Huge victories do not always carry deep meaning but Norway melted when faced by the hosts’ startling aggressionBobby Charlton was performing his national service in Shrewsbury when Manchester United played their first home European tie. He got a lift up to Maine Road (Old Trafford’s first set of floodlights was still being installed) with a Sgt-Maj White and watched enthralled as Matt Busby’s young side beat Anderlecht 10-0 to complete a 12-0 aggregate victory. In the mess the next day, Charlton found it almost impossible to convince people that United had been brilliant: 10-0, they insisted, was a measure less of United’s excellence than of how weak the Belgian champions must be.That’s the problem with emphatic victories: they can almost...
England beating Norway 8-0 led to criticism of the women’s game but why treat it differently to Germany 7-1 Brazil?England were fantastic at Brighton on Monday but I was still shocked by Norway’s capitulation. It’s rare for teams at that level to lose 8-0 – and going into Euro 2022 Martin Sjögren side’s were ranked 11th in the world, only three places behind the Lionesses – but, crucially, it’s far from unprecedented. And, no, that record scoreline hasn’t damaged the tournament, let alone its credibility.Remember that during the 2014 men’s World Cup something similar happened to Brazil when they were thrashed 7-1 by Germany. As recently as 2020 Aston Villa beat Liverpool 7-2 in a Premier League match, while Southampton,...
After watching the 8-0 win against the former European champions, it was reasonable to feel a little concussedThe half-time whistle feels like an act of mercy. As Norway’s traumatised players sprint down the tunnel towards the four solid walls of the dressing room, England saunter off the turf with broad smiles, trying and failing to pretend this is still a meaningful contest.On the sidelines, the St John’s Ambulance staff are chuckling behind their masks. In the stands, mouths are dropping agape and there is simply not enough air in the stadium to fill them. Up in the gantry, holding a BBC microphone, Jonas Eidevall looks utterly stunned, like he’s just seen a sheep doing geometry. The mood is giddy, bordering...
The Lionesses face their toughest group game against Norway whose striker is looking to make up for lost timeWe will have a better perception of England’s Euro 2022 chances after they have played Norway on Monday night. I believe the depth of talent in Sarina Wiegman’s squad will be enough to reach the final but this is their toughest group game. If they are to frustrate Ada Hegerberg and the rest of a Norway team adept at playing between the lines, England’s defenders must be solid and remain in constant communication. Their focus at set pieces needs to be 100%.A lot of people ask if I’m envious of England’s players and regret being retired but my overriding emotions are happiness...
England dismantled Norway with a high-calibre display but it is too early to be getting carried away given the quality of semi-final opposition that awaitsWhat an exceptional performance England produced in their quarter-final victory over Norway. It might have come as a surprise to anyone who saw the last-16 games, in which the English beat Cameroon despite quite a sloppy defensive display while Norway were superb as a unit against Australia, with a string of outstanding individuals such as Caroline Graham Hansen, Guro Reiten and Isabell Herlovsen. England were incredible on Thursday, producing the best display I have seen from them in a long time to make Norway appear feeble.There has been incremental growth under Phil Neville. England won the...