WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Catley penalty gives Kerr-less Australia winning start
Co-hosts Australia laboured initially in the absence of injured captain Sam Kerr but a second-half penalty from Steph Catley got them off to a solid start at the Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Ireland in Group B on Thursday.
The news that striker Kerr had been ruled out by a calf injury stunned the record crowd of 75,784 as it filtered into Stadium Australia but Catley stepped up to take the captain’s armband and score the decisive goal in the 52nd minute.
Ireland, cheered on by a noisy band of compatriots, made life difficult for the Australians with their compact defence and came close to forcing an equaliser during a period of sustained pressure late in the second half.
“It’s incredible to get the win, I think this is the longest buildup to a game in my entire life,” Catley told reporters.
“Losing a player like Sam, probably the best player in the world and her as a person, obviously we were heartbroken. We had to use her spirit … to help us push on. She’s so, so important, she’s our spiritual leader.”
After a moment’s silence for the victims of the morning’s shooting in Auckland, the game opened as had been expected with Ireland getting plenty of bodies behind the ball and challenging Australia to try to break them down.
The Matildas were successful in using their pace on the flanks to get behind the Irish defence but the massed ranks of green shirts managed to deal with the subsequent crosses into the box.
It was from the set piece that the hosts looked most likely to score and winger Hayley Raso had the first attempt on goal from a 28th minute corner only to flash her header wide.
The second shot on goal came just before halftime but Katrina Gorry’s long-range effort was easily gathered by Courtney Brosnan in the Ireland goal.
‘ONE MISTAKE’
Australia came out with more intent after the break and the half was only seven minutes old when Kyra Cooney-Cross sent the ball looping into the box and Ireland forward Marissa Sheva shoved Raso to the ground.
Catley gave Brosnan no chance with the penalty, striking the ball with her left foot firmly into the top corner of the Ireland net.
The penalty appeared to ease the Australian nerves and Mary Fowler, who had replaced Kerr up front, almost immediately stormed forward and lashed a shot high over the bar.
Australia striker Caitlin Foord headed the ball across the face of goal in the 68th minute but that presaged Ireland’s best period of the game as they launched wave after wave of attacks.
Megan Connolly came close with a free kick in stoppage time which whipped just over the angle of the post and crossbar to give the Australians in the crowd a mighty fright.
The Irish continued to pour forward in search of an equaliser and Katie McCabe forced Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold into a save before Louise Quinn headed the ball just past the post in the dying seconds.
Australia, however, held on to make a winning start to a tournament in which they feel they can be genuine contenders after wins over England, Spain and France this year.
“It’s very disappointing, we said at halftime this was a game that would be decided by one mistake, them or us,” Ireland coach Vera Pauw told RTE.
“Sam Kerr is one of the top strikers in the world, her not playing was of course an advantage, but they have a powerful team and it was very difficult to play against them.”
-Reuters
FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Australia v Republic of Ireland – Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia – July 20, 2023 Australia’s Steph Catley celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Nigeria’s Flamingos have once again confirmed their status as one of the most consistent teams in world youth football after securing qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Benin Republic in Lomé on Saturday.
The victory handed the Nigerian girls an 8-5 aggregate success over two legs and ensured their place at the global showpiece in Morocco later this year.
In doing so, the Flamingos maintained Nigeria’s remarkable record as one of only seven countries to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup since the competition was launched in 2008.
The exclusive group also includes Canada, Germany, Ghana, Japan, DPR Korea and New Zealand.
Having carried a slender 3-2 advantage from last weekend’s first leg in Ikenne, Ogun State, Coach Akeem Busari’s side arrived in Lomé determined to leave nothing to chance, and they produced an attacking display that ultimately proved too much for their hosts.
Nigeria made a dream start when Mary Dustan opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Benin Republic responded almost immediately, drawing level three minutes later to briefly raise hopes of a comeback.
The Flamingos, however, quickly regained control of the contest.
Esther Stephen restored Nigeria’s lead in the 15th minute before Queen Joseph struck five minutes later to give the visitors a comfortable 3-1 advantage within the opening 20 minutes.
