England’s chances of winning the SheBelieves Cup are now gone after an agonising defeat to Germany.
Toni Duggan gave the Lionesses the lead, but a fluke own goal by Gilly Flaherty and a penalty from Babett Peter won it for Germany.
England started well as Alex Greenwood fired over after Saskia Barbusiak’s clearance fell to her, and it was her cross moments later that found it’s way to Toni Duggan. It was the first goal Germany had conceded since Fara Williams’ penalty in the World Cup Bronze medal match last summer.
The Lionesses took control against a largely unrecognizable team from that side that played in that match, as first Demi Stokes, and then Duggan came close to doubling the lead.
Karen Bardsley wasn’t tested by the opposition until the 37th minute when Alexandra Popp’s forced a save. They could have equalised on the stroke of half time when the ball fell to Isabel Kerschowski but Steph Houghton produced heroics to block the goal bound shot.
A quiet start to the second half saw both sides limited to long range chances, but it burst into life in the last 15 minutes. Popp found the back of the net for Germany, but her header was ruled out for offside, then moments later they did equalise. A seemingly innoucuous cross from Sophie Dabritz took a massive deflection off Flaherty, and found its way past a helpless Bardsley.
With ten minutes to go, a controversial penalty decision that England manager Mark Sampson branded ‘a joke’ won the game for Germany. Fara Williams, who made her 150th international appearance in the game, brought down the ever-involved Popp in the box, but replays showed she won the ball, with Popp kicking Williams in order to tumble.
Babett Peter squeezed the ball low to Bardsley’s right to win the game.
The final round of games take place in Boca Raton, Florida, on Wednesday. The Lionesses play France, whilst the USA will play Germany with the victor winning the SheBelieves Cup.
Teams:
Germany: Benkarth, Hendrich, Henning (Peter), Bartusiak, Kemme (Maier), Marozsan (Dabritz), Behringer (Goessling), Blasse, Islacker (Magull), Kerschowski (Mittag), Popp. Unused subs: Schult, Krahn, Huth. Peterman, Weiss, Doorsoun-Khajeh.
England: Bardsley, Scott, Houghton, Flaherty (Stoney), Greenwood (Carney), Williams, Nobbs (Davison), Chapman, Stokes, Scott, Duggan (Kirby). Unused subs: Bronze, Taylor, Chamberlain, Rafferty, Bassett, Christiansen, Aluko, Telford.
