SPORT: Women's Football, 2011 World Cup Qualification

England 1 - Spain 0 London by Georgina Turner)

New Den, attendance 5041
1 April 2010

England’s women kept their World Cup qualification push on track with a battling 1-0 win over Spain on Thursday night. The three points puts Hope Powell’s team level with Spain at the top of the group – but crucially, England have a game in hand.
Neither side created too many clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities on a bitterly cold night in south London, but having dominated the first half and defended their lead in the second, Powell was pleased with the result.
“It would have been nice to have scored from the chances we created,” she said afterwards. “Spain were the better side in the second half. Technically, they were very efficient, as we knew they would be, and they really pressured us. In the end we were quite resilient and stood our ground. We had to work really hard but we’ve got three points and now we move on.”
England started confidently, knowing that a loss to Spain at this point would put real pressure on the remainder of their qualification campaign – only the group winners will go through to the main play-offs for a place in Germany. Katie Chapman went close in the first quarter of an hour after being played in by Eni Aluko, who danced her way past two flummoxed Spanish defenders. When England made the breakthrough after half an hour, it was Chapman again who stole into the box, chipped the ball up, swivelled and struck a delicious volley beyond keeper Ainhoa Tirapu.
Rachel Yankey, back in the squad after missing out on Euro2009, struck a couple of low drives; the second, just after half time, forced Tirapu into a full-stretch save. In goal for England, Rachel Brown was fortunate not to concede a penalty after clattering into Adriana Martin just before Chapman scored, but wasn’t forced into a real save until the hour mark, when Sonia Bermudez tried her luck from the edge of the area. Brown somehow pawed that one away to keep the home side ahead.
England appeared to tire defending their vital lead, and Spain pressed with greater urgency as the clock wound down. Having survived a scramble in the box, the home side conceded a free kick just outside the area with a few minutes remaining. The New Den breathed a collective sigh of relief as Adriana placed it just wide to maintain England’s unbeaten run towards Germany 2011.

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