Enjoy it while it lasts!
So, here we are again. After winning the UEFA Women's Championship in 2022, then losing the final of the Women’s World Cup in 2023, the England women’s football team is in yet another final.
Today’s opponents are Spain, the team that beat them in the World Cup final in Australia two years ago. On the eve of that match I asked, ‘Not watching the Women’s World Cup final? What’s wrong with you?’, adding:
Whatever the result, it’s an extraordinary achievement for England’s women to reach back-to-back finals, especially when you take into account the loss of five players from the Euro winning team to long-term injury or retirement.
Given the rapid development of the women’s game worldwide, it’s also a feat that will be very difficult to repeat, or improve upon, so enjoy the moment because it may never happen again.
Indeed, the days when two countries (the USA and Germany) were able to dominate the international women’s game, winning tournament after tournament at world or European level, are almost certainly over.
That said, given their dominance at youth level in recent years, it’s possible that Spain (England's opponents tomorrow) could prove me wrong.
I concluded that post with these words:
Spain - who outplayed England for a large part of the Euro quarter final in Brighton last year - are extremely dangerous opponents. If England overcome them again it will be one of the country’s greatest and most joyful sporting moments. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and nor should you.
As we know, England lost 1-0 and I suspect that today’s game may follow a similar pattern for the simple reason that Spain undoubtedly have the more skilful, technical players overall. Nevertheless, to reach three successive finals is a phenomenal achievement and the dramatic manner with which they beat Sweden and Italy in this tournament has to be applauded, even if was by skin of their teeth.
It’s worth noting too that Spain are not unbeatable. Indeed, England beat them earlier this year at Wembley (a slightly fortuitous 1-0 win) before losing the return game 2-1. And before that England’s women beat them 2-1 during Euro 2022, after which I wrote:
Spain’s first half performance against England was arguably one of the best of the tournament but - and I’m keen to point this out - their clever inter-passing style of play failed to find the net.
Like Barcelona’s men’s team it was also quite boring to watch. Heresy, I know, but possession football for the sake of it can be very tedious.
Did you see how indignant the Spanish players were when England equalised after 84 minutes? It was as if they felt they had the right to win the match because for 80 minutes they played the ‘better’ football.
I stand by those words, even if I have to eat them later!
PS. Ten days ago, a few hours before the England-Sweden game, a friend emailed to say, ‘Sorry, women’s football is not for me … I can always nip down the park on a Sunday morning and watch my pub team …’.
He’s not alone so I replied:
If two of the top women's teams are well matched you will generally get a good game (in a sporting sense). For example, England play Sweden tonight in the Women's Euros. Two very evenly matched teams so it ought to be a good game. Nothing like the level of a men's match because women will never be able to compete physically, but you could say that about tennis – even the top women would have no chance of competing with the top 500 male players – and perhaps not even the top 5000 – but that doesn't mean it can't be an enjoyable sport in its own right. (I'm pretty sure it will be far less tedious than watching Southgate's England, or even Tuchel's for that matter.)
If you watched that match – and the extraordinary denouement – you must surely agree that it was significantly more entertaining than many men’s matches. But I also added a note of caution:
One of the reasons I currently enjoy the women's game is not just the nicer atmosphere at matches, it's also the relative lack of gamesmanship. All that will no doubt change as more money comes into the game and women's clubs develop greater rivalries, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts!
Finally, if you’re a football fan and don’t watch today’s game, I’ll repeat what I wrote before the Women’s World Cup final – what the hell is wrong with you?!
