The Lionesses have announced their 23-strong squad for the World Cup in France, which starts subsequent month. Manchester City’s Steph Houghton will captain the group, which features eleven World Cup first-timers and veterans Karen Carney, Jill Scott, and Lucy Bronze.
Beth Mead believes she is gambling the fine soccer of her career and the Arsenal ahead wants a beginning spot inside the England World Cup squad following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat of Manchester City at the very last day of the Women’s Super League season.
The Gunners moved seven points clear of City on the pinnacle of the table, having already clinched the identity at Brighton ultimate week, after a wonder strike from Emma Mitchell.
“I don’t need to be a squad player anymore,” stated Mead. “I need to be pushing for a role to start. I’m even greater hungry for it now I’m going.”
Mead changed into complete of praise for the Lionesses squad unveiling thru social media while the captain, Steph Houghton, turned into introduced by way of Prince William and herself and teammate Leah Williamson by using the Arsenal legends Kelly Smith and Ian Wright respectively: “The king and queen of Arsenal,” she stated, grinning.
Phil Neville, the England supervisor, said in midweek that he might now not be looking the very last WSL video games of the season. “Every time a gamer is going down you watched: ‘She’s out of the World Cup.’ So I’ll simply flip the small screen television off and desire all and sundry receives through. I don’t want all of us injured,” he said recently.
But even as Neville’s eyes have been somewhere else, a sell-out Borehamwood crowd were well and actually centered on Arsenal’s meeting with the unbeaten City.
City’s supervisor, Nick Cushing, no question eased Neville’s worries by sticking the dynamic forward duo of Nikita Parris (who should well be joining Lyon after confirming via Instagram on Saturday that she is leaving City) and Georgia Stanway at the bench. The goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and Abbie McManus also took seats within the dugout, meaning simply four of eight gamers in England’s 23-sturdy squad – Houghton, Demi Stokes, Jill Scott, and Keira Walsh – started out the sport. Mead and the 22-year-old center-lower back Williamson started for Arsenal.
A cagey first 1/2, with simply bragging rights at stake, had Arsenal pressing excessive and Lauren Hemp isolated up the front for City. Perhaps Neville need to have tuned in although, with the presence of Arsenal’s Dutch ahead Vivianne Miedema, who has scored more than 30 goals in all competitions, imparting another hazard to see Houghton tested in opposition to the pleasant.
Minutes in Houghton became available to dam an effective shot from Miedema from the brink of the area. If something, and in all likelihood worryingly for Neville, it becomes Scotland’s Kim Little who appeared to hassle the City defense more. Sitting at the shoulder of Walsh, Little constantly snapped on the heels of City’s again line.
Scotland is first up for England in Group D and, although decidedly the underdogs, the four players on display right here – Little, Lisa Evans, Mitchell, and Caroline Weir – are an indication of simply how sturdy Scotland’s starting XI can be within the summer.
“We’ve were given masses of gamers competing inside the WSL against the English women week in, week out,” said Mitchell. “It gives us self assurance going into that game. This is our first World Cup, we’ve nothing to lose. All the hype will be on England and which could become supporting everybody else.”
At 1/2-time Stokes, run ragged by her international teammate Mead, became substituted for Megan Campbell.
It took until the 89th minute for Arsenal to clinch victory. Mead’s nook turned into cleared however the ball fell to Mitchell on the brink of the container who lashed a super left-foot strike beyond Ellie Roebuck, à Los Angeles Vincent Kompany.
Mitchell laughed at the comparison. “A few of the women stated that his goal changed into a piece greater vital although due to the fact we’ve already wrapped the league up,” she stated carrying a league-winners T-blouse.
“I said to one of the ladies when the ball went out for a nook that I changed into going to go for it however I didn’t expect it to happen.”
