With Colombia, England have drawn the supposedly easiest draw in the quarter-finals. However, the duel for the last semi-final ticket is not going to be easy – and the English women know that.
The time has come: The last quarter-final of this World Cup is on the agenda and in this one, two teams will fight for a semi-final spot – albeit with different signs. For Colombia, reaching the quarter-finals was already the greatest success in history. A place in the semi-finals? It would be the next chapter in what has been a dream winter fairytale from Colombia’s point of view, which reached its first climax with the 2-1 victory over Germany.
But as it is in the round of the last eight at a major tournament, there are no easy opponents waiting. England, the reigning European champions and 2019 World Cup bronze medallists, are a real heavyweight who have high expectations of themselves in this tournament. Officially, no clear title ambitions have been formulated, but after last year’s success, expectations are naturally high – and not only in their own country.
The Lionesses are still purring
However, the Lionesses have not yet been entirely convincing: having started the group phase with two narrow 1-0 victories over Haiti and Denmark, the English women only showed their qualities in their 6-1 win over China. But anyone who interpreted this result as a clear exclamation mark in the direction of the competition was very much mistaken. In the round of 16, the European champions had an extremely difficult time against a strong Nigeria and saved themselves with a lot of luck into the penalty shoot-out, where the Africans finally lost their nerve.
The English women are aware that there is still plenty of room for improvement. They are proud of the work they have done so far in the tournament, but still have a long way to go. “I think we need to step it up a gear and we can do that,” said goalkeeper Mary Earps in self-criticism.
“I don’t think we were bad – we always gave 110 per cent effort, left everything on the pitch and fought for those results – but we as a team also know what we are capable of. We know the level we want to reach and as a group we’re excited by the challenge.”
Bethany England explained that the Lionesses took positives from the competitive match against Nigeria, in which they were even the inferior team at times: “Nigeria gave us a great fight, they challenged us until the last second. We had to fight for our lives for long stretches of the game but we overcame that in the end.” Earps also praised them for showing great character and perseverance. This game, he said, was the moment when the players and all members of the staff really came together as a team.
No problem with physical play
Good prerequisites for the upcoming match against Colombia. However, the English women know that they should not underestimate the supposedly weakest remaining team. “We think they are a very, very, very good team,” Earps said. “They have some really good players in their attacking ranks, but also all over the pitch, and that’s why we need to put in a very strong performance because we know Colombia will do the same.”
They had prepared well for the South Americans, coach Sarina Wiegman clarified. “We looked at their strengths and weaknesses and also how they present themselves. Of course we have our own style of play, but we have analysed Colombia in detail and based on that we have drawn up our plan. We will try to implement that tomorrow.”
The Dutchwoman expects a very competitive match, after all the Colombians are known for their robust style of play. The Irish abandoned a test match in the run-up to the World Cup after 20 minutes because their opponents were too physical – and the German team also had the opportunity to experience the Colombian style of play.
England, however, does not see this as a problem. “Every game is physical to some extent and if it gets too physical I’m sure the referees will intervene when it comes to player safety,” said the 29-year-old striker.
Without James, but with the European Championship heroine into the semi-finals?
The Lionesses will have to do without their shooting star Lauren James at least for the quarter-finals. The 21-year-old attacking player got on her opponent’s back out of frustration in the match against Nigeria, was rightly shown red for it and was suspended for two matches by Fifa.
For Wiegman, the loss is not the end of the world. “We have a squad of 23. We have been faced with a player missing a game before, she came back and now we are missing another player. We know how we want to fill that position, so it’s a team effort.”
Within the team itself, he said the whole situation was not a big issue. “Honestly, we haven’t talked about it much because we are so focused on tomorrow’s game,” Earps revealed. “Obviously we want everyone to be available at all times, but the situation is what it is.”
Chloe Kelly is being touted as the most likely James replacement. The 25-year-old is seen as a difference player by the English and is definitely not a downgrade in terms of quality. Last summer, the Manchester City attacker scored in the European Championship final against Germany to win the title 2-1.
In the round of 16 against Nigeria, she converted the decisive penalty after coming on as a substitute – and at 110 km/h. No shot at this World Cup or in the past Premier League season has been that fast. The Lionesses will be looking to match that speed tomorrow in their bid for a place in the semi-finals.