England women’s path to the Women’s World Cup final: Here’s how the Lionesses’ route is starting to look

England’s 6-1 thrashing of China in their final Neighborhood D match of the FIFA Females’s World Cup has situation up a 2nd-spherical conflict with Nigeria for the Lionesses. 

While all the talk in the fabricate-up used to be of a route for Sarina Wiegman’s facet that would possibly perhaps well potentially facing one of co-hosts Australia or Olympic champions Canada, adopted by a quarter-final rematch of final twelve months’s Euro 2022 final against Germany, it hasn’t labored out that technique the least bit. 

Such has been the up-and-down nature of more than a couple of nations to date in this tournament, England’s path to backing up their European Championships success with World Cup glory is now looking totally varied, with Africa’s most winning facet first up for the Lionesses as the knockout rounds approach. 

Nigeria brought a pair of shock in Neighborhood B when they beat Australia 3-2 in entrance of a buoyant home crowd, and would possibly perhaps need obtained the community if no longer for a 0-0 blueprint against Republic of Eire on Monday, which would secure put English on a collision path with the co-hosts and the facet who ended their unbeaten stride below Wiegman assist in April. 

But the Mammoth Falcons secure loved a gargantuan tournament to date. They had been accurate at the assist and defender Ashleigh Plumptre will likely be a neatly-identified face to many Females’s Mammoth League followers, as will star forward Asisat Oshoala, as soon as of Liverpool and Arsenal and now of Barcelona. 

In Oshoala and the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Rasheedat Ajibade and NWSL duo Uchenna Kanu and Ifeoma Onumonu, there’s loads there to distress England and they’ve turn into a neatly-drilled outfit below American coach Randy Waldrum. 

If England accomplish development, it looks no longer likely they’ll be reunited with Germany after their loss to Colombia, and as an replacement it looks cherish being either them or fellow South Individuals Brazil, looking on how the earlier few days of the community phases pan out.

Brazil put in a loyal efficiency when the teams met in the first ladies folks’s Copa Finalissima in April at Wembley and flew out of the blocks against Panama, prior to being defeated by France over the weekend. 

Colombia secure loved a gargantuan tournament too, beating South Korea comfortably and ultimate Germany in stoppage time, with 18-twelve months-aged Staunch Madrid megastar Linda Caicedo scoring in both of their video games to date. 

Previous that, Australia would possibly perhaps serene look ahead to the Lionesses ought to serene both attain the semi-finals – or it would possibly perhaps secure to very neatly be aged rivals France, rejuvenated below recent head coach Herve Renard. 

Extra from England ladies folks and the Females’s World Cup

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Alex Greenwood has told FFT that she believes the pattern in the Lionesses only these days is more mentality-centered than potential-basically based, while Christine Sinclair has spoken of her longevity. Intriguingly, Canada ladies folks’s head coach comes from a little town in County Durham – ultimate cherish the males’s – and FFT met Bev Priestman sooner than the tournament.

It is doubtless you’ll perhaps well download the wallchart for the tournament, too.

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Successfully to establish Laverty has been a ladies folks’s soccer creator for a decade now, holding the sport across the FA WSL, a complete lot of FA Cup finals and dwell from the 2017 European Championships and 2019 World Cup. He has written on a odd basis for publications in the UK and USA, together with The Times, Guardian, Honest, iSport, FourFourTwo, Bleacher File, The Blizzard, These Football Times and Our Game Magazine.