England's Alessia Russo (right) had a number of chances against Portugal. Credit: PA/Martin Rickett England 0 Portugal 0 < p>England's top attacking contenders at the Women's World Cup missed out on a chance to secure a place in Sarina Wigman's starting line-up as they missed a goal in a goalless draw against Portugal and The head coach had a lot to think about.
Wigman admitted that she is “no closer” to knowing her starting line-up for the World Cup than she was before this game, and that competition remains “really tough” in “some positions”, but while she expressed frustration at her team's wastefulness in front of the goal, she remained positive regarding the numerous moments they created.
In terms of individual sparks, half-time substitutes Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo brought fresh energy and dangerous movement to the Lionesses with performances that could boost their chances of making the team to a certain extent, and also a skilled young forward Lauren. James's ability to get past defenders with ease was evident to all.
Lauren James added momentum to an England frontline that lacked cutting-edge technology. Photo: PA/Martin Rickett. Three weeks remain before England take on Haiti in the first leg of the tournament, hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August. Is it time to panic?
Not yet, certainly not after a friendly warm-up, aimed mainly at improving physical fitness. But it was not the reassuring, crowd-pleasing, celebratory send-off that England had hoped for after their farewell match before flying out of Heathrow on Wednesday night.
“We're very disappointed that we didn't win this game,” Wigman said. “But we're also learning a lot from it and I think we've seen at some points what we're really working on. In the first half we were too slow and we had too many players behind the ball. We played much better in the second half. We had players taller and we created more chances.”
England have some strong options ahead and one of the key questions facing Wigman in the World Cup was whether Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly or Russo would start at number nine, or, maybe c- Tottenham striker Bethany England, who scored 12 goals in the last 12 games of the Women's Super League, will get the nod.
Wigman decided to give WSL Golden Boot winner Daly a chance to start, and the 31-year-old had a few half chances, but the first 45 minutes were pretty quiet for the former Houston Dash star.
Overall, England's game in the first half lacked adventure and everything was set up perfectly for any of the second half substitutes to come out and add some excitement to the game. Russo and Manchester City winger Kelly got their chance right after the break – along with left-back Niamh Charles – and everyone looked energized.
This was followed by a series of moments for England. Most of them fell on Rousseau, but she whipped the bottom exactly off target, knocked down half a volley almost on target and, even when she circled the goalkeeper superbly, she was denied a block on the line.
It wasn't her day. World Cup debutants Portugal, who will face title holders USA, Vietnam and 2017 European champions Netherlands in Group E in New Zealand, have not yet beaten England and they seemed to be delighted with the result, as was their former player Chelsea Ana. Borges later acknowledged this, saying:
“It's not every day that you draw with England.” However, the Portuguese did not hit on goal, and this was one of the pluses for England. In Group D, they will face Haiti in Brisbane on 22 July, then face Denmark in Sydney on 28 July before playing defending Asian champions China in Adelaide on 1 August.
So who will start in these games? Goalkeeper Mary Earps, right-back Lucy Bronze, Manchester City defender Alex Greenwood and midfielders Kira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Thun are sure to make the team, while Millie Bright, if fit, will start playing centre-back. But get ready for a three-week debate over who should start everywhere, especially up front.
Match details
England (4-3-3): Earps 6; Bronze 7, Morgan 6, Carter 6, Greenwood 6 (Charles 45); Stanway 7 (Coombs 65), Walsh 6 (Zelem 65), Toon 5 (Kelly 45); James 6, Daly 6 (Rousseau 45), Cannabis 6 (Robinson 81)
Subs Hampton (d), Wubben Moy, England, Roebuck (d), Le Tissier, Staniforth.< br />Portugal (4-4-2): Pereira 7; Borges 7, Gomes 6, K Costa 6, Amado 6 (Alves 81); Norton 6 (Mendez 81), Da Silva 6 (Jacinto 62), Nazareth 6 (Capeta 50), T. Pinto 7; D. Silva, 6, J. Silva, 6 (Encarnacao, 62).
Substitutions: Morais (d), R. Costa (d), Rebelo, Marchao, Rute, F. Pinto, Leica, Correia.< br />Warning: Gomez, F. Pinto.
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)
Attendance: 26 267< /p>
Recent Comments