Dare 2 Blog – Women's Football
Looking at the rapidly developing world of women's football…
You'd be forgiven for thinking that women’s football has had a pretty bad time of it this year - what with the COVID-19 enforced abandonment last season across Europe and Africa; nulling and voiding all FAWNL records; fans prohibited from entering stadia (just as more fans were starting to show up); a second lock down, etc., etc... But there were still some golden nuggets in a year we'll all be glad to see the back of. Here are twelve things D2B will remember about 2020…
FIFA HAS released its list of nominees for ‘The Best’ Player of the Year Award. Four members of the American Women’s World Cup winning squad have been nominated, two English players, two French, two Norwegian, one Dutch and one Australian...
LOOKING at the rapidly developing world of women’s football by bringing you some of the good new stories doing the rounds and, occasionally, offering tales you have to squint at between your fingers, or view from an even safer place, behind the sofa perhaps…
TWO WEEKS is a long time in professional sport, or so it seems. Megan Rapinoe et al held aloft the Women’s World Cup trophy in France on July 7th, set it down on a first-class plane seat (probably) and began their cross-nation ‘celebrate-a-thon’, complete with multiple media commitments to address pay equality, gay rights and Mesut Ozil’s hair style. Meanwhile, the world kept spinning, and a whole host of British sporting successes lined up to push Women’s football back towards the shadows...
THE USA successfully defended their world crown, beating the Netherlands in Lyon to secure their fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup title. Golden Ball and Golden Boot Winner, Megan Rapinoe, gave Team USA the lead from the penalty spot after VAR correctly adjudged that Stefanie van der Gragt had fouled Alex Morgan. Bronze Boot winner Rose Lavelle put the result beyond doubt with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box...
SWEDEN took the bronze medal match in Nice, despatching England with a ruthless opening half hour in which they struck twice; then doggedly defending out the remainder of the game. Kosovare Asllani got the scoring under way on 11 minutes driving past Carly Telford following a poor defensive clearance. Sofia Jakobsson then added a second, cutting in from the left and curling past the England keeper. Fran Kirby halved the deficit on 31 minutes, and Ellen White had a goal ruled out by VAR for handball shortly after...
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...
THE NETHERLANDS progressed to their first World Cup semi final beating Italy in the searing heat of Valenciennes with two straightforward set-pieces. Vivianne Miedema put Oranje Leeuwinnen into the lead on 70 minutes, heading in Sherida Spitse's free-kick from the left. Stefanie van der Gragt doubled their tally rising to nod home another Spitse dead ball delivery this time from the right...
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...
Dare 2 Blog - Women's Football 