Although the Beninese girls fought back bravely and managed to stay in the contest, the Nigerian side showed composure and maturity whenever the pressure mounted.
Queen Joseph emerged as one of the stars of the encounter, scoring her second goal of the match in the 76th minute to help seal a 5-3 victory and extinguish any lingering hopes of a Benin revival.
The qualification continues Nigeria’s proud tradition in the competition, where the Flamingos have become one of the tournament’s most familiar faces.
Since the inaugural edition in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria has never failed to qualify, a feat matched by only six other nations worldwide. Their consistency has made them one of Africa’s most reliable representatives at the age-grade level and a respected force on the global stage.
The Flamingos’ best performance came at the 2022 tournament in India, where they claimed the bronze medal to become the first Nigerian team to finish on the podium at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
With qualification now secured, attention will turn to preparations for Morocco 2026, where the Nigerian youngsters will once again test themselves against the finest emerging talents from across the globe.
For Busari and his players, Saturday’s victory was about more than just defeating Benin Republic. It was another chapter in a remarkable record of consistency that has seen Nigeria remain ever-present at every edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The challenge now is to transform another qualification campaign into a title challenge when the world gathers in Morocco.
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Spain thrashed England 4-0 to move a step closer to automatic qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup finals, with Germany booking their spot thanks to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Norway in the penultimate round of European qualifiers on Friday.
With the top teams from each of the four A groups qualifying automatically, Germany’s win gave them an unassailable four-point lead over Norway in Group A4 with one game left, while Spain and England are both locked on 12 points at the top of Group A3.
England’s hopes of securing a spot with a win in Mallorca were quickly snuffed out, with Patri Guijarro giving the Spaniards the lead in the 19th minute and Alexia Putellas making it 2-0 before the break.
There appeared to be nothing England could do to stop the Spanish juggernaut, with Putellas adding a second goal 10 minutes after the break and Claudio Pina putting the icing on the cake with a goal from a superb pass by Aitana Bonmati to make it 4-0.
England retain a chance of qualifying directly, but they will have to get a better result when they host Ukraine next Tuesday than Spain manage in their final fixture away to Iceland.
There was late drama in Group A2 as Ireland’s Amber Barrett netted a 90th-minute goal to snatch a 3-2 home win over the Netherlands to move above the Dutch and into second place in the group, one point behind leaders France, who beat Poland 2-0.
The Irish play France in their final game in Grenoble, with the Dutch taking on Poland at home.
Earlier, Pernille Harder came off the bench and scored the winner for Denmark as they downed neighbours Sweden 2-1 to end the Swedes’ hopes of qualifying directly.
The Danes top Group A1 on 11 points ahead of their final game against bottom side Serbia, while second-placed Italy, who are three points behind the leaders, next host Sweden.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been handed a challenging but promising draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after they were placed in Group F alongside former champions Spain, China PR and debutants New Caledonia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was conducted in Lodz on Thursday, setting the stage for the tournament scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September across four Polish cities.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most successful teams at the competition, will face a stern opening-round test against European powerhouse Spain, which won the title in Costa Rica in 2022. China PR also brings a considerable pedigree to the group, while New Caledonia will be making their maiden appearance at the global finals.
The Falconets will be hoping to improve on their performance at the last edition and rekindle memories of their best outings, when they reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
Hosts Poland headline Group A alongside Argentina, Benin and Mexico, while defending champions Korea DPR begin their title defence in Group E against Colombia, Costa Rica and Portugal.
Other intriguing group-stage fixtures include Brazil, England, Canada and Tanzania in Group B, while France, Korea Republic, Ghana and Ecuador make up Group C. Group D features former champions Japan and USA alongside New Zealand and Italy.
The full draw is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
- Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
- Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
- Group D: Japan, USA, New Zealand, Italy
- Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
- Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
The tournament will mark Poland’s first major global women’s football event, with matches to be played in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.
Six nations — Benin, Ecuador, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal and Tanzania — will make their debut appearances, while Korea DPR and the USA are both chasing a record fourth title.
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