England came into the tie against hosts Canada as the underdogs. They left with a place in the semi-final; the furthest any English women’s side has ever ventured.
History was made as Jodie Taylor punished Lauren Sesselmann’s fatal slip in emphatic fashion, drilling the ball past Erin McLeod to silence a sell-out home crowd before things got worse for Canada just three minutes later as Lucy Bronze, who scored a wondergoal in the last sixteen match to rescue a lacklustre England performance, popped up with another all-important goal. This time the dominant right-back peeled off to the back post where she met Fara Williams’curling free-kick; the ball looped up in the air, seeming to hover for a lifetime, before crashing into the underside of the bar and over the line.
Delirium for England, heartbreak for Canada and despite Christine Sinclair’s late first-half goal, the hosts could not forge a complete comeback.
1. Desire.
Admittedly, England’s game plan isn’t always pretty. However, they’re developing a knack of grinding out results. They won this game through the sheer determination that has grown as every round of this tournament has come and gone. A close-knit group of players – friends even – each worked as hard as possible for each other. It showed on the pitch; the pressurising was relentless, and from that the opportunity to score the opener materialised. Last-ditch tackles, constant midfield battles and a never-say-die work ethic paid dividend.
2. Canada didn’t do their homework.
The hosts appeared somewhat naive in their set-up for this match. They will have known that England aren’t the most technical side; they will have known that their expertise lies in strength and power, yet they failed to equip themselves to effectively guard against this.
For the second goal, Allysha Chapman looked bewildered as Lucy Bronze sneaked around her blind side to beat her to the crucial header before being left on the floor, helpless as the ball hit the back of the net. But surely Canada should be putting someone bigger than 5”3 up against the aerial threat of Bronze, who stands five inches taller. A similar thing happened soon after as English namesake Katie Chapman met yet another free-kick. And again it looped in a threatening parabola only to ricochet off the bar.
3. Excellent England defending.
The attacking was practically done within the first 20 minutes. England had two priceless goals. But as we know, ‘2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in football’. It would require, and ultimately received, an unerring resilient performance at the back and it could well have been a clean sheet had Karen Bardsley not fumbled a cross-come-shot from Lawrence. Canada were in the ascendancy in the second half, buoyed by their goal and the strength in character shown by the English women was hugely significant. They were meticulous, professional and a passion to win oozed out of every Lioness. Oh what a refreshing difference to the men’s side.
4. What could have been.
Sinclair was influential in the opening few minutes and backed by a raucous home crowd the Canadians looked to take the advantage. Some tasty trickery allowed Sinclair to slip past two England defenders before playing a cross-field ball to Melissa Tancredi who controlled competently. A simple cut-inside opened up one of the opportunities of the entire game but the 33-year old lacked the composure and quality to finish, skewing the ball high and wide. Had that gone in, the stadium would have inevitably erupted and the momentum it would have brought would likely have carried Canada through to the semi-final.
5. England have come so far, but just how far can they go?
England have just kept on surpassing the expectations of the masses. It’s as if they enjoy being the underdogs. With every win comes more momentum, more support and more excitement for the women’s game. Now they’re just one step away from the final with Japan in their way.
England’s opening game against France saw a performance devoid of much quality. Eniola Aluko started up front and the dynamic was all wrong. She was having to chase down long, hopeful balls to which she and England received little reward. A few key changes from Mark Sampson have provided more to cheer, and England have since shown more mettle going forward. Even when they haven’t played that well, they’ve won and that’s such a priceless commodity.
Japan do have a reputation for being technical and often enjoy plenty of possession. Yet the English side beat the current World Champions on their last meeting. It could be a case of strength again working to England’s advantage; but how far can that take the ever-accumulating hopes of a nation? Regardless, they’ve done England proud and anything more is a bonus.
