Norway vs. England: Three Lionesses look to continue journey
England will seek to continue their World Cup journey as they prepare to take on tricky opponents Norway on Thursday.
The Three Lionesses have been quite impressive so far this summer, and come into this game having won all of four their four fixtures. England are just a handful of sides to complete a perfect group stage campaign and have conceded just one goal this summer in France.
Phil Neville’s ladies really had to keep their cool in their round of 16 tie against Cameroon, as the African side were clearly keen on battling literally tooth and nail with their opponents throughout the match. There were several incidents in which Cameroon should have had a player sent off, but despite throwing a vicious elbow, spitting, and stamping on England’s players, Cameroon managed to finish the game with just a couple of yellow cards and everyone staying on the pitch.
Having managed to navigate through a tense 90 minutes of action that would have felt more like mixed martial arts at times rather than football, England now look forward to seeing off Norway.
The Norwegians come into this game having survived their own tough battle – albeit it was a tactical one rather than an actual physical one. After allowing Australia to get back into the game with a late equalizer, Martin Sjögren’s side had to play 30 extra minutes and then head to spot-kicks, where all of their four shooters found the back of the net.
Fatigue, though, could play a part here, as England settled their match in regulation time. However, Neville could be missing both skipper Steph Houghton and defender Millie Bright for this contest. Houghton suffered a horrible ankle injury after a nasty tackle from Cameroon, whilst Bright has been struck down by illness. Both players were on the bus for light training earlier today, but will have to be assessed just before kick-off.
Norway, for their part, doesn’t have any major injury concerns, with Caroline Graham Hansen shaking off an ankle injury to feature against Australia over the weekend.
This will be the third World Cup clash between the two sides. Norway won 2-0 way back in 1995, but notably, England dispatched the Scandinavians 2-1 in the round of 16 four years ago.
To date, England’s best result was third place in 2015, and it goes without saying that the no. 3 side in the world will be aiming to go one step further – the final. The men’s side were cruelly denied a spot there last summer as Croatia managed to grab a late goal, and now the onus will be on the women’s team to finally bring it home.
But first, they will have to see off a Norwegian side who have been also quietly going about their business with a combination of efficiency and determination. Australia might have had star striker Sam Kerr in their ranks, but Norway managed to keep her contained over the course of 120 minutes and she fluffed her lines during the penalty shoot-out.
Will England’s journey continue to the final four – and perhaps beyond? Or will industrious Norway throw a major spanner in those plans?
