Morning all.
What a night in the women’s Euros, certainly for England who went from looking down and out of the competition to being involved in a penalty shootout which a few Sweden and England players will want to forget.
England women were 2-0 down with 20 minutes of ordinary time to play. But for goalkeeper Hannah Hampton’s saves and a superb challenge from Leah Williamson, the scoreline would have been worse. Lauren Hemp had Englands only real chance in the first half which hit the crossbar.
After a dreadful first half performance, England improved in the second half. To be honest, it would have been difficult not to but it was Sarina Wiegman’s three changes late in the game which made the difference. Beth Mead and Michelle Agyemang came on at the 70 minute mark and then 8 minutes later, Chloe Kelly replaced Lauren Hemp.
It was Kelly who inspired the England comeback with a peach of a cross from the left towards the back post which Lucy Bronze headed powerfully past the Swedish goalkeeper. Then 130 seconds later, Kelly was at it again with another ball into the box which after a touch from Mead, Agyemang hit home.
From Reuters.
Extra time came and went with both sides unable to take any the chances created and with that, who progressed into the semi-final came down to penalties. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dreadful spot kicks in one shootout. Twice Sweden had the chance to win the game but failed and after Kelly had thumped her spot kick home, Bronze followed up with a thunderous strike into the roof of the net. Sweden missed their next penalty and England were through. Remarkable.
Hopefully the injury Leah Williamson sustained proves to be nothing serious and she’s fit to face Italy in a few days time. Lucy Bronze too who played the finals minutes of the game with a heavily strapped thigh.
I thought the officials weren’t the best, especially when Hemp was elbowed in the face. It looked deliberate to me and was worthy of at least a yellow card although I doubt anyone would have been surprised if a red card had been produced.
It’s great that so many Arsenal players are in the England squad – Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Mead, Kelly, Russo and Agyemang.
The men are catching up too with Saka, Rice, Lewis-Skelly and in all likelihood, White and Nwaneri to come. Maybe Eze too.
The transfer window is in full flow and over £1billion has been spent on 218 new players already, yet there’s still 45 days to go until deadline day. Staggering really.
The Athletic have an article about how’s it’s not just money which seals a deal. An agent who has Premier League players on his client roster, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told the newspaper:
“The higher up the chain you go, the more outlandish the demands get. It can be something very specific — like helping to bring their pet into the country if they’re moving from overseas to England — or something fairly normal, like a corporate box for their family and friends in the stadium, which is a pretty common stipulation. The vast majority of the time, it’s the player instigating these perks, and it’s always better to bring them up early in my experience, especially if it’s really important to them.”
Why not though, I’d certainly want my dog to be transported safely and comfortably long before I signed on the dotted line. Preferably sat on my lap or in a seat of her own next to me. But the best story, which I’ve not heard of before, comes from Paul Gascgoine:
“When Spurs offered my family a house and they (United) wouldn’t match it, I wanted to look after my mum and dad. They offered my sister a sunbed — a sunbed in the contract — which she got. It was probably my sister’s sunbed they (United) couldn’t afford. She should have got a spray tan and I would have a few more medals.”
Just a bit of fun but if you were a professional footballer embarking on a big transfer move, what would seal the deal for you? Other than money of course….
Catch up in the comments.