magnin.
Defenders: Renard, Karchaoui, Torrent, Tounkara.
Midfielders: Henry (Captain), Majri, Diani.
Strikers: Le Sommer, Cascarino D., Katoto
I think that with this team, France should easily win against Austria and I will produce a review on 28th of November to celebrate my insights or to discuss why I was wrong!
Ben Gilby spoke to Jay Bradford, General Manager of Coventry United Womenabout how a relatively new club have battled their way up to the FA Women’s Championship and are now determined to stay there and thrive.
Coventry United Women can trace their history back to 2013 when they were formed as Coventry City Ladies. Two years later, they merged with the comparatively new non-league men’s side Coventry United. Since that time, Jay Bradford reveals, the club has been on a “sharp rise”.
“By 2019 we had won the FA Women’s National League and compiled a successful Championship bid, something that had eluded us for a few years. We are now playing second tier women’s football and progressing on and off the field with ambition to progress into The FA Women’s Super League.”
Above: A great save in Coventry United’s FA Women’s Championship game with Leicester City. Photo: Jeff Bennett (permission from CUWFC).
Like every other club, Coventry United’s progress was hampered by coronavirus and two subsequent lockdowns. Bradford though points to fantastic support from the board in the current situation: “The club have been excellent – they showed commitment to all players by honouring contracts at 100% pay. The owners Marcus Green and Jason Timms and the board deserve huge credit, people have no idea what goes in to running a football club, particularly during a pandemic and they stand up to the challenge time after time and have shown their unwavering support to the women’s game. They made sure we had all the resources required to come back in to training once the FA gave the go ahead. Having no fans is difficult for any club as that is obviously a strong income source, particularly for us as we were pulling in crowds of 500+ for every home game. The owners have supported us fully and made sure that the lack of income hasn’t hindered our ability to go and make key signings so we can compete on the pitch.”
Of course, the club also rely on a vast army of volunteers to ensure that they keep progressing on and off the pitch. “I think of people like Jade Ogle that offer nothing but progression to the club and is constantly driving standards, all in her spare time. Our match day support staff, particularly Alan Howe and Harry Bragginton are brilliant. Without them our match day experience wouldn’t be what it is today,” Bradford explains.
Coventry United are fortunate in sharing the impressive 3,000 seater Butts Park Arena stadium with Coventry RFC, Coventry Bears RLFC as well as Coventry United’s men’s team. Bradford explained the women’s club’s links with the various teams at the ground: “We have recently undergone some changes which has seen the men’s section appoint a new chairman. The new format sees the owners and board sit solely above the women’s team and we are continually grateful for their support. We have a great working relationship with all the teams that operate out of The Butts Park Arena, it’s a superb facility and one we are happy to share.”
Jay Bradford sees Coventry United as very much a work in progress – and one which could develop in many exciting ways in the future: “I think our biggest challenge is how we choose to evolve over the next few seasons, we have lots of excellent ideas and avenues we are exploring so I think it’s important we pursue the correct targets and go at them full force. We have a great board and they are constantly striving for more it’s an exciting time to be part of Coventry United.”
Photo: Midfield action in Coventry United v Leicester City. Photo: Jeff Bennett (permission from CUWFC).
The Midlands club are establishing themselves as an FA Women’s Championship club – a league that is notoriously tough with clubs with differing resources. Liverpool have just dropped down from the FAWSL and Leicester City have just invested greatly into their women’s side. I asked Bradford how she sees Coventry United within this league and what the club’s aims and ambitions were – both at the present time and for the short term future. “It’s a great league for competitive value,” she said. “I don’t see anyone in this league not being able to compete and take points off other teams. I think for me right now, Coventry United are in a space where we are striving to become a solid Championship side that don’t flirt with relegation and year on year will progress and compete at a sustainable level.”
“Within the Championship, I think the strengths are the teams. Most of them have come through the football pyramid and are run by great people that drive the ambition of women’s football. I think ultimately the Championship has to keep driving standards and not be happy to just settle as a part time league. We have to want to close the gap with the WSL teams. The gap will always be there of course, but can the Championship close that gap and make small steps every season to be sustainable and ultimately exciting on the pitch that fans want to engage with it regularly? That’s the challenge.
The Championship still contains sides either unaligned to men’s clubs or not linked to professional men’s clubs – Coventry United being one such team. With the WSL no longer containing clubs from those categories I asked Jay Bradford what clubs such as hers need to do to enable themselves to first establish themselves in the Championship and then thrive: “I don’t think being supported by a men’s team is imperative, although naturally it helps. For me the teams that are not aligned to that level of structure have to be smart and create relationships with other parties that can offer them facilities or staff to help drive the sport forward. I think Championship clubs show how resourceful they can be without being handed a big cheque to spend on whatever they like.”
Player development is a key part of any women’s club, and Bradford was keen to highlight what United offer for players from the youngest of ages: “We host several age groups for both boys and girls. We offer the opportunity to play for Coventry United from the age of four and so have a clear pathway of progression for those that want to stay with us and then ultimately play for the first team.”
Above: Coventry United on the ball against Leicester City. Photo: Jeff Bennett (permission from CUWFC).
Our conversation ended by examining the future for the women’s game, and more specifically, Coventry United. “Women’s football in five years’ time has the opportunity to be a real force and I think people are doing great work to draw in big sponsors and ultimately showcase the sport,” said Bradford. “I would like to see the Championship operating a full time league and I would like to think Coventry United will be driving that forward and competing week in week out.”
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