June 28th, 2019 Women's Nations Cup Match 1: Nations Cup Opener Ends in Epic Stalemate

The following articles provide details of the inaugural Women's Nations Cup tournament.

June 28th, 2019

Women’s Nations Cup Match 1: Nations Cup Opener Ends in Epic Stalemate

France and England opened the Nations Cup with a goal apiece as the long-awaited first Global Futbol Women’s tournament got underway.

 

Jill Scott capitalised on the tail end of the early possession game as the English sought to silence the crowd. Scott sent a long-range shot from outside the box, after the team in white switched the ball back and forth from left to right and back again. French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, diving desperately, was unable to keep out the powerful high shot, nailing the top right corner. Fran Kirby and her volleying skills nearly had a second for England, as the French defence managed to get two heads on the ball and tip it over the crossbar.

 

After the break, the crowd urged the French team into gear, and slowly they worked their way back into the contest, winning the 50-50 balls and frustrating the English players into making unnecessary tackles. This led to a series of yellow cards, and key free kicks in dangerous territory. However, each Eugénie Le Sommer’s free kick failed to find the mark. Then, in the 77th minute, Amandine Henry judged the flight of the ball from Gaëtane Thiney’s cross in a contest of four players to header a cross into the net, and sending the stadium into manic jubilation. France then quickly made attacking substitutions, eager to emerge with the three points, but England’s defence held firm and allowed no other shots from inside the box. One chance came late from Delphine Cascarino, but the distance was too great and English goalkeeper Karen Bardsley had time to adjust her feet and collect the ball into her chest.

 

Both coaches left the stadium feeling positive about the result, and will look to their next matches to ensure the full points and a chance to score a high number of goals to top the group. France face South American up-and-comers Uruguay on July 3rd, after the match between South Korea and England.

France	1-1		England
8 6 51 15 3 5 75 85	Shots Shots on Target Possession % Tackles Fouls Corners Shot Accuracy % Pass Accuracy %		6 4 49 23 2 1 67 74
YC 52’ #15 Bussaglia SB 53’ #10 Majri off, #14 Bilbault on         GO 77’ #6 Henry (assisted by #17 Thiney) SB 80’ #11 Diani off, #20 Cascarino on SB 83’ #15 Bussaglia  off, #13 Gauvin on		GO 33’ #8 Scott (assisted by #2 Bronze) YC 52’ #5 Houghton     YC 61’ #2 Bronze SB 64’ #18 White off, #11 Duggan on YC 72’ #17 Daly           90’ #17 Daly off, #14 Mertens on 90’ #20 Carney off, #4 Walsh on