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

[Durhamfootman]

He knows a lot about the magic roundabout in Swindon as I discovered when he commentated on a game down there

Like TMS and *modded* Dundee cake sent in by mrs Wiggley from chipping norton

[sussexpob]

Iceland are a tough team to watch. Seem to spend 50 percent of their time cynically fouling teams, and 50 percent of their time rolling around the floor because someone farted near them....

[Durhamfootman]

Ah….. the Central America approach

[Durhamfootman]

Are the fans doing the thunder clapping? I always quite appreciated that

[GarlicJam]

Are the fans doing the thunder clapping? I always quite appreciated that

Their progress and the rapid growth of the thunder clap was huge around the world, I think, during the Euro championship, wasn't it?

An NRL (Rugby League) team, Canberra took the clap on for their home games - they are the Raiders, with the imitation Viking emblem. I enjoyed watching it.

Especially when my team (the Sharks) beat them in their home semi-final (on the Sharkies' way to their only ever premiership) and our serial pest had fun taunting the crowd with the clap.
Great byplay.

[Durhamfootman]

requires good timing/co-ordination, I imagine

[Durhamfootman]

oh blimey.... not only did Germany have a player named Kuntz, which was used to great comedic effect, but now their women's team has a player named Minge

An early German goal was ruled out by VAR..... offside and interfering with the goalkeeper's eye line...... a bit iffy, given how far away from the keeper the offending player was, but there you go. It seems to have unsettled them a touch and now Denmark have compounded that by scoring themselves

[Durhamfootman]

Lionesses romp to a win, making me eat my words. All they have to do is put about four past wales too, because they aren’t home and dry yet. goal difference might decide this on Sunday

[sussexpob]

Wales getting battered by France

[Durhamfootman]

England played really well today. Best I've seen them play for a while. They pressed hard, particularly in the first half and pressured the Dutch into making loads of mistakes whenever they had the ball, meaning that no-one had either the time or the space to play a long ball in behind England, where they've struggled for about 2 years. They played very positively and very directly, with none of the faffing about playing those neat triangles in their own half that give teams loads of time to get back into shape. They played the kind of football that I really like to watch..... no tippy tappy stuff and no playing backwards all the time..... fast paced, direct, lots of attacking intent, wingers bombing down the sides and getting in behind.... really good! They were the first to everything tonight and if they lost the ball they won it back instantly

It was just good, positive, threatening football and the Dutch couldn't cope with it at all. Because everyone played really well, there were no real standout performers, but I will say that England scored 2 goals almost directly from balls kicked out by Hampton. One of England's four goals came from a drilled Hampton long pass along the ground, straight down the middle, that split the defence wide open and allowed Russo in behind them to set up the goal. I don't think I've seen a ball played out like that from a keeper before. At times it looked as though Hampton was playing as a centre half between Williamson and Carter, because she was rarely to be found in her box, such was the England dominance.

For the first time in a while England have given me a little hope

[sussexpob]

oh blimey.... not only did Germany have a player named Kuntz, which was used to great comedic effect, but now their women's team has a player named Minge

She is playing tonight too. I am so buying her Germany shirt next time I go shopping in Aachen. It can go with my Lanus shirt, and my Newell's Old Boy hat I bought in Argentina (abbreviated NOB)

[Durhamfootman]

Germany screwed up good and proper. Player sent off after half an hour for punching away a goal. Brainless really. Gave her team no chance at all of coming back

If England beat Wales, they are pretty much nailed on to make the QF's no matter what NL do. Finish behind France (very likely) they get the top half of the draw with Sweden in the QFs and probably Norway in the SF's if they win. Finish ahead of France (not very likely at all) and they go to the bottom half of the draw to face Germany and then (nailed on certainty) Spain in the SF

England need to follow the Southgate model of scraping into a second placed finish by being generally underwhelming and then somehow, improbably and inexplicably find themselves in the easiest half of the draw................ then all they have to do is not follow the Southgate model of *modded* it up by being totally sh1t just when it really matters..... oh, and pick up a knighthood despite being completely intransigent, tactically inept and generally useless

[sussexpob]

:laugh

Germany screwed up good and proper. Player sent off after half an hour for punching away a goal. Brainless really. Gave her team no chance at all of coming back

She knew it was stupid as soon as she did it

[Gingerfinch]

Well this has been easier than I thought it would be. Still, let's not mess around with it too much around the back. A better team will take advantage.

[Durhamfootman]

Even Wales were able to take advantage, so although England have played well in these last 2 games, their lack of pace to counter the whippet and the long through ball remains ever present