:00:38. > :00:44.Welcome to the Bank's Stadium in Walsall. It is make or break time
:00:44. > :00:49.for England's women in their quest to reach Euro 2013. The teams
:00:49. > :00:53.arrived looking reasonably relaxed ahead of the match. Croatia arrive
:00:53. > :00:59.here bottom of the group with just one point but hope Powell has been
:00:59. > :01:06.quick to warn her charges against any complacency. We beat them away
:01:06. > :01:11.from home but it was a tough encounter. They are quite physical.
:01:12. > :01:15.I think for us, we need to move the ball quickly. I always say to the
:01:15. > :01:19.players, it is the games you are expected to win which often the
:01:19. > :01:24.toughest to win. The girls are not complacent. They want to win. We
:01:24. > :01:30.have to make sure we go out and perform. We want to qualify. We
:01:30. > :01:34.want to part of next year's finals. If we get the three points, it is
:01:34. > :01:42.happy days. If not, it becomes more difficult but hopefully we can do
:01:42. > :01:46.Kelly Smith, Sue Smith and Faye White, 294 caps worth of English
:01:46. > :01:49.talent join me to look ahead at what we hope will be a relatively
:01:49. > :01:55.straightforward handling of the task in hand, especially bearing in
:01:55. > :01:59.mind that you are two weeks before your due date, this is commitment
:01:59. > :02:05.in the England cause! We are going to keep the drama on the pitch,
:02:05. > :02:09.aren't we? Certainly hope so. I had not planned for the birth today.
:02:09. > :02:13.Kelly, unfortunately, you're not on the pitch Dight and you have missed
:02:13. > :02:20.most of this campaign because of injury, what is the situation
:02:20. > :02:26.tonight? Unfortunately, I picked up eight quad muscle injury. It seems
:02:26. > :02:33.to be getting worse. I did meet up with the dream on Friday but I
:02:33. > :02:38.could not pass a long distance bought all managed to sprint. I
:02:38. > :02:43.will have a couple of weeks out to rest and hopefully good to go
:02:43. > :02:47.against our Champions League game against Barcelona. What are you
:02:47. > :02:52.expecting tonight? It will be a tough game tonight. I know the
:02:52. > :02:58.scoreline in Croatia was 6-0. Croatia cannot qualify. England
:02:58. > :03:02.must win tonight. The pressure will be on. Once we scored the first
:03:02. > :03:05.goal they will settle our nerves a bit. I spoke to some of the girls
:03:05. > :03:11.who were in Croatia and they said it was physical. Hopefully we will
:03:11. > :03:17.win the group and then qualify. now time for the team news. Last
:03:17. > :03:24.time, Hope Powell brought the instructions. This term we have
:03:24. > :03:30.asked Casey Stoney. Karen Bardsley, goalkeeper. Probably one of the
:03:30. > :03:35.best goalkeepers in the world so far. She has hands like glue.
:03:35. > :03:40.Scott, Arsenal, defence. Probably one of the best full-backs in the
:03:40. > :03:47.game. She is great on the ball, great going forward. Saviour
:03:47. > :03:53.Bradley, Lincoln ladies, at defence. -- Saviour Bradley. A team mate of
:03:53. > :03:59.mine. She is quick, reads the game well. Steph Houghton, Arsenal,
:03:59. > :04:04.defence. Played very well so far. Scored three goals in the Olympics
:04:04. > :04:12.so she is known for her goalscoring. She works hard on her game. Jill
:04:12. > :04:19.Scott, Everton, midfield. Don't be fooled by her size, she is
:04:19. > :04:24.technically very good and her engine is phenomenal. Fara Williams,
:04:24. > :04:34.Everton, midfield. One of the most technically gifted players in the
:04:34. > :04:37.
:04:37. > :04:41.team. She makes -- she takes it well. Anita Asante. Sheet scores
:04:41. > :04:47.well -- she is great on the ball, she is composed and good under
:04:47. > :04:52.pressure. Karen Carney, Birmingham City, midfield. She is one of the
:04:52. > :04:58.most creative players that England have produced. Rachel Yankey,
:04:58. > :05:03.Arsenal, forward. The most capped player, that says it all. She is a
:05:03. > :05:08.nightmare to play against. She is so quick and delivers really well.
