It's time to kick off the 2018 Women's Draft World Cup! Today we are going to follow the fortunes of the five teams making up Group A - USA, England, Rest of World, Scotland, Ireland. They are vying for two places in the tournament semi-finals.
I'll give brief descriptions of the first four rounds of matches, then go into detail for the (hopefully) crucial final round of games.
Matchday 1
There's no place to start other than at Wembley, where auld rivals England and Scotland met. English nerves were settled by Vivianne Miedema's strike following a poorly-cleared corner. Despite generally controlling the game, England couldn't get further ahead, but they were rarely threatened by their opponents and saw out a 1-0 win. The same couldn't be said for Rest of World, who led Ireland through Asisat Oshoala's header, only to see Noelle Murray nod in a late, late equaliser for the huge underdogs.
I'll give brief descriptions of the first four rounds of matches, then go into detail for the (hopefully) crucial final round of games.
Matchday 1
There's no place to start other than at Wembley, where auld rivals England and Scotland met. English nerves were settled by Vivianne Miedema's strike following a poorly-cleared corner. Despite generally controlling the game, England couldn't get further ahead, but they were rarely threatened by their opponents and saw out a 1-0 win. The same couldn't be said for Rest of World, who led Ireland through Asisat Oshoala's header, only to see Noelle Murray nod in a late, late equaliser for the huge underdogs.
Matchday 2
Now it's the turn of the USA to get involved, having sat out the first round of games (the unfortunate result of having an odd number of teams). They travelled to Dublin, and just like RoW, they dominated Ireland. Alex Morgan's neat snapshot put USA ahead, but once again Ireland fired back, this time through Savannah McCarthy's header from a corner. And once again, Ireland were able to hold out for a point. History also repeated itself for Scotland, who went down 1-0 to an early strike, this time against RoW courtesy of Tabitha Chawinga's tap-in from Oshoala's lay-off.
Matchday 3
Scotland just can't catch a break... a third 1-0 defeat sees their elimination confirmed, as Tobin Heath's powerful shot gives USA their first victory. England travelled to RoW with both teams knowing a win would see them go top. It was England who grabbed the chance, storming into a 3-0 lead within 22 minutes, thanks to goals from Miedema, Fran Kirby and Nadia Nadim. Verónica Boquete pulled a consolation back just before the end of the game.
Now it's the turn of the USA to get involved, having sat out the first round of games (the unfortunate result of having an odd number of teams). They travelled to Dublin, and just like RoW, they dominated Ireland. Alex Morgan's neat snapshot put USA ahead, but once again Ireland fired back, this time through Savannah McCarthy's header from a corner. And once again, Ireland were able to hold out for a point. History also repeated itself for Scotland, who went down 1-0 to an early strike, this time against RoW courtesy of Tabitha Chawinga's tap-in from Oshoala's lay-off.
Matchday 3
Scotland just can't catch a break... a third 1-0 defeat sees their elimination confirmed, as Tobin Heath's powerful shot gives USA their first victory. England travelled to RoW with both teams knowing a win would see them go top. It was England who grabbed the chance, storming into a 3-0 lead within 22 minutes, thanks to goals from Miedema, Fran Kirby and Nadia Nadim. Verónica Boquete pulled a consolation back just before the end of the game.
Matchday 4
Scotland may be out, but they manage what no-one else has yet to do, and beaten Ireland. Their 2-1 victory came through two Lidija Kulis efforts, either side of a Stephanie Roche fluke. But the main focus was at Wembley, as England faced USA with a chance to secure qualification. Karen Carney, starting for England in place of the injured Nadim, helped herself to two goals to give England early control of the match. However, a terrible miscontrol by Hedvig Lindahl allowed Alex Morgan to halve the deficit. At the start of the second half a loose ball fell to Carney, who made no mistake in grabbing the tournament's first hat-trick, and despite a late goal from Sam Kerr, England held on for an impressive 3-2 win, securing their progress to the semi-finals.
Here is the table going into the final fixtures:
Scotland may be out, but they manage what no-one else has yet to do, and beaten Ireland. Their 2-1 victory came through two Lidija Kulis efforts, either side of a Stephanie Roche fluke. But the main focus was at Wembley, as England faced USA with a chance to secure qualification. Karen Carney, starting for England in place of the injured Nadim, helped herself to two goals to give England early control of the match. However, a terrible miscontrol by Hedvig Lindahl allowed Alex Morgan to halve the deficit. At the start of the second half a loose ball fell to Carney, who made no mistake in grabbing the tournament's first hat-trick, and despite a late goal from Sam Kerr, England held on for an impressive 3-2 win, securing their progress to the semi-finals.
Here is the table going into the final fixtures:
The final games are Ireland vs. England and USA vs. RoW. It seems unlikely that Ireland will find a path to qualify, so their match appears to be a dead rubber. So we will give a quick review of that game before focusing on the all-or-nothing clash in Ohio.
Ireland vs. England
Ireland need a win, coupled with a draw in the other game. The upset looked on when Áine O'Gorman fired the hosts ahead from a tight angle. However, England eventually got going, and Miedema's powerful strike had them level by the break. After the interval Kirby headed the group winners ahead, and their perfect record was sealed by Kim Little in the dying minutes.
Ireland vs. England
Ireland need a win, coupled with a draw in the other game. The upset looked on when Áine O'Gorman fired the hosts ahead from a tight angle. However, England eventually got going, and Miedema's powerful strike had them level by the break. After the interval Kirby headed the group winners ahead, and their perfect record was sealed by Kim Little in the dying minutes.
USA vs. RoW
I don't think many people expected USA to end up in this pickle, but effectively for both teams the knockout phase starts here, with the loser packing their bags and joining Scotland and Ireland. Both teams were outclassed by England, but it's the draws against Ireland that they will be regretting.
I don't think many people expected USA to end up in this pickle, but effectively for both teams the knockout phase starts here, with the loser packing their bags and joining Scotland and Ireland. Both teams were outclassed by England, but it's the draws against Ireland that they will be regretting.
USA are keen to dominate possession, whilst RoW are looking for chances on the break. The result is a terrible first half, with zero highlights and 60% possession for the Americans.
The first big chance falls two minutes after the interval, when Marta's shot is deflected to Julie Ertz, who should score but instead hits the base of the post. However, it's a false dawn and despite RoW eventually going all-out with a 3-4-3 formation, there are no more highlights and a woeful 0-0 draw secures USA's progression in the least glamourous way possible.
Final standings
The first big chance falls two minutes after the interval, when Marta's shot is deflected to Julie Ertz, who should score but instead hits the base of the post. However, it's a false dawn and despite RoW eventually going all-out with a 3-4-3 formation, there are no more highlights and a woeful 0-0 draw secures USA's progression in the least glamourous way possible.
Final standings
So it's the two teams we expected to progress who do so, but not in the manner anticipated. England made light work of a potentially tricky group, leaving the USA to crawl into the semi-finals despite an average of only 1.25 points per game.
We will find out their semi-final opponents next time, as we follow the adventures of Group B.
We will find out their semi-final opponents next time, as we follow the adventures of Group B.