#036 - The World Cup Diaries - Semifinal 2
Two bangers, two missed chances and one Lauren Hemp
One spot in the final is up for the grabs and we have two sides with a rich sporting rivalry, although there isn’t much on the footballing side yet but maybe this is the start.
It has been a beautiful summer of Ashes (cricket fans will know) and now it’s time for the extended Ashes.
Australia vs England down under. All the ingredients for a cracker.
This will be a small recap with some tactical bits from the game and a standout player.
Let’s dissect the action from the second semi-final!
Match 62: Australia 1-3 England
Australia were coming into this on the back of arguably one of the greatest sporting moments in the country’s history. The euphoria and the adrenaline were at an all time high and there was an entire nation behind the Matildas now.
Tony Gustavsson’s side had dealt with the challenges so far without their golden girl Sam Kerr. They were boosted by her return in the semi-finals as she started the game. The Tillies had to make a forced change with Alanna Kennedy out due to delayed concussion symptoms.
England, as is normally the case with Sarina Weigman, went in with no changes apart from Lauren James being suspended. Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp led the line with Ella Toone playing in behind the two.
The game was off to a bitty start. The crowd was electric as they cheered and jeered every touch depending on the team.
Australia came up with a similar plan to Nigeria and Colombia in order to deal with Keira Walsh’s influence. They assigned a player to mark her throughout the game. Mary Fowler had that responsibility, the Man City forward closely tracked the former Man City midfielder and tried to take her out of the game.
It was a sound plan and it did limit Walsh’s influence in the early part of the game but it allowed England’s wide centerback, Alex Greenwood, way too much time on the ball to try and play a ball in behind. She created a couple of dangerous opportunities with it.
England were trying to overload one side before quickly making a switch to the weaker side. They did this by having Lucy Bronze, Hemp and Russo and one of the midfielders move towards the right side before making a switch to the left hand side directly targeted a Rachel Daly making a darting run into the box.
Ths idea to have a lethal striker, disguised as the left wingback, was a sound strategy and worked for large parts but also forced the team to go direct. Both teams consistently looked to play direct to their forward options. Aus
If you look at England’s deep completion map you see a lot of long balls from deep and crosses from deep left flank. Australia went direct with Kerr and so did Hemp and Russo. Kerr received 17 progressive passes while Russo did nine and Hemp did eight.
The English direct approach can also be seen in the fact that the duo ranked in the top two for take-ons attempted in the game. Both players did a lot of the heavylifting for England on their own, creating problems with their ball carrying and linkup play.
Ella Toone opened the scoring with a fantastic strike and Kerr one upped her with an even more outrageous strike but this is where the game unravelled.
Ellie Carpenter switched off for a moment defensively under pressure from Hemp and the English forward capitalized putting the Lionesses back in the lead.
Sometimes you score a banger from 30 yards out and miss your bread and butter in the same game. That is what happened with Sam Kerr. After scoring a fantastic long range unsavable effort she missed from close range.
And the football scripted it’s usual knockout football script.
As is usually the case in football, if you don’t take your chances, especially in knockout football, you will be punished by your opponent. After missing two big chances within a span of five minutes, which would have swung the momentum around, Australia conceded a third goal and that was the final nail in the coffin.
This was the first time England were beaten on the underlying numbers in a game at this World Cup. Australia did create enough to maybe force this into extra time but scoreline suggests otherwise and the their dream of the final was cut short.
Greenwood would be my shout for the Golden Ball award at the World Cup. The Man City defender has arguably been the standout player in the Lionesses squad. She has been consistently at the core of providing defensive stability to England while adding immense value with her passing.
Her balls in behind from deep are genuinely one of the major weapons for Weigman’s side plus her set-piece delivery is phenomenal. She made 10 clearances in the semi-final, the most of any player and created five shots for her side. A genuine all around performance from the former Lyon player.
Hemp has already been around for so many years. The Man City winger has been traumatising opposition defences at club level but this performance was arguably her best at an international stage in a crunch situation. She scored one with her relentless and created another with her excellent vision. She was able to showcase her brilliant physical play in terms of playing with the back to goal and linking play.
Hemp received under-pressure and did a wonderful job to turn the marker on her inside out and attack the space. It wasn’t something but it was executed to an exceptional level. Her touches, her dropping deep, everything was measured and she was very economical with the ball. Defensively she covered a lot of ground and helped even out numbers at the back and applied pressure on the opposition backline (the goal was a result of that).
The best (or worst for the opposition) part is that she is still just 23.
We have set the stage for the two golden boot winners from the Arnold Clark Cup, Bright and Alexia Putellas, to clash again. The stakes are bigger this time. Will it come home for two summers straight?
For the co-hosts, a podium finish is up for grabs. It’s the clash of two contrasting Swedish personalities. The timid Peter Gerhardsson and the very animated Tony Gustavsson. Can Sweden finish on the the podium again?
Highlight of the day
Gustavsson’s symphony of a formation change
Another brilliant report. It was nerve wrecking watching this in England (watched by 7m people allegedly). The Sunday game will be another heart stopper.