After all the noise around this year’s U-20 Women’s World Cup, English football’s brightest young stars have finally been able to do what they came to do: play football.
After a tough group stage that resulted in qualification by the skin of their teeth, England will now face Nigeria in the first knockout round of the tournament on Thursday (2pm BST kick-off).
Their route there has been anything but straightforward. England opened with a 1-1 draw against Canada, coming through some difficult moments and needing a late Rachel Maltby penalty to take a point.
The Young Lionesses looked much more settled in a 5-1 win over Tanzania, but their final group game against Brazil represented a big step up in opposition.
England held their own, leading for more than an hour and heading for top spot in Group B, before goals from Clarinha and a 95th-minute winner from Gremio U20 star Gisele sunk their charge.
The 2-1 defeat left England level with Canada on points, head-to-head record, goal difference and goals scored, meaning that Lydia Bedford’s side progressed thanks to the ‘team conduct’ tiebreaker.
England received only two yellow cards over their three matches, while Stephanie Schoeley’s red card against Brazil ended up putting Canada out of the tournament.
Getting through the difficult moments
Canada was a tough opening game for England, who looked nervous against the reigning continental champions and gave the ball away in areas they normally wouldn’t.
After Annabelle Chukwu put Canada ahead early in the second half, keeper Katie Cox had to make two saves in quick succession to stop the game getting away from England.
England were able to stay in the game and Bedford used all five substitutes to do so.
Bedford admitted after the game that her side needed to “shake off the nerves” in future performances, but praised her team’s resilience.
“We’ve talked a lot about the mentality of our team. We’ve always said that, if we want to go the distance in this tournament, we need to stick together,” Bedford said after the game. “Only 11 players could start the match, but everyone on the bench knows they have a role to play. Every player has a part to play when their moment comes.”
She also pushed Aston Villa starlet Maltby further forward, pushing for an equaliser until they eventually won a penalty.
Maltby stepped up herself. “I trust my process,” she said afterwards. “I’ve practised, and I just knew.”
It was an early example of England grinding out a result when a game doesn’t go to plan.
Opening up against Tanzania
Against Tanzania, England looked far more comfortable.
Ipswich striker Princess Ademiluyi opened the scoring after nine minutes from Vivienne Lia’s cross, before Maltby scored twice from the spot and completed her hat-trick just before half-time.
Maltby’s third was the pick of the bunch. The move started with Lucy Newell in defence and, nine passes later, Lily Dent found Maltby free at the back post to slot it home.
England played good football throughout, using their width to move Tanzania’s defence around and getting bodies into the box.
Ademiluyi could easily have scored more. She hit the woodwork twice and caused problems whenever she ran in behind.
Lia also impressed. A late addition to the squad, she assisted both Ademiluyi and substitute Jessie Gale and provided consistent threat from wide areas.
By the end of the game, every outfield player in the squad had featured. That depth could serve England well as they go deeper into the tournament.
Maltby keeps making her mark
Maltby has been England’s standout player so far. Four goals and an assist in three games would be a strong return for a striker, and yet she has managed it as a defender.
The Aston Villa full-back scored the late equaliser against Canada, hit a hat-trick against Tanzania and then set up Dent for England’s only goal against Brazil.
Her performances follow on from a strong World Sevens tournament with Villa earlier this year, where she was named the breakout star.
There is more to her game than goals. She has played at full-back and further forward, and seems happy to take on whatever job Bedford asks of her. That flexibility is proving useful.
Brazil was a reminder of the margins
England’s best performance of the group may actually have come in defeat. Brazil caused problems, particularly on the counter, but England competed well and grew into the game against very strong opponents.
Lily Dent put them ahead after Maltby combined with Lola Brown before finding her at the back post. For long periods, England looked capable of holding Brazil to a clean sheet, or even adding another.
The game flipped around the 70-minute mark. Clarinha equalised from the penalty spot after Chloe Hylton was judged to have tripped Brendha in the area, and Gisele scored the winner late in injury time.
For a young side, it was a fairly brutal lesson in how quickly a game can change.
There are things they will want to improve. England have looked vulnerable after losing possession and they are still waiting for a clean sheet. They will also know they need to manage leads better.
What comes next?
England head into the knockout stages knowing they have enough to cause teams problems.
They have fought back against Canada, put five past Tanzania and gone toe-to-toe with Brazil.
Their round-of-16 tie comes next against Nigeria, which Bedford hopes will be the beginning of a fairytale run to the final.
The manager said after the Brazil game that she wants this team to be in Poland for seven matches. They have got through the first three. Now they have to show whether the resilience they have showed thus far will be enough to carry them further.