Quarter-Final Berth
The Lionesses are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Nigeria. Football is set to come home and, as far as I’m concerned, FIFA may as well give England the World Cup trophy already.
Lauren James, one of the tournament’s best players so far, was sent off in the 87th minute after a stamp and, for a while, it looked like Sarina Weigman’s women were doomed to the same fate as the men’s team at the Qatar World Cup - fading away after an impressive start.
This, however, was not the case, and England are through to the last eight thanks to a rare penalty shootout win. Weigman’s troops are now seasoned when it comes to shooutouts however, having honed their skills in the Finalissima victory against Brazil in April.
World Cup Win A Major Boost
The Qatar World Cup was painful and the upcoming Rugby World Cup will most likely be a disaster, so a maiden Women’s World Cup win will be a much-needed boost. Were England at their best against Nigeria? Absolutely not, but the best teams always find a way to win regardless of performance.
Questions need to be asked about the limp display, however, and Chloe Kelly (who scored the decisive winners against both Nigeria and Germany) can only bail England out so many times. Sarina Weigman must not buy into sensationalism and discard the calm leadership she’s been so well-known for. England has one hand on the World Cup trophy, and history tells us that letting your guard down never ends well.
The United States have dominated women’s football for the past several years, but a penalty shootout loss to Sweden has made it clear that their reign is coming to an end. With a vacancy open at the summit of women’s football, it would be a crime if England didn’t go all the way and write their already-esteemed names further into the history books.
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