WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Twice-taken penalty kick lifts lack-of-scoring England in 1-0 win over Haiti
England coach Sarina Wiegman says her squad are missing the ruthlessness needed to score goals, a troubling tendency that reared its ugly head in a 1-0 victory over minnows Haiti at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday.
Georgia Stanway’s penalty kick was the game’s only goal, stretching the Lionesses’ lack of a goal from open play to more than three games.
Haiti coach Nicolas Delepine had said a day earlier when asked about England’s weakness that they struggled in front of goal. There was no argument from Wiegman.
“I would say ruthlessness,” Wiegman told a press conference. “Well, it’s easy to say, ruthlessness.
“Sometimes it’s the connection with the cross, the timing of the cross, where the cross actually ends in the penalty box, then the connection in front of the goal, little things like that, that at the end you hope goes in.”
England misfired numerous times on Saturday, denied both by Haiti’s keeper Kerly Theus and their own timing and aim.
“We were very close a couple of times to scoring a goal and then of course, their defence was tough too,” Wiegman said. “So, we just keep trying, keep working on it.”
Haiti were a revelation in front of largely pro-England crowd of 44,369, playing far better than their 53rd ranking. They gave England fits all night, particularly Melchie Dumornay, a 19-year-old who plays for Lyon.
Dumornay fired a fierce right-footed shot that Mary Earps was forced to save early in the second half, and attempted a bicycle kick that, had it hit its mark, would surely have been a stunning finish.
“I can say if we do that against England we can do anything against anyone,” Dumornay told reporters.
Wiegman credited Haiti, making their World Cup debut, with playing a “very good game, too”.
“As we expected, unpredictable, very direct, very strong in their counter-attack,” the Dutch coach said. “They were really quick and very athletic, and we had to play the ball quicker to stay out of the duels, because there were physical too.
“I think the other two countries are going to really struggle with them. But of course, that’s not our problem. I’m just really happy that we got the win, and we have the first three points in a very hard game.”
England’s scoring drought comes despite their record 80 goals in World Cup qualifying. Ella Toone is the last player to have scored from open play, back on April 7 against Brazil in the Finalissima at Wembley.
Stanway said the victory was what counted.
“It’s so important when you get going in the tournament,” the midfielder said. “It’s been a long buildup to today and I think we’re kind of happy to just get over the line.
“They caused us problems, they were threatening on the counter-attack, they were fast and they were physical. And, yeah, they challenged us in areas that we probably didn’t really expect.”
The Lionesses play Denmark on July 28, then China on Aug. 1.
-Reuters
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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Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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