New Women's football thread (inc World Cup) 2023-26

[sussexpob]

Its another shower of misses....

One penalty for the cup, COME ON

[sussexpob]

Come on Chloe...

[sussexpob]

Never in doubt with Chloe.... Get in girls, love it!

Guess Spain can't blame an incompetent male coach this time

[Gingerfinch]

WOW! Some terrible pens again but Kelly was always going to score

I was actually moaning to my daughter that she didn't take the fourth one but it worked out in the end

[Gingerfinch]

:party

Never in doubt with Chloe.... Get in girls, love it!

Guess Spain can't blame an incompetent male coach this time

No kisses required this time!

[Gingerfinch]

Gotta say that Carter was superb today. I've been well critical and imo rightly so but fair play to her, she looked sharper and her positional play was better.

[sussexpob]

Never understand why teams don't change the list of takers. Bonmati stepped up, you just knew she'd miss...she didn't want to take it, her face said it all.

[sussexpob]

Made up for the girls though. What a side. Hung in there and delivered when it mattered. Balls of steel

[Durhamfootman]

there you go

they did it then

I've just checked the score. I was walking home from the allotment (you're all welcome btw) and at 7.05 I heard a voice shout "come on", so I figured it must have gone to extra time. I then figured it would surely go to pens, so I made my tea before I checked the score

Tea is ready, so I'm going to settle down and watch the game

[sussexpob]

Lead for 4 of 360 minutes of knock out football lol. Oh well, it's been the other way so many times I don't care.

Actually buzzing about the win.

[Durhamfootman]

Ah... well done girls

I thought they played really well. Matched Spain for the first quarter then sat a little deep after going a goal down, which is fair enough, I suppose, because if Spain got another the game's dead. Second half I thought England were better than Spain. It was a great equaliser (as good as the opener for Spain) and from that point on England were the first to everything and controlled the game for a big chunk of that second half..... you could tell that by the number of Spain players screaming and rolling around when they had marauding lionesses boxing them in and giving them the hurry up. Ha.... I kept thinking of Genesis and their 'invisible touch'.

Spain pretty much dominated the extra time, but England dominated the shoot out. It came as no surprise to me that Paralluelo missed her pen, because, just as in the semi final, when she came on she pretty much air kicked every chance that came her way.... the sub role is clearly not the right role for her. It is for Kelly though. England were immediately more threatening from the moment she came on

I thought Hemp was terrific. I was chuffed that Russo got the goal that a whole tournament of running and chasing and harrying deserved. All of them worked their socks off in that game. They had to dig deep in extra time, but they absolutely didn't just let Spain have it their own way. They were sharper than in the last 2 games and much more positive in the press. Both Germany and to a lesser extent Switzerland showed how it was possible to get after Spain and they learned those lessons pretty well. Hampton had a good game, but aside from one smart save from close range, it was her positioning that made the other saves pretty comfortable

I agree entirely with ginger about Carter. After an iffy start where she rushed out and committed herself to a header that she didn't win, she settled down and put in her best performance for a while. They all did well. It was the energy that I liked... it isn't always there, but it was today

All told it was a really good game. Both teams had their periods of control and their chances. It was generally played in good heart and the officials managed the game pretty well with no obvious controversies. There's a part of me that thinks only England players got yellow cards, which is quite telling in a game where it was Spain practising the dark arts, but there you go

Bonmati had a few periods where she went a bit quiet. Spain's best player today was Caldentey if you ask me. Odd that she had her pen saved, because I thought she'd bury it, but it was a bit soft really. The save from Bonmati was a corker. Quite right that it was Kelly scoring the winner.... again!

[Durhamfootman]

well, I'm trying to think back to recent meetings between the two sides.

2-1 England QF '22
1-0 Spain WC F '23
1-0 England Nations league
2-1 Spain nations league
1-1 England win on penalties

they do tend to be tight matches

edit

[Durhamfootman]

I reckon Chloe Kelly deserves an MBE

oh blimey... if Gareth S warranted a knighthood, then Kelly deserves a damehood, freedom to walk sheep across every bridge in the land, all the out of date pies she can eat (the Mike Ashley employee salary scheme) and probably one of the royal residences that King Charles doesn't use. I'm sure Andrew wouldn't mind fcuking off somewhere else to live (top room of a tower somewhere secret with no key hole on the inside perhaps)

[Gingerfinch]

Can Sarina get an honorary damehood?

[Durhamfootman]

I think so

and it would be much more deserving than Sir G