England claimed their place in the quarter finals with an emphatic second half performance against Norway last night.
As predicted, and perhaps dreaded, the first half was a cagey affair and England played with just Toni Duggan fighting a lost cause up front, isolated and losing out constantly to the solid Norwegian defence. England struggled to find any fluency and frequently cheaply gave the ball away. The pundits in the studio were frustrated at half time. However, crucially Karen Bardsley made a couple of confidence boosting saves to keep the team in the mix a definite positive.
The second half was a different affair, but the catalyst was a corner given away and from which Norway’s Gulbrandsen scored their goal, (I seem to be alone in thinking that Bardsley was bundled into the net to make way for the scorer but that’s neither here nor there).
Mark Sampson had turned to Jill Scott in place of Fran Kirby who had worked tirelessly for little reward, and despite the goal coming for Norway seconds after the substitution had been made, the change sparked a revival. England began to take charge in midfield and although now a goal down, finally England played with some belief and began to look threatening in attack. The equalising goal came from another corner and this time Captain Steph Houghton powered a header away from the keeper into the corner.
Sampson had also introduced Jodie Taylor for Duggan and it was Taylor who laid the ball back for the 25 yard strike from Lucy Bronze that put England in the lead for the first time. Bronze admitted afterwards that normally she would pass the ball but had been encouraged by her team mates to have a shot and that’s exactly what she did.
Norway had several chances to get themselves back into the game but resolute defending kept them at bay and earned this England team a little bit of history as the first England women’s team ever to get to the Quarter Finals of a World Cup. They go on to play Canada in Vancouver on 27th June.
Quarter Finals
Game 45 – 26 June – China v USA
Game 46 – 26 June – Germany v France
Game 47 – 27 June – Australia v Japan
Game 48 – 27 June – England v Canada
