WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Twice-taken penalty kick lifts lack-of-scoring England in 1-0 win over Haiti
England coach Sarina Wiegman says her squad are missing the ruthlessness needed to score goals, a troubling tendency that reared its ugly head in a 1-0 victory over minnows Haiti at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday.
Georgia Stanway’s penalty kick was the game’s only goal, stretching the Lionesses’ lack of a goal from open play to more than three games.
Haiti coach Nicolas Delepine had said a day earlier when asked about England’s weakness that they struggled in front of goal. There was no argument from Wiegman.
“I would say ruthlessness,” Wiegman told a press conference. “Well, it’s easy to say, ruthlessness.
“Sometimes it’s the connection with the cross, the timing of the cross, where the cross actually ends in the penalty box, then the connection in front of the goal, little things like that, that at the end you hope goes in.”
England misfired numerous times on Saturday, denied both by Haiti’s keeper Kerly Theus and their own timing and aim.
“We were very close a couple of times to scoring a goal and then of course, their defence was tough too,” Wiegman said. “So, we just keep trying, keep working on it.”
Haiti were a revelation in front of largely pro-England crowd of 44,369, playing far better than their 53rd ranking. They gave England fits all night, particularly Melchie Dumornay, a 19-year-old who plays for Lyon.
Dumornay fired a fierce right-footed shot that Mary Earps was forced to save early in the second half, and attempted a bicycle kick that, had it hit its mark, would surely have been a stunning finish.
“I can say if we do that against England we can do anything against anyone,” Dumornay told reporters.
Wiegman credited Haiti, making their World Cup debut, with playing a “very good game, too”.
“As we expected, unpredictable, very direct, very strong in their counter-attack,” the Dutch coach said. “They were really quick and very athletic, and we had to play the ball quicker to stay out of the duels, because there were physical too.
“I think the other two countries are going to really struggle with them. But of course, that’s not our problem. I’m just really happy that we got the win, and we have the first three points in a very hard game.”
England’s scoring drought comes despite their record 80 goals in World Cup qualifying. Ella Toone is the last player to have scored from open play, back on April 7 against Brazil in the Finalissima at Wembley.
Stanway said the victory was what counted.
“It’s so important when you get going in the tournament,” the midfielder said. “It’s been a long buildup to today and I think we’re kind of happy to just get over the line.
“They caused us problems, they were threatening on the counter-attack, they were fast and they were physical. And, yeah, they challenged us in areas that we probably didn’t really expect.”
The Lionesses play Denmark on July 28, then China on Aug. 1.
-Reuters
Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground on Friday night.
They achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2002 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
Although they created better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place from 17th October – 5th November. The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Despite heavy first leg loss, Algeria hopeful of a turnaround in Nigeria’s Flamingos clash
The Algeria U17 women’s national team still hope for a possible turnaround in this Friday night clash with Nigeria’s Flamingos.
Algeria lost 4-0 in the first leg match in Ikenne last Saturday.
The Algerians completed their preparations on Thursday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Centre, the eve of the return match against Nigeria.
The return match is scheduled for this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida. Aggregate winners will pick a ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s 2025 World Cup.
According to sources in Algeria, all the players took part in the final session, during which coach Abdenour Mira finalised the tactical details for the make or mar encounter.
Despite the heavy defeat conceded in the first leg (4-0), the young Algerians approach this match with the desire to finish well and deliver an honourable performance against a formidable Nigerian team.
During the technical meeting held early in the afternoon at the FAF headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the two teams and the organisers, it was decided that Algeria will play in green, while Nigeria will wear white.
The match will be officiated by Cameroonian Aline Marie Noelle Guimbang, assisted by her compatriot Laurie Marcelle Tsafack Teikeu and Chadian Victorine Ngarassoum.
The fourth official will also be Cameroonian, Innoncentia Njang Ntangti.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Under possible cold weather in Blida, Nigeria’s Flamingos set to grab World Cup ticket
The weather is most likely to be cold, but Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are set to continue a tradition of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which has had eight editions, out of which the Flamingos featured in seven.
Only Japan, with 100 per cent attendance, has featured in more competitions than Nigeria’s Flamingos.
They look poised to feature again after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria in the first leg of the final qualifying series.
Apart from their opponents, Algeria, they have the expected cold weather to battle with at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night.
Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarterfinalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8 pm, at a time when the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
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