England

Kids love to have imaginary tea parties when they’re young. Alex Morgan is still having one in France.

Alex Morgan, who turned 30 on Tuesday, celebrated with a fine cup of imaginary tea after scoring the second goal for the U.S. against England at the Women’s World Cup. 

Christen Press, who started in place of Megan Rapinoe, and Ellen White traded goals early on before Morgan gave the USWNT a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute with a headed goal.

The USWNT lineup vs England was announced shortly before the gigantic Women’s World Cup semifinal match in Lyon on Tuesday and the tournament’s biggest star is on the bench.

USWNT coach Jill Ellis put Megan Rapinoe, who has scored two goals in two straight knockout-round matches, on the bench, replacing her with Christen Press at left wing.

USWNT Lineup vs England

OH WHEN THE YANKS...

Is this it — the moment we all live to regret? Yesterday, a U.S. team administrator and her boss were apprehended whilst dozily meandering around the private rooms of England’s Fourvière hotel, which the rogue Americans could potentially use as a base of operations should they secure passage to the final at the expense of the Lionesses.

As much of a cliché as this sounds, England is very much a team that is greater than the sum of its parts.

This isn’t to say England has bad players — Fran Kirby and Lucy Bronze are among the best in the world at their respective positions. Yet it would be hard to say the Three Lionesses are the best in the world in any one particular area. There are better passing teams, better possession teams, better defending teams and quicker and stronger teams.

But when England puts it together, there might not be a better team.

The Telegraph has reported that Qin Liang, the England vs Cameroon referee, twice ignored VAR advice in order to prevent the Cameroonian team from walking out during the game.

The first instance was Fran Kirby’s penalty appeal, in which Kirby was taken down with a high challenge in the box by a Cameroonian defender.

England’s 3-0 defeat of Cameroon in the Women’s World Cup Round of 16 today will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. The match threatened to descend into chaos on a number of occasions, and it left the players and managers of both nations fuming, albeit for very different reasons. 

The opening goal from today’s Women’s World Cup Round of 16 match between England and Cameroon was an epic tale involving back passes, indirect free kicks and saliva. Yeah, that kind of goal. 

The story begins in the 12th minute, when Cameroon’s Augustine Ejangue cushioned a cross straight towards her own goalkeeper. Instead of clearing it, Annette Ngo Ndom picked it up, putting Cameroon in violation of the back-pass rule.