Phil Neville left with plenty to ponder after England women are pegged back by Australia
England head coach Phil Neville again found himself rueing his side’s wasteful finishing – as well as two denied penalties – after the Lionesses surrendered the one-goal cushion they had spent 63 minutes defending against Australia.
It was a lead that always felt, in truth, far more precarious than it should have given England’s dominance, and there was a feeling of inevitability about the moment Clare Polkinghorne rose highest in the box to thump home Australia’s equaliser after Fran Kirby had opened the scoring.
There was little here, in truth, to assuage the concerns that Neville’s side lack balance. Before Polkinghorne’s header, there were enough moments where England’s lead trembled like a vase in an earthquake. With just seven minutes left, England goalkeeper Mary Earps tipped Larissa Crummer’s late strike over the bar, and only the suspect decision-making of Amy Sayer, Lisa De Vanna and Princess Ibini-Isei ensured the Matildas did not level sooner.
This, then, is the conundrum facing Neville as he looks to bring in his “total football” vision. It is more visually appealing than the pragmatism of his predecessor, Mark Sampson, but England must be far more clinical if this is to bear fruit at a major tournament.
It was often difficult to believe the sheer nerve and audacity of England’s approach against an Australia side – albeit under-strength – that Neville has spent the past four days calling “dark horses for the World Cup”. This wasn’t so much a handbrakes off approach as much as everyone piling in for whitewater rafting on an adventure holiday, the Lionesses shuffling and whirring and swivelling with a bruising, restless intensity.
Whether they will bring their first-half glee and daring to France next summer remains to be seen. The Matildas are ranked eighth in the world and boast a smattering of world-class players, but were without talismanic striker Sam Kerr, as well as goalkeeper Lydia Williams and midfielder Emily van Egmond.
Given Brazil’s tepid display on Saturday, it is questionable whether England have recently faced opponents of the quality they will meet in the latter stages of the World Cup.
England boasted five changes from the side that beat Brazil 1-0, but arguably looked more dangerous. They opened the scoring on 21 minutes, Lucy Bronze directing a lofted delivery into the vicinity of Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. Arnold made a mess of the clearance, the ball looped up to Beth Mead to spin her marker and Kirby, nominated alongside Bronze for the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or this week, was on hand to score her 12th international goal.
The wily Mead, winning her fifth cap, was the architect behind what should have been her side’s second. She found Kirby to square for Lucy Staniforth to tap home, but the flag flew up with Craven Cottage already celebrating.
Mead led the shouts for a penalty after being floored by defender Caitlin Foord’s industrial challenge, and substitute Nikita Parris, felled 12 minutes from time, also had a compelling case to make for a spot-kick. “I can’t understand why they haven’t been given,” said Neville. “It’s a mystery. Everyone watching could see they were penalties.”
