Let’s be honest, England started the tournament looking like they were below the better teams. But they grew into the tournament and got knocked out as more than an equal to the world champions. It shows you that ultimately you can’t beat the footballing gods and it was they who beat the girls rather than a Japan side we made to look below ordinary. Foul for their penalty was outside the box, but to be fair to the officials you needed slow motion replays to see it. Our penalty would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch so it was a penalty. Credit to officials for spotting it. Can’t blame Bassett for own goal – it wasn’t an error and there was probably only a ball sized gap the ball could have gone in to be a goal. The girls deserve a hero’s welcome on their return. People who can’t do anything other than criticise women’s football should say nothing if they can’t say anything positive and hopefully this will inspire more girls to take up the game so it won’t be too long before we bring home that world cup. Well done to the Lionesses!
^this^
assistant referee on the near side of the pitch was terrible and she wasn't alone in being nowhere nearly up to the required standard some of the officiating in the tournament has been woeful. I know FIFA want women's football to stand on its own feet and they would inevitably attract some criticism for employing male officials but if the best available women are this bad the matches can be spoiled for avoidable non-footballing reasons. If the decisions given are correct the gender of the officials ceases to be an issue. FIFA may point to bigger fish to fry and many skeletons will yet fall out of their closets but with widespread professionalism for the female players FIFA needs to quickly professionalise the female officials or the showpiece tournament will remain devalued.
Let’s be honest, England started the tournament looking like they were below the better teams. But they grew into the tournament and got knocked out as more than an equal to the world champions. It shows you that ultimately you can’t beat the footballing gods and it was they who beat the girls rather than a Japan side we made to look below ordinary. Foul for their penalty was outside the box, but to be fair to the officials you needed slow motion replays to see it. Our penalty would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch so it was a penalty. Credit to officials for spotting it. Can’t blame Bassett for own goal – it wasn’t an error and there was probably only a ball sized gap the ball could have gone in to be a goal. The girls deserve a hero’s welcome on their return. People who can’t do anything other than criticise women’s football should say nothing if they can’t say anything positive and hopefully this will inspire more girls to take up he game so it won’t be too long before we bring home that world cup. Well done to the Lionesses!
Actually, the moment I saw it live on TV, I thought that was outside the box. I don't know how the NZ ref assistant who was parallel to it could fail to notice it - assuming she was watching play, as she is supposed to do.
I know what you mean – the question was not the initial contact, but whether the contact continued into the box. It happened so quickly. I think a lot of refs – would have given a pen. Maybe the very best of them wouldn’t, but I couldn’t be too harsh. And believe me – a ref is the equivalent to a postman to Muttley. The England penalty highlighted one of my gripes with a lot of refs we see in the Championship. A quick stab to the Achilles can be hard to see sometimes but is a foul. Last night's ref spotted it, a lot of Championship refs wouldn't.
Rafferty could have got a red card rather than yellow. the Jap was clean through with no cover anywhere near. I reckon the ref thought a penalty with a yellow was the better call in the context of the game.
Hesitate to be critical but Rafferty's positional play is utterly hopeless and it was a good job the Jap manager wasn't wanting to attack much down the wide right. Germany won't miss that opportunity so Greenwood needs to play next time.
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
4-1 ??? did you watch the game? England hit the woodwork twice and their keeper made some great saves. Japan never looked like scoring from open play.
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
There was 10 minutes midway through the second half where England could have easily had 3......Japan barely had 4 shots on target all night
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
4-1 ??? did you watch the game? England hit the woodwork twice and their keeper made some great saves. Japan never looked like scoring from open play.
I've got a lot of respect for your opinion Beds. Maybe I shd watch a rerun. I felt that Japan played a tighter game and that they could have scored from good buildup play several times but for poor finishing. On the other hand it was very late and I had been drinking watching tennis all day.
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
4-1 ??? did you watch the game? England hit the woodwork twice and their keeper made some great saves. Japan never looked like scoring from open play.
I've got a lot of respect for your opinion Beds. Maybe I shd watch a rerun. I felt that Japan played a tighter game and that they could have scored from good buildup play several times but for poor finishing. On the other hand it was very late and I had been drinking watching tennis all day.
Amazing readings of the game on here. The Japan team passed and held possession really well. The English hoofed it up the field every chance they got and our penalty was at least as dodgy as theirs. We looked off balance most of the game and it was only Japans poor finishing that stopped it being 4-1. But there you go. O still think it is a triumph to get to the semis. Better than England men are likely to do in the forseeable future anyway.
There was 10 minutes midway through the second half where England could have easily had 3......Japan barely had 4 shots on target all night
The stats say they had 1 on target. However, I am sure that, given enough time, England would have scored another couple of own goals for them.
Japan did fluff a couple of chances and the second one that hit the bar for England would have been a fluke as it was a mishit cross, but the other one that hit the bar was unlucky, as was the curler from the edge of the area that the Japan goalie saved and the header from the corner that slid just wide (still think that was one of the best corner deliveries I've seen for ages).
I do think England were too direct and it proved their downfall as the winning goal ultimately stemmed from a fairly aimless pump forward by Duggan when she might have been better served looking to hold the ball and see out the game to extra time. But it was England who looked like they wanted it more and made most of the attacking thrust. I was a tight game but I think England had slightly the better of it overall and certainly Japan couldn't have complained too hard had England won. Fine margins as usual though.
If the girls can learn to play a little bit more of a passing game and the manager can learn to be a little bit more expansive then we have a great shout at the next major tournament imho.
Seems a shame that they go out in a game they didn't deserve to lose and in the unluckiest of manner to boot,
Been a very good tournament for them as a whole, so much needed that can't be coached so I.hope there are more naturally talented girls who have been inspired to follow that gift of talent and see where it takes them,
Like the men's side I hope we stop looking at size and physical attributes as the first building block and technical ability as the secondary attribute
You can build the muscles and the speed to a decent level but without more naturally technical players, with a footballing brain to match they will find stagnation within the next phase of their development and the English fa will probably reduce funding and support
Very pleased for their Mgr , got something about him I think that could really develop their progression ,
Germany have someone called Peter playing... Now I'm not an expert on the rules of Womens Football but surely the Germans have broken the golden rule there?
Comments
assistant referee on the near side of the pitch was terrible and she wasn't alone in being nowhere nearly up to the required standard some of the officiating in the tournament has been woeful. I know FIFA want women's football to stand on its own feet and they would inevitably attract some criticism for employing male officials but if the best available women are this bad the matches can be spoiled for avoidable non-footballing reasons. If the decisions given are correct the gender of the officials ceases to be an issue. FIFA may point to bigger fish to fry and many skeletons will yet fall out of their closets but with widespread professionalism for the female players FIFA needs to quickly professionalise the female officials or the showpiece tournament will remain devalued.
Hesitate to be critical but Rafferty's positional play is utterly hopeless and it was a good job the Jap manager wasn't wanting to attack much down the wide right. Germany won't miss that opportunity so Greenwood needs to play next time.
There was 10 minutes midway through the second half where England could have easily had 3......Japan barely had 4 shots on target all night
drinkingwatching tennis all day.I do think England were too direct and it proved their downfall as the winning goal ultimately stemmed from a fairly aimless pump forward by Duggan when she might have been better served looking to hold the ball and see out the game to extra time. But it was England who looked like they wanted it more and made most of the attacking thrust. I was a tight game but I think England had slightly the better of it overall and certainly Japan couldn't have complained too hard had England won. Fine margins as usual though.
If the girls can learn to play a little bit more of a passing game and the manager can learn to be a little bit more expansive then we have a great shout at the next major tournament imho.
Been a very good tournament for them as a whole, so much needed that can't be coached so I.hope there are more naturally talented girls who have been inspired to follow that gift of talent and see where it takes them,
Like the men's side I hope we stop looking at size and physical attributes as the first building block and technical ability as the secondary attribute
You can build the muscles and the speed to a decent level but without more naturally technical players, with a footballing brain to match they will find stagnation within the next phase of their development and the English fa will probably reduce funding and support
Very pleased for their Mgr , got something about him I think that could really develop their progression ,
Love the togetherness and unity our side have displayed throughout the competition
Every one of those English girls played their little cotton socks off tonight
SO pleased for them & their young manager.
I'll certainly be watching out for them in the European Cup when it comes around.
Great stuff.
A Women's Academy at Sparrows Lane, M. Duchatelet ?
Impressive to bonce back from the disappointment of the Japan game with such discipline.
well done ladies