:05:08. > :05:13.Eniola Aluko, Birmingham City, forward. A quick, tricky, can
:05:13. > :05:22.change direction at the drop of a hat. Scores goals, frightening to
:05:22. > :05:28.play against as a defender. Casey Stoney, Lincoln, defender. She just
:05:28. > :05:33.makes up the numbers. Let's have a little look now at the
:05:33. > :05:36.group table. England have not topped the group since last
:05:36. > :05:42.September which is when their campaign started. Does it matter
:05:42. > :05:47.that they have not been top of the group at all? I think from my
:05:47. > :05:52.personal opinion, and a lot of the girls, their ability is through
:05:52. > :05:56.these campaigns you can get a lot of confidence by going unbeaten and
:05:56. > :06:00.topping it and leading it the whole way. We should expect that from an
:06:00. > :06:05.England team who are as good as they are. Kelly, staff Houghton was
:06:05. > :06:11.a revelation at the Olympics, were you surprised by the impact she
:06:11. > :06:15.made -- Steph Houghton. I think yes, in a way. That was a hard task. She
:06:15. > :06:20.has missed the last two major tournaments for England through
:06:20. > :06:25.injury but I think this tournament was made for her. She really shone,
:06:25. > :06:30.she came alight and she was the leader on the pitch. Now she is a
:06:30. > :06:35.household name in women's football so well done to her. And well done
:06:35. > :06:39.to Rachel Yankey because your fellow left-winger will be making a
:06:39. > :06:44.record-breaking 120 eighth cap. How important had she been? Absolutely
:06:44. > :06:49.fantastic. The amount of caps has said it all. She actually played
:06:49. > :06:53.when we played with Jill Coltart and she has beaten her record. Gill
:06:54. > :06:59.was a fantastic player and Rachel has taken that mantle and carried
:06:59. > :07:04.on. She was Show tonight what sort of a classy player she is. We need
:07:04. > :07:08.her to lead the team and we can do with hair experience. We appear to
:07:08. > :07:14.have run out of superlatives for Rachel Yankey. Let's hear from the
:07:14. > :07:18.player herself as she becomes a record-breaker. I just found it
:07:18. > :07:23.exciting to go out there and be challenged. It is always an honour
:07:23. > :07:29.and a women's football as well, these are the toughest games.
:07:29. > :07:35.August 1997, versus Scotland, where it all began. I remember scoring on
:07:35. > :07:43.my debut, scoring and getting cramp in my car. Everyone was celebrating.
:07:43. > :07:47.It was so painful. -- cramp in my calf. I did not think about what it
:07:47. > :07:50.was that I was stepping into. It was just, you are good enough to
:07:50. > :07:57.play, go out there and play and I did that.
:07:57. > :08:01.2005, half a century against Mexico. It was a great day. To get 50 caps
:08:01. > :08:07.for England was an amazing achievement. A memorable year off
:08:07. > :08:11.the pitch as well. We went to the Palace. I met Prince Charles. He
:08:11. > :08:15.spoke to me and spoke about women's football. I was really taken aback
:08:15. > :08:21.by how much he knew. It was a good day out.
:08:21. > :08:26.For July 2010, a landmark moment, 100 caps. It was special for me,
:08:26. > :08:31.being against Turkey as well. My boyfriend is a Turkish Cypriot.
:08:31. > :08:37.That was even better, to score, it meant I had one over on him! To
:08:37. > :08:44.lead the team out and to be captain and score goal and the player of
:08:44. > :08:47.the match, it was a wonderful day. England v Japan 2011 World Cup, my
:08:47. > :08:52.favourite girl. It is every kid's dream that you
:08:52. > :08:55.want to go and score in a major tournament and against Japan was
:08:55. > :09:00.fantastic. Wednesday 19th September England
:09:00. > :09:04.versus Croatia, record-breaker. People spoke to me and said you are
:09:04. > :09:09.making history. I don't think I really thought about it until
:09:09. > :09:13.someone said that to me. I think when I look back I will think what
:09:13. > :09:16.an amazing achievement. Perhaps after the game, hopefully if I play
:09:16. > :09:20.a bit more, be more proud than before.
:09:20. > :09:28.What a fantastic player Rachel Yankey has been. If it was not for
:09:28. > :09:31.her, Sue Smith, you would be at 100 caps by now. She is one of your
:09:31. > :09:36.best mates. Final thoughts tonight comedy think England will do it
:09:36. > :09:41.comfortably or not? I think they will do it but not comfortably. I
:09:41. > :09:47.think Croatia will make it hard. However, I think we have got the
:09:47. > :09:56.class and the experience. I think we will win. I'm going for 2-0.
:09:56. > :10:01.will go three or four. I think 5-0. Let's go for it! We are almost
:10:01. > :10:11.ready to go. You can get in touch with us here through the usual
:10:11. > :10:15.
