After two dramatic groups, each of which went to the final game, we have our four semi-finalists. The winner of each group plays the runner-up of the other group, meaning that the two matches today are England vs. Mainland Europe and France vs. USA.
So, without much ado, let's crack on!
England vs. Mainland Europe
England were excellent in their group, winning all four games and winning the group with a game to spare. It's probably not quite enough to earn them the status of favourites yet, but they will be expecting to get through this tie. However, their opponents - containing top players from the likes of Spain and Italy - will be no pushovers and thoroughly deserved the 2-1 victory over Germany that sealed their progress.
Both sides are without their first-choice left back, as England's Demi Stokes is suspended, whilst Mainland Europe's Kika van Es is out of the tournament injured. Mainland Europe's weak spot remains their goalkeeper, Alicia Yates of Hibernian's youth team - who is one of three low-rated keepers in the squad due to there being no keepers in Mainland Europe for the database we are using.
So, without much ado, let's crack on!
England vs. Mainland Europe
England were excellent in their group, winning all four games and winning the group with a game to spare. It's probably not quite enough to earn them the status of favourites yet, but they will be expecting to get through this tie. However, their opponents - containing top players from the likes of Spain and Italy - will be no pushovers and thoroughly deserved the 2-1 victory over Germany that sealed their progress.
Both sides are without their first-choice left back, as England's Demi Stokes is suspended, whilst Mainland Europe's Kika van Es is out of the tournament injured. Mainland Europe's weak spot remains their goalkeeper, Alicia Yates of Hibernian's youth team - who is one of three low-rated keepers in the squad due to there being no keepers in Mainland Europe for the database we are using.
England get the game's first chance, a free kick played short to Kim Little, whose effort is miscued wide. A similar routine gives a long-range chance to Élise Bussaglia, whose shot is much better and forces Hedvig Lindahl to push behind for a corner. Lieke Martens and Steph Houghton both go close with 25-yard free kicks, as the two sides continue to match each other. In the 22nd minute Alex Greenwood plays Fran Kirby in down the left, and her floated cross is met by Vivianne Miedema, who steers her header perfectly beyond Yates and in for the opening goal!
Jennifer Hermoso has two efforts from the edge of the box go close, as does Miedema. However, neither team can find the game's next goal and we go into the break with England 1-0 up.
Ji So-Yun has not had a great game, and appears nervous, so she is replaced by Nadia Nadim. The second half progresses with few chances, and Mainland Europe respond by bringing on Eli Aluko for Vicky Losada. Martens is arguably the world's best player, but she is having a poor game, encapsulated when her shot from the edge of the box very nearly goes out for a corner. Speaking of corners, an England one is met by Houghton, who nods it down to her defensive partner Maren Mjelde, and the Norwegian slams it home to double the lead!
Ji So-Yun has not had a great game, and appears nervous, so she is replaced by Nadia Nadim. The second half progresses with few chances, and Mainland Europe respond by bringing on Eli Aluko for Vicky Losada. Martens is arguably the world's best player, but she is having a poor game, encapsulated when her shot from the edge of the box very nearly goes out for a corner. Speaking of corners, an England one is met by Houghton, who nods it down to her defensive partner Maren Mjelde, and the Norwegian slams it home to double the lead!
Straight from kick-off a long ball into the box finds Aluko, whose vicious volley is straight at Lindahl. Yates nearly seals it for England, with a poor free-kick straight to Karen Carney, who attempts a first-time shot from the centre-circle, but she doesn't connect properly and the shot is well wide. It doesn't matter, however, as Kirby bursts down the left and clips in a cross for Carney to nod home.
Martens goes close, as does Nadim, but generally there is little tension in the final minutes of the game, as England comfortably see out a highly impressive 3-0 win, that puts them into the inaugural WDWC final! But who will they face?
France vs. USA
An early victory against Germany set the tone for an impressive performance by France in their group, as they secured top spot - only dropping points in a draw with Mainland Europe. USA, however, did not qualify smoothly, amassing only 5 points from 4 games, sealed with a nervy 0-0 draw against 3rd-placed Rest of World.
