England sweep Norway aside to reach Women’s World Cup semi-final as Scott, White and Bronze score for Lionesses
THREE and easy for Phil Neville and his Lionesses. And with Lucy Bronze in this sort of form, England really are going for gold. A superb attacking display saw Neville’s side produce their best performance of the World Cup to date to clinch another semi-final slot. Jill Scott led the way with an early opener […]
THREE and easy for Phil Neville and his Lionesses.
And with Lucy Bronze in this sort of form, England really are going for gold.
A superb attacking display saw Neville’s side produce their best performance of the World Cup to date to clinch another semi-final slot.
Jill Scott led the way with an early opener to settle any England nerves in the Stade Oceane.
Then, in another move in which Bronze played a key role, Ellen White showed just why Neville called her an “ultimate predator”, sweeping home her fifth of the tournament to go level with Australia’s Sam Kerr and Alex Morgan of the USA in the race for the Golden Boot.
When Bronze thumped home the killer third from a classic free-kick ploy before the hour, England, despite a few defensive wobbles late on, were home and hosed.
Even Nikita Parris’ second penalty miss of the tournament could not cloud an excellent night to earn a showdown in Lyon on Tuesday with France or the USA.
England are playing with both belief and conviction.
Neville had warned the Norwegians were “the most difficult” opponent his side could have drawn at this stage.
Yet England flew out of the blocks to make the perfect start as they pinpointed and ruthlessly exploited Norway’s left-sided weakness.
Credit had to go to Bronze, who made one of her trademark marauding runs down the flank, overlapping Parris and powering into the box before delivering.
White, seven yards out, kicked only fresh air.
But Scott, standing behind her, was able to stab the ball beyond Norwegian keeper Ingrid Hjelmseth and in off the far post.
It was England women’s fastest World Cup goal, Scott’s fourth at this level.
DEFENSIVE ROCKS
And with fit-again pair Steph Houghton and Millie Bright solid and resourceful against Norway’s dangerous front two Caroline Graham Hansen and Isabell Herlovsen, England were always in control.
The central pair showed commendable composure, with Parris the out-ball and Scott motoring through the middle.
England’s biggest issue was a series of sloppy moments from Scott’s midfield partner Keira Walsh.
But when they did put some passes together, Parris should have doubled the lead.
Scott’s ball wide allowed her to turn outclassed left-back Kristine Minde inside out as she made her way to the corner of the six-yard box.
Parris opened up her body to look for the far top corner but skewed horribly off target.
Then only the woodwork conspired against White just before the half-hour.
Parris’ clever loop over the top found White in the box, again through the inside-left channel.
White let the ball bounce before thrashing an angled volley past the keeper but against the upright and away.
So close and while Demi Stokes made an important block from Guro Reiten – perilously close to her upraised arm – the only real danger came when Karen Bardsley almost made a horrible mess of dealing with a Bright back pass.
WHITE’S MAGIC TOUCH
And the second goal England thoroughly deserved came five minutes before the break, with Bronze and Parris combining again down the England right.
Bronze’s first time ball allowed Parris to drive on and when she squared White had the easiest task in the world to tap home for a record-breaking sixth World Cup goal, overtaking Fara Williams’ England mark.
Scott, racing in at the back post to meet a dinked cross from Stokes, in for Alex Greenwood in the only England change, nearly made it three before the break.
Instead, Norway remained alive.
Houghton made a vital intervention to deny Hansen from Herlovsen’s header at the start of the second period.
Bardsley was playing through pain, clearly hampered by that earlier incident in which she had been closed down by Hansen before just clearing the ball.
There were some anxious moments, especially when Houghton extricated herself from a tricky situation inside her own six-yard box.
But the anxieties were ended with a fantastic training ground free-kick on 58 minutes.
Bronze initially won the free-kick by forcing a foul from the panicky Minde.
Substitute Beth Mead, only just on for Duggan, shaped to centre but instead pulled back to the edge of the box, where Bronze, left in acres of space, rifled an absolute thunderbolt into the roof of the net.
No wonder Neville celebrated wildly, punching the air, while his former team-mate Becks and his daughter Harper high-fived in the stands.
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Norway, with nothing to lose, gambled.
Houghton cleared off the line to foil substitute Lisa-Marie Utland and the hobbling Bardsley saved from Utland and also Herlovsen, before Parris shot too close to the keeper from the spot after Houghton had been shoved in the back.
But England were not to be denied. This was, once more, their night. One huge step closer to glory.
England (4-2-3-1): Bardsley 6; Bronze 8, Houghton 7, Bright 6, Stokes 6; Scott 7, Walsh 5; Parris 7 (Daly 88, 5), Kirby 6 (Stanway 74, 6), Duggan 6 (Mead 54, 6); White 6