:10:15. > :10:19.Facebook and Twitter channels. experience has been consigned to
:10:19. > :10:24.history. England can refocus their efforts on qualifying for their
:10:24. > :10:29.next major gathering. If they do not manage it here today against
:10:29. > :10:33.the Croatian side they beat 6-0 in March, it would be a huge surprise
:10:33. > :10:38.and an even bigger disappointment. All talk around the England camp
:10:38. > :10:44.this week has been about avoiding complacency. That may be their
:10:44. > :10:50.toughest opponent here today. Lucy, it has got to be a big England win,
:10:50. > :11:00.surely? Yes, you would expect on paper. They do not want to be
:11:00. > :11:00.
:11:00. > :13:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:13:06. > :13:12.embarrassed like they whereat Hull. clearly fired up for this one. Fara
:13:13. > :13:22.Williams will take Kelly Smith's role. Eniola Aluko is the main
:13:23. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:34.striker today. Karen Bardsley is These players have a lot of
:13:34. > :13:39.experience. Croatia have little pedigree at this level. Their coach,
:13:39. > :13:45.Dean Klafuric, is clearly looking to youth. Five teenagers are
:13:45. > :13:54.starting. There is no place for them most capped player, Sandro
:13:54. > :14:04.Zigic, who was suspended on Saturday. Will soon they will begin
:14:04. > :14:14.plenty of defending today. -- we seem. They will come here to defend.
:14:14. > :14:21.
:14:21. > :14:24.several big days for her. Many people will be wondering if she
:14:24. > :14:30.still had a role after the World Cup but she has played her best
:14:30. > :14:35.football since then. The thing she has got his pace. She has kept
:14:35. > :14:45.herself fit. She is athletic. She has done really well over the last
:14:45. > :14:49.
:14:50. > :14:59.few years. Our referee today's from mortar. -- our referee today is
:15:00. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:09.but there is extra pressure to qualify. The Croatian team will not
:15:09. > :15:15.lay down. They will be tough and they will be physical. It is a big
:15:15. > :15:19.day for the Croatian players who do not often get to play many big
:15:19. > :15:23.games in big stadiums. For the youngsters, then maybe a lot of
:15:23. > :15:33.nerves and also nerves in the England team as well. It is never
:15:33. > :15:38.
:15:38. > :15:48.easy in a game where everyone and they will try to beat Croatia.
:15:48. > :15:48.
:15:48. > :15:58.-- England have got a game plan. Getting ready to play in the
:15:58. > :16:27.
:16:27. > :16:37.European Championships in a Sweden team hares. They anticipating
:16:37. > :16:43.
:16:43. > :16:53.the edge of your own area. They will not one to concede to pressure
:16:53. > :17:22.
:17:22. > :17:32.early in the evening. -- they will will be a very busy player today.
:17:32. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:44.Only 17 years of age. England have to win this game to a qualifying
:17:44. > :17:48.ahead of the Netherlands. -- to qualify ahead. If England do not
:17:48. > :17:58.win, they go into the play-offs. They cannot qualify as a best
:17:58. > :18:31.
:18:31. > :18:36.runner-up. Holland are currently in bodies up to the ball and attacking
:18:36. > :18:44.full stoppage would be a boring game for the supporters if they
:18:44. > :18:54.stayed in the penalty area. This is a game where Croatia have nothing
:18:54. > :19:28.
:19:28. > :19:33.to lose. They know they finish team after a broken finger before
:19:34. > :19:43.the qualifiers, before the Olympics. She is no longer first choice for
:19:44. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:29.score today on such a momentous day she was stopped. Would be dangerous
:20:29. > :20:39.to a set piece. I wonder does Rachel Yankey fancy the quicker
:20:39. > :20:49.one? It worked against the Dutch, the only one in the game. The
:20:49. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:14.referee not allowing her to take it support as she headed towards the
:21:14. > :21:23.penalty area. Sometimes, you lack the confidence going for a 20 lose
:21:23. > :21:28.a lot, but when you are young, you do not have much fear. India drew
:21:28. > :21:34.leading by now against Croatia back in March. -- England were leading
:21:34. > :21:44.by now. It is a must-win game. Until they score the goals, the
:21:44. > :21:58.
:21:58. > :22:08.put her, she puts in a good performance. She is capable of
:22:08. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:35.momentum going. In the end, the shot from Fara Williams goes right
:22:35. > :22:40.underneath. Great stuff. It ended up with Rachel Yankey getting under
:22:40. > