England recorded a 1-0 win over World Cup quarter-finalists Australia in China today (Tuesday), with four Chelsea Ladies players contributing to the victory.
Having made her debut on Friday against China, Gilly Flaherty retained her spot in a Lionesses starting line-up which also included Eniola Aluko (pictured above) and Claire Rafferty.
They help deliver a masterclass in measured attacking play to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat by China on Friday, handing the hosts victory in the CFA International Tournament.
Manchester City’s Isobel Christiansen was the scorer for England on 51 minutes, threading a tidy finish past the Australian defence and goalkeeper. Chelsea centre-forward Eniola Aluko was England’s driving force for the first hour, coming within inches of scoring on several occasions before making way for Portland Thorns striker Jodie Taylor in the 57th minute. Aluko showed her attacking threat by blasting Lucy Bronze’s through ball onto the woodwork midway through the first half, having earlier sent two fierce strikes narrowly over the crossbar in an initial 10-minute siege. However, she was unable to repeat her goal-scoring contribution from the opening match of the tri-nation friendly tournament.
Club team-mate Flaherty, the 24-year-old centre-back whom Chelsea Ladies coach Emma Hayes had previously described as the ‘best uncapped player in the country’, proved that her two-year wait for England recognition was worthwhile by excelling as part of a back four which also featured Chelsea left-back Rafferty.
England had a stranglehold over Australia, rated four places below Mark Sampson’s squad by the FIFA rankings, as the Matildas seemingly struggled to recover from a hard-fought 1-1 draw with China on Sunday. In an individual battle broke out between Perthshire-born midfielder Samantha Kerr and Manchester City’s Karen Bardsley in the Lionesses goal, who denied her twice in quick succession during the first half. In truth, England could have won the match by a greater margin as Jill Scott, who was celebrating her 100th cap, hit two shots narrowly over the bar after the break.
Overall, the result means that England end their 2015 tour programme on a high, having followed up victory in the Cyprus Cup in March with a historic third-place finish at the Women’s World Cup in Canada this year. The Lionesses now have a month to recover before a friendly match against Germany on 26 November before they return to home soil three days later for a Euro 2017 qualifier against Bosnia & Herzegovina at Bristol’s Ashton Gate stadium.
If the Far East visit was fruitful for England, it was a triumph for Chelsea Ladies as a total of eight Blues were named in the squad, including newcomers Laura Coombs and Drew Spence who made their senior debuts against China. The domestic league and cup double-winning squad are back in action for Chelsea next month in the UEFA Women’s Champions League last 16 against Wolfsburg, with the first leg taking place at Wheatsheaf Park in Staines on 11 November. Tickets for the game, priced £5 adults and £3 concessions, are available to buy online.
By Daniel Wittenberg