The more than 28,000 English fans present on Wednesday night at Brighton’s Community Stadium will feel the quiver for a long time, before basking in the joy of the final whistle, at the end of extra time. While the “Three Lionesses” (the English national team’s nickname) were less than ten minutes behind in the quarter-final against Spain, they managed to turn the tide for victory in overtime (2-1, ap) thanks to the decisive and superb goal by Georgia Stanway, qualifying To the round of four what appears to be a euro.
However, not everything was so easy for the English, far from it. For most of the match, they were overtaken by the relaxed Spaniards, who perfected their play of short and frequent passes, not giving their opponents a chance to move forward. The first period was one-sided with the dominant Iberian players and the indifferent English. England’s truly impermissible Ellen White goal of offside position brought the “Three Lionesses” alive to some extent (37ᵉ) before the break, but very little to hold back the Spaniards.
The only thing missing for Jorge Vilda players is to establish their dominance with a goal. Except that since the start of this Euro, the English have not ceded a single match in three matches. Led by Dutchman Sarina Wijmann, the England squad made their goals-keeping Mary Erbs an almost impregnable fortress.
The English participants changed everything
The Spaniards finally managed to shake it up a few minutes after the start of the second half which resumed on the same basis as the first. It was Esther Gonzalez who tricked the English goalkeeper for the first time in the competition (54 score).
At that time, Athena del Castillo, who entered in the first half, made the English defense miserable. A few minutes later, the Real Madrid winger almost doubled his bet on a position converted into a shot, fired by Earps at the extreme (65 degrees). The storm passed, and then England moved forward to try to grab the extensions.
𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐒 🦁 🙌Lionesses 🙌 #weuro2022 | #ENG https://t.co/2G5z4jL0Pu
Lauren Hemp planted her first Pandrilla, with a higher bullet (76 degrees). The rescue for Brighton’s entire community stadium finally came from Ella Toone, the opportunist after Alicia Russo’s head swerved (84 degrees). Toone and Russo, two players entered during the match and proved that coach Wegmann’s choices were correct.
England will be the favorites in the semi-finals
The latter, who eliminated England in the semi-finals of Euro 2017 with Holland before winning the tournament, could not contain her joy with a brilliant strike by Stanway in extra time, which offered to qualify in the round of four in the “three”. lionesses ”(96 degrees).
The Spaniards would have paid at the end of the match without being able to return, leaving the competition at the same stage as in 2017, in the quarter-finals. A confirmed external player at the beginning of the competition, he was denied the Golden Ball award Alexia Butilas and the top scorer of the selection history Jennifer Hermoso, due to injury, La Roja left the competition with a good performance, after his victory over the English. So far the empire.
The latter will now have to position themselves as the top favorite in the semi-finals, against the winner of Friday’s quarter-final between Belgium and Sweden. All any country’s hopes rest on them, a year after their male counterparts failed in the Euro final against Italy at Wembley. The English’s goal is clear: to seek her first international title on July 30 at Wembley, to make up for last year’s disappointment and the loss of the European Women’s Championship final in 2009.
#Womens #Euro #England #qualified #semifinals #eliminating #Spain
