Women's football

[Gingerfinch]

Kelly was awesome. Very direct and has the quality to go with it. Hemp again disappointed me by playing the easy ball especially as she’s the best player we have with the ball at her feet. James was good again but she’s no Beth Mead quite yet. Greenwood’s lack of pace and Bright’s distribution still worry me a little though it mattered little last night. One shot one goal wasn’t it? Great strike mind. Not even Roebuck would have got that!

[Durhamfootman]

yes, it was a terrific strike... and came from nowhere too

[Durhamfootman]

to add insult to injury, Durham women were knocked out of the FA cup by Man Utd as well... 5-0 this time

[Gingerfinch]

Oh well soon be the Cricket season, Footman!

[Durhamfootman]

thank goodness Durham CCC can't play Manchester Utd

[Gingerfinch]

thank goodness Durham CCC can't play Manchester Utd

Lancashire?

[Durhamfootman]

nope

at least not in the one that matters

[Durhamfootman]

very useful game for England, that

Dominant first half, if a little loose and a bit sloppy at times. Terrific goal scored, another disallowed and this against a Brazil side set up to defend with 5 at the back. Second half a completely different story. Brazil changed shape, brought on a couple of subs at half time and went for the high press at full throttle which England really struggled to cope with. It was literally all Brazil for big chunks of the second half. England were rattled, they back passed to a Brazil player 3 times in the first 20 mins of the second half and a couple of times more after that. England got away with a few in that half, but Earps spilled the ball for the equaliser deep into time added on and it would hard to argue that Brazil didn't fully deserve that leveller.

Staright to pens, which was interesting, because I've not seen a women's penalty shoot out before. Both keepers nearly saved the first. Both keepers saved the second... Toone's was a poor weak penalty. Brazil hit the bar with their third whilst Daly, Greenwood and Kelly all lashed the ball into the net... good strong pens... to win the match and the trophy

[Durhamfootman]

I wonder if Ginger went

[Durhamfootman]

I don't know what the trophy was. I presume it was European champs v S America champs, but that's just a guess

[Gingerfinch]

I wonder if Ginger went

We were supposed to but we double booked, so gave our tickets to friends. I’m in Southend for a night a away if rides and long piers.

I read that we were a bit lucky?

[Durhamfootman]

we were certainly put under enormous pressure in the second half and it was a bit harum scarum at times, but England haven't been put under that sort pressure since the Spain and Germany games last year, so it will have done them good. There was also an element of experimentation going on with Carter at left back and Greenwood at left half. Williamson played at right half, so maybe they are preparing for the WC should Bright not fully recover. They've tried different combinations for that back four a few times recently.

Carter looked a bit lost in the first half when England were on the front foot, but grew into the game. She was vital in the second half when there was some serious defending to be done against Geyse (?) down the Brazil right who was probably the best player on the pitch last night and looked a threat every time she had the ball. Carter made a couple of good last ditch tackles on the edge of the area. Perhaps that's precisely why she started at left back, who knows

[Durhamfootman]

Australia friendly next week

[Gingerfinch]

2-0 down. have we played or reserves?

[Durhamfootman]

I watched the first half and went to bed once i realised the second half was not going to improve which took about 5 mins.

England were dreadful.... probably the worst half of football they've played under Weigman. Yes the conditions were terrible, it was hammering down for the entire half, but they didn't adapt to them to all. Pretty much every long pass played along the ground, including the pass between defenders and back to Earps, ended up short in the damp and Australia were very much alive to that, but England kept on doing it. They got away with it 2 or 3 times early in the match but didn't learn the lesson and eventually an attempted back header under pressure to Earps stuck on the wet grass and Kerr nipped in and took her goal well.

It was a dismal, dismal performance. The sort of thing that happens at the end of the season. The players looked tired, devoid of ideas, flat.

The saving grace is that eventually by the law of averages England had to lose a match. Better that it came in a friendly (although it's iritating that it had to be Australia) than in a round of 16 match in the WC.

I still think Bright is a huge miss, because England's defending has been decidedly shaky in these last two matches. Sarina has been experimenting with centre back pairings and nothing has seemed to gel. With the exception of Mead, nothing further up the pitch has changed much. Just a flat, tired, uninspired performance