Holmes_and_Watson

Poster

Whew! That was a great watch. So proud of the squad (and all the players before them) for working so hard together and getting their reward. As expected it was a bruising, physical encounter. But what it lacked in the flair of some of the other matches, it more than made up for in tension. Like the other matches, strong challenges are allowed. Germany seem to be good at knowing just where that line is, getting in a lot of boderline challenges, and a few over that line throughout the match (Oberdorf being a main culprit). England ended up with two early yellow cards, which had me worried (especially as Stanway stayed on after a couple of other fouls). Germany started to look the more likely before the break and in a strong spell at the start of the second half. England kept at it, without really being able to release a well shackled Mead and without the clear run into space that Hemp often gets. They kept Germany's chances to a minimum, didn't over-commit going forward and trusted that they would get their opportunities. Very impressed with Toone's goal. under pressure forom defender and onrushing keeper, she got enough lift to get it over and in. And it was a game that needed that level of composure and skill to get a breakthough. I was thinking that England might be able to hang on. Popp getting injured in the warm up was a big blow for Germany, but both Magull and Dallmann had been had looked dangerous in the tournament. With Dallmann on the bench, Magull looked the most likely and it was past Earps before she could parry it away. As the game went on and entered extra time, I thought Germany's experience in finals and the energy levels they'd showed in previous games would pay off. But all credit to England who had shown lots of stamina throughout the tournament too. Hemp, in particular, didn't stop all game. The game certainly stretched, as players tired. But,a s much as that might have suited Germany, it did allow Walsh some space to pass. It might have been a scrappy goal, but Kelly had made a difference as a sub in previous games. Jill Scott and Greenwood also played important roles in the win. Scott might be the veteran in the squad, but her positioning and little touches and niggles kept England on the front foot. Greenwood is a very able repalcement for Daly in the same way that Russo comes on to offer soemthing different to White. It was just an amazing feeling to think that England were finally the ones who could be going on to win a final. Very composed game management in the final 7/8 mins of the game. England kept it in the corners when they could. The commentators mentioned it was the first England final win in 56 years. But it's been about a lot more than that. It's been about the hard, difficult progression of football for women in Britain and hopefully a further platform for it's ongoing development, investment and success.

Tower

That view saves me a post...oh, wait...🙂

Top

Oh great, another thread peppered with puns.

Chicken

Rubber

Brace

I didn't know either of those. Thanks for sharing.

Prey

That's the tears at the Liverpool game explained.

59mins -AA is brought on. 60mins - AA falls over after a soft challenge. 61mins - Physio reaches AA. Drinks/rest break for the Saints! 62mins - AA is brought off at first throw in after ref restarts. 🙂

Crab

And that goes way back to him appearing in the mid 1960s feature film with the Dalek Invasion. He adds a bit of lightness to quite a bleak film. Excellent at everything he was involved in, whether narration, acting or novelty records.

Cheese

Rat

A much scrappier game than the previous games for either team. That was due to the amount of work going on in the middle. The high work rate there nullified a lot of attacking threat. It also resulted in plenty of moves that broke down and some misplaced passing. In the end it suited Germany more, as they had a top striker in Popp, while France struggled to create through Cascarino and Bacha. Renard did get a couple of headers in, but Germany never felt likely to concede a second. Either of these two had showed enough in the tournament to potentially beat England. A battling contest here belies the serious threat Germany will pose in the final. They managed to shut down both the French midfield and their creative players. England will have to be planning on ways to not let that happen to them.

No more caps for Grealish then. 🙂

Crack

Fair comment. There's always the chance that enough of the young talent struggle to settle that results in us trotting out the same team with the same results as the end of last season. To offset that though is that some are at a level where they'd be playing more regularly if they weren't at a top 4 club, like Tino last year, some have had good loan spells and some already have had first team experience at their parent clubs. So a bit stronger than Lowe's time. They have an experienced group around them, so it's not going to be all youngsters. The strength in depth should be pushing the previous first teamers to up their game. It should also enable Ralph to have more comfort to change things as required. You'd hope everyone coming in is suitable for RalphBall v2.0 after v1.0 got found out. For those now surplus to requirements, it should also be pushing their agents to get them new clubs if they want to kick a ball next season. There will always be a bit of concern from me short of us having a squad of super stars. I'm pleased with the quality of those we've brought in. But a lot is on Ralph's shoulders as he dictates his automatism style of football. If that's as fragile as last season, any number of squads would suffer the consequences.

Invisible

Couldn't have got off to a better start to the second half. Strong, directed downward header from Bronze, with Hemp onside and blocking some of the view for the keeper. But Sweden, like other teams against England, will look to their lack of finishing. They had a couple of good headed chances. At the other end Hemp missed a bit of a sitter, before Sweden had another good chance. England are among the most versatile teams in the tournament. They struggle with Walsh cut off. They can have issues with White closely marked. But Mead and Hemp in particular offer pace, strength and trickery. Stanway and Kirby offer attacking options and Daly's time as a forward enables her to pick out spaces for the attackers. England have strengths across the team. So, if one approach fails they can find a way round it. Russo delivered again from the bench. Involved from the second she came on, getting a clever back heeled third. The Swedish keeper will not look back on the game fondly, with Russo's effort going through her legs. She should have got more on Kirby's goal, a chip that she got hands to, but couldn't keep out. Her positioning for the first wasn't the best either. By that stage England were in control. Kelly offers plenty of attacking threat, coming on late. Each of the subs did well, in controlling the game to the end. 4-0 might seem flattering, but England had to dig in early and work hard. The scoreline reflects how, unlike other teams here, how unpredictable they can be, offering threats from different areas. They will have to still work at stopping opponents getting clear chances, particularly early in the game. Looking forward to seeing if it's a final against Germany or France.

England have to be very pleased to be taking a 1-0 lead into half time. Sweden nearly went ahead within the first minute. They, like Spain, stopped the supply from Walsh. England looked to thread passes through the lines. But Sweden are narrow enough that it meant they regained possession and put England under pressure again. Sweden looked far the more likely, getting a few chances including one off the bar from close range. England, being closed down were forced to be more direct. The strength of Kirby and Hemp brought England back into it. Lots of excellent passing out from deep for England. Sweden dropping back opened space up for Walsh again. Bronze had been caught out taking players on,and Mead had a couple of loose passes. But it was Bronze's delivery into the middl, that reached Meade to give their team the lead. It was a confident finish to the half from England who had a couple more efforts, mostly from range. But will they be able to control the second half and survive more Swedish pressure?

Poor presenter. I hope she fully recovers from her brain shutting down to protect itself from any more rubbish from the candidates. Not a super look from Truss though.