MY ACCOUNT
England were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Norway — but capped off an unforgettable year as they kept their unbeaten record.
Rachel Daly scored the opener for England in the 33rd-minute heading Chloe Kelly’s lofted ball into the bottom corner.
Norway left-back Anja Sonstevold was sent off in the 72nd-minute after a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Nikita Parris that gave England full control.
But against the run of play Frida Maanum pounced on a fatal mistake from Ellie Roebuck, to equalise in the 80th-minute and rescue a draw for Norway.
Lionesses sign off a successful 2022
Despite the disappointment of the result, it has been a remarkable year for the Lionesses winning the Arnold Clark Cup and the Euros.
Now they have maintained an unbeaten record of 20 games in 2022 under the guidance of Sarina Wiegman.
While they may have wanted to end the year on a victory, it remains a remarkable feat for England with a World Cup on the horizon.
Norway provide tough challenge
England’s last outing was a dominant 4-0 victory over Japan — but against Norway the Lionesses had to work hard to defend their unbeaten record.
They set up in a low block to keep the England attack at bay and it took an inch-perfect pass from Kelly to unlock their defence.
Norway’s task was then made even harder when they were reduced to 10 players.
However, they were eventually rewarded for their game plan when Roebuck ran from her goal line and failed to clear a pass, leaving Maanum to slot the ball into an open net.
Dangerous Daly takes her chance
Daly, 30, was given a rare opportunity to lead the line for the Lionesses — and she did not disappoint.
She was constantly on the move, dropping deep to create spaces for her team-mates to run in behind and dispatched the all-important goal.
Wiegman has generally deployed the Aston Villa forward in a right-back role as she did in England’s last outing against Japan.
However, her immense performance could force the England boss to reconsider her role for the Lionesses going forward.
A debut for Le Tissier
It was a night to remember for full-back Maya Le Tissier who made her senior international debut.
The 20-year-old has had an impressive start to life at Manchester United after making the move from Brighton.
She was immediately put under pressure when Norway’s Emilie Haavi ran through on goal — but she showed her quick recovery pace and accurate timing to thwart the chance.
Le Tissier continued to work tirelessly throughout the match guarding the right flank, while also offering an attacking threat.
Wiegman looking to the future
With seven of the starting XI under 25-years-old, Wiegman was clearly looking towards the future as England prepare their bid for World Cup glory in 2023.
After the match she spoke to ITV4 about the importance of giving young players an opportunity.
She said: “Overall there’s so many things we can take from this game. Getting information, this is all to prepare for the World Cup and it gives us so much information.
“We saw so many players today and on Friday and that’s a good thing.”
