Sarina Wiegman’s 3-4-1-2 system carried them to the final but was undone by one moment of miscommunicationOne instance. One rush of over-enthusiasm. One split second of miscommunication. That was enough to see England’s World Cup dreams lie in tatters. It was a moment that caused the holes to appear in the Lionesses’ new-found tactical formation, a system that had been a huge key to their success in Australia but also, on this occasion, led to their downfall.It all happened in a flash with little under half an hour on the clock. Lucy Bronze, a forward-thinking wing-back, surged ahead on an inverted run. Whether she needed to go at that particular moment is a separate debate, with the game firmly in...
As the 2023 World Cup final plays out without them, the Matildas are vowing to go one better on the world stage at the 2024 Paris OlympicsAnd so a remarkable month comes to a close for the Matildas. It ends not with a World Cup trophy, but not far off either. In fourth place, the team secured Australia’s best-ever result for a senior national team of any gender, and the second best placing for a Women’s World Cup host. By captivating the nation, delighting the public imagination, the Matildas ensured the first-ever World Cup on home soil will never be forgotten.On Sunday morning, the team gathered for one last public appearance before the squad disbands. Cheered on by almost 5,000...
Country that also holds the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups triumphed in spite of Jorge Vilda and could dominate for yearsHow Spain managed to win the World Cup amid so many layers of complexity surely must be the subject of a documentary. On the field, their triumph is an enormous win for youth football and a celebration of the country’s enviable depth of talent. In addition to this magnificent World Cup title, Spain are also the holders of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup and last year retained the Under-17 equivalent.One player has won all of those trophies – the young player of the tournament, Salma Paralluelo. In a sense, that makes the 19-year-old sensation the embodiment of Spain’s success at...
It is possible to revel in a fourth-place finish and still push for an even better future by asking difficult questionsThese two things can both be true: the Matildas overachieved at this World Cup, and underachieved against Sweden on Saturday.Australia’s fourth-placed finish at the World Cup following a magical month that enchanted a nation is better than anyone could have expected. Indeed, with the exception of the USA, it is the best-ever performance by a host country. Australians should rightly feel proud of these Matildas after a heroic World Cup run, in the face of sustained adversity – most notably Sam Kerr’s calf injury. Continue reading...
The Lionesses face a different kind of challenge against La Roja and I’d vary the approach in their pressing to disrupt Bonmatí and coAt last year’s Euros quarter-final in Brighton, Spain gave England the biggest scare of the tournament they eventually won. In 2019’s World Cup, Spain narrowly lost to the US, who won it in the end. They may very well have been the second-best team at both tournaments.A year on from the Amex, and for differing reasons, both teams feature different players but they still go into Sunday’s World Cup final as the two best teams in the tournament. I don’t think it makes sense to speak about the missing players (those who walked out for Spain and...