England beat Nigeria on penalties at the Women’s World Cup and while research has showed that going first can be decisive, there is a lot more to itAs soon as Millie Bright won the coin toss and chose to kick first in England’s last-16 World Cup penalty shootout against Nigeria, it became an advantage for the Lionesses. Even after Georgia Stanway missed the opening spot-kick, England still had a very good chance to go through and it is likely the players were aware of that.“Before the penalty shootout starts, it is not a 50-50, rather a 60-40 advantage towards whichever team goes first,” explains Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, a professor at the London School of Economics who has long researched the science...
There is no easy answer to the question of how to return one of the world’s best strikers to a cohesive team against France“I’m going to be honest,” offered coach Tony Gustavsson on Monday night, after the Matildas’ last-16 victory over Denmark was capped off with the return of captain Sam Kerr. “I could sit here and say it was easy, but it wasn’t. Those decisions are big.”The return of Kerr in the final stages of the second half in Sydney was a symbolic moment – the return of their “spiritual leader”following her calf injury on the eve of the tournament. Kerr began to warm up with her team holding a slender one-goal advantage; she was brought on after Hayley...
For all the talk in recent weeks of the Matildas missing Sam Kerr, another of the world’s best attackers has been playing all alongIt was a perfect case study in the brilliance of Caitlin Foord. When the Matildas forward gained possession midway through the first half against Denmark night, she was deep in her own team’s half. This would have come as no surprise to her colleagues, who regularly hail Foord’s defensive work ethic.The forward quickly dispatched a crisp pass to Mary Fowler. And then she took off. Foord has variety in her attacking arsenal. She can outwit defenders as she runs at them with the ball; she can pass her way through most midfields. But Foord is at her...
By using an injury timeout to regroup, the Matildas show their increasing maturity and composure in win against Denmark Golden boot tracker Your bumper guide to all 736 players Four years ago, it was the nightmare in Nice. This time it was the celebration in Sydney. Where lapses of mental fortitude against Norway at the 2019 World Cup led to the Matildas exiting the tournament in the last 16, maturity and toughness saw them through against Denmark on Monday.Without one, the Matildas may not have managed the other. This was a journey that began in the bowels of the Stade de Nice on a French summer’s night with the captain, Sam Kerr, in tears having missed their opening penalty of...
Sarina Wiegman’s tactical switch risks playing to their last-16 rivals’ strengths but her tight-knit defence should be up to the jobAs one of seven teams to have qualified for all nine Women’s World Cups, Nigeria will not regard themselves as underdogs against England on Monday. Admittedly, the Super Falcons have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals but, after beating Australia 3-2 and drawing 0-0 with the Olympic champions, Canada, their confidence is high.It probably suits Randy Waldrum’s side that a lot of England fans are likely to underestimate them, but Sarina Wiegman will know an awful lot hinges on the quality and discipline of her team’s press in their new 3-5-2 formation. Continue reading...