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Harry Awurumibe, live in France
Tackled… Two Norwegian players stop Australian attacker on her track
England 3-Lionesses are up for a tough battle when they file out tomorrow against former World Cup winners-Norway for the first quarter final match of the on-going 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup billed for Stade Ocean in Le Havre.
The 25, 181-capacity Le Havre stadium will be a perfect ground for the two European top women’s football teams to fight for the ticket for the semi final stage of the competition. Both countries know each order very well and that will make the match an interesting one to watch.
On paper, Norway is head and shoulders above England if their pedigree at the world stage is anything to rely upon. The Norwegians have lifted the FIFA Women’s World Cup once in 1995 in Sweden during the Golden Era of Hege Riise and Ann Kristin Aarones who both claimed the Golden Ball and Golden Boot they won the trophy in Sweden. . That was how good Norway was then.Norway has equally featured in every Woman’s World Cup final.
However, things have changed for England team in the recent time as they are now rated better than Norway. Book makers have even given England 45% chance to beat Norway tomorrow.
This is because the English have taken women’s football seriously and the efforts are now yielding results with the squad under Head Coach Phil Neville is solid in every department of the game. England has the second highest goal scorer in the tournament in Ellen White with 4 goals.
But the Norwegians who are veterans in the game will not be easy meats for the English ladies tomorrow even as Head Coach Martin Sjogren will deploy a strategy to outfox his England counterpart and win the match to advance to the last four. He will field his captain Maren Mjelde who will help on the pitch to coordinate her teammates for the common purpose of winning the match.
All eyes will also be on forwards-Guro Reiten and Isabell Herlovsen who have scored goals in the competition to lead the lines while goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth will have to be at extra alert to thwart the sharp attackers of England.
It promises to be good match and with a lot of dramas expected in the course of the game. women’s football will be the better for it.