Neither side has any selection issues, and so can pick their full-strength XIs. With both teams generally preferring to control matches, this will be a particularly interesting fight in midfield. Hopefully, the two sides don't cancel each other out. The USA are effectively playing four strikers, with Sam Kerr, Marta and Christine Sinclair all behind Alex Morgan.
An early victory against Germany set the tone for an impressive performance by France in their group, as they secured top spot - only dropping points in a draw with Mainland Europe. USA, however, did not qualify smoothly, amassing only 5 points from 4 games, sealed with a nervy 0-0 draw against 3rd-placed Rest of World.
Neither side has any selection issues, and so can pick their full-strength XIs. With both teams generally preferring to control matches, this will be a particularly interesting fight in midfield. Hopefully, the two sides don't cancel each other out. The USA are effectively playing four strikers, with Sam Kerr, Marta and Christine Sinclair all behind Alex Morgan.
Shanice van der Sanden was lethal in the group stage, and she continues that form here by putting France ahead in the 4th minute! Dzsenifer Marozsán gets a fine cross in from the left, and van der Sanden steals in behind Meghan Klingenberg to thump a header home!
The USA respond with an ominous spell of possession (10 minutes in, they have had 79% of the ball), but they can't convert it into clear chances. In fact, it's France who create the next big opportunity, as Lucy Bronze's cross is straight to the feet of Formiga, completely free in the box, but she panics and hits her effort well over the bar. Formiga follows this with a loose pass in her half, and the USA hare away. Marta to Morgan to Sinclair, who waits and slides the perfect ball through to Kerr, who lashes it into the top corner to level!
That devastating display of incision from the USA front four should boost their confidence, but instead they switch off at the back, and allow Marozsán to slip it through to Ada Hederberg, whose shot is just strong enough to beat Lydia Williams to put France back ahead!
Marozsán has run the show today, and she deservedly gets on the scoresheet herself, running onto Hederberg's lay-off to place it beyond Williams - it's 3-1 and we've only had 25 minutes!
From kick-off USA manage to lose the ball, and it soon finds its way to Marozsán. And sure enough, it results in a goal as she plays in Van de Sanden who crosses low for Hederberg to knock in her second of the day. This semi-final is beginning to feel a bit Belo Horizonte...
She nearly wraps up her hat-trick in the 36th minute with a powerful drive that Williams does well to tip over the bar. By the 39th minute USA have had enough, and Morgan is taken off for Desiree Scott, who is instructed to mark Marozsán out of the game - a move that arguably is too late. It's enough to prevent any more goals before the break, but it means that the USA still need three goals in the second half.
Eugénie Le Sommer has had a quiet game, and has picked up a yellow, so at the break she is replaced by Izzy Christiansen. Sinclair takes a knock, but before USA even have a chance to assess whether she should stay on, she picks up the ball on the edge of the box and curls it beautifully into the top corner - game on?
Eugénie Le Sommer has had a quiet game, and has picked up a yellow, so at the break she is replaced by Izzy Christiansen. Sinclair takes a knock, but before USA even have a chance to assess whether she should stay on, she picks up the ball on the edge of the box and curls it beautifully into the top corner - game on?
A tense period of play passes, with more yellows than chances - but eventually there is a goal, and it goes to USA! It is game on now, as Kerr finds Carli Lloyd just inside the box, and she nervelessly powers it into the top corner!
It's now France who look ragged, and Sinclair has a chance for an equaliser as she runs at the defence, but her shot is off target. France get their act together, and put together some chances of their own, including one for Hederberg that sees her hit the post from just 6 yards out. USA respond with a big chance for Sinclair, but her header is straight at Sarah Bouhaddi. That miss proves to be USA's last big chance, and the referee blows the whistle to signal the end to a ridiculous game. France win 4-3, the game won by a whirlwind spell of 3 goals in four first-half minutes.
So, the next update in this series will be the final, where England and France will duke it out to be the first-ever winners of the Women's Draft World Cup!
So, the next update in this series will be the final, where England and France will duke it out to be the first-ever winners of the Women's Draft World Cup!