JACKIE GROENEN’S extra time strike was enough to take the Netherlands to their first World Cup Final. With chances at a premium, it was goalkeepers Sari van Veenendaal and Hedvig Lindahl that shone, making several world-class stops between them. But Lindahl could do nothing about Groenen’s low 20-yard drive that puts Sarina Wiegman’s European Champions on a collision course with the USA in Lyon this coming Sunday...

THE USA ended ten-player England’s hopes of contesting their first Women’s World Cup with a 2-1 victory in Lyon. The goals were all scored in the first half, but the drama really began after the break...

A MEGAN RAPINOE brace, for the second consecutive match, set the USA on a collision course with England in the World Cup Semi-Finals. The winger scored early from a free-kick and then converted from Tobin Heath’s cross on 65 minutes just as the French were building a head of steam. Wendie Renard’s header 9 minutes before the end made it interesting but France, who were disappointing in the first half, couldn’t create the opening to force extra time...

ENGLAND progressed to the semi-finals of a third consecutive major tournament, with clinical finishing underscoring an unexpectedly comfortable 3-0 win over Norway. The Lionesses were on the board within 3 minutes when Jill Scott turned in Lucy Bronze’s cross from the by-line. Ellen White extended the lead five minutes before the break, tapping in Nikita Parris’s centre after another swift break down the right. Bronze completed the scoring on 57 minutes, drilling into the roof of the net from the edge of the box with Norway failing to pick her up at a set-piece...

ITALY equalled their best performance at a Women’s World Cup beating China 2-0 at Stade de le Mosson to progress to the Quarter Finals. China were punished for sloppiness in possession at the beginning of each half, allowing Valentina Giacinti to put the Italians ahead in the 14th minute and then failing to close down Aurora Galli who thumped in from 25 yards at the start of second period...

THE USA’s credentials as tournament favourites were given a thorough examination, with Spain running them closer than expected in Reims. It was a hard-fought win that hinged on determination and organisation rather than dazzling interplay, with Jorge Vilda's side opting to go toe-to-toe with Team USA rather than defend it out. The victory was not without a sizeable dollop of luck either...