England striker Eniola Aluko has signed a new contract with FA WSL1 club Chelsea Ladies ahead of the last few weeks of the women's football season. Aluko, who is in her second spell at Chelsea, returned to the Blues in 2012 from Birmingham City Ladies after playing professionally in America for three seasons. Across her two spells, she has scored a total of 57 goals in 125 appearances and was a key part of the team that won the league and FA Cup double in 2015.
0 Comments
Wales finished their Euro 2017 qualification campaign with a strong performance against Austria in Newport. Despite being unable to qualify for next summers tournament in Holland, the hosts fought hard to limit Austria's chances and end the campaign on a positive. Head coach Jayne Ludlow made two changes from the team that beat bottom of the group Israel 3-0 last week, with defender Rhiannon Roberts and goalkeeper Laura O'Sullivan featuring in the starting eleven. And O'Sullivan was called into action straight away, as Carina Wenninger hit the post after just three minutes.
Having already sealed a spot at the first major tournament in their history, Scotland ended their successful qualifying campaign in style with a win over Iceland. In the reverse fixture in Falkirk in June, Scotland were outplayed as Iceland won comfortably 4-0, but Scotland matched their higher ranked opponents physically and deserved the win. Iceland entered the match having not lost during the qualification campaign, keeping a clean sheet in all seven matches. But Scotland seemed determined to avenge the defeat of the last time the two sides met, and Manchester City striker Jane Ross opened the scoring after just 24 minutes, heading home from left-back Emma Mitchell's pin-point cross.
England secured the top spot in Group 7 of Euro 2017 qualification with a 2-0 win against Belgium. England, who were already assured of their place at next summers tournament in Holland, needed at least a draw in Leuven to finish above their hosts but sealed the three points with two second half goals. After a comfortable 5-0 win over Estonia at Notts County's Meadow Lane on Thursday, head coach Mark Sampson made two changes. Manchester City keeper Karen Bardsley replaced Siobhan Chamberlain in goal, while Chelsea centre-back Gilly Flaherty came in for club team-mate Gemma Davison, meaning Lucy Bronze moved to the right of midfield.
Uncapped bowlers Beth Langston and Sophie Ecclestone have been named in the England squad that will tour the West Indies next month. The fifteen player squad which was announced by the ECB today, will play a five match ODI series between 8th and 19th of October with the last three matches counting towards the ICC Women's Championship. Seventeen year old left-arm spinner Ecclestone makes the team after impressing in the recent Natwest T20 series against Pakistan, where she took three wickets. The Lancashire Thunder bowler played well during the KIA Super League, taking six wickets during the competition in a team that struggled without star internationals Sarah Taylor and Sarah Coyte.
The FA have today announced that England Women will host France at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium on 21st October, with the match acting as preparation for both teams ahead of next summers European Championships. France, who currently sit third in the FIFA World Rankings, have already qualified for the Euros in Holland next year and cannot be caught at the top of Group 3 with 21 points. France finish their qualification campaign with a home match against pointless Albania.
Chelsea Ladies players Claire Rafferty and Rebecca Spencer have withdrawn from the England squad that faces Belgium on Tuesday with injuries. Left back Rafferty has pulled out after suffering a concussion, while goalkeeper Spencer has a back injury. Reading goalkeeper Mary Earps has been called into the squad to replace Spencer, after the Under-23 keeper trained with the senior squad and took part in the Next Generation camp at St. Georges Park last week. Nobody has been called up as replacement for Rafferty.
Great Britain sealed second place in the medal table at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after winning 147 medals, including 64 golds. On day nine of the games, ParalympicsGB passed the tally of 120 medals set at the London 2012 games and went on to finish second behind China who won an incredible 239 medals which included 107 golds. Great Britain also equalled the record, held by China at the Beijing Paralympics, for highest number of different sports that a country has won a gold medal in with eleven.
South Korean In Gee Chun set a record for the lowest ever score at a major championship to win in France. Chun carded a final round of 69 to finish the tournament on 21 under par, beating the record of 20 under previously held jointly by Henrik Stenson (set at The Open 2016) and Jason Day (at the 2015 PGA Championships), and breaking the women's record by two. Chun, the winner of last year's US Open, held an advantage of four shots going into the final round and held her lead to secure the win, ahead of compatriots So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park, who finished tied for second on 17 under par.
Following Finland's defeat against Portugal, Scotland are assured of at least one of the six best runners-up places in Euro 2017 qualification, meaning they have reached a major tournament for the first time in their history. Since Scotland's first official international match in 1972, a 3-2 loss to England, they had failed to make it to seven European Championships and six World Cup's. Despite play-off defeats for the 2009 and 2013 Euros and 2015 World Cup.
|
Keep up to date with the latest news in the world of women's sport.
SELECT BY SPORT
All
NEWS ARCHIVE
October 2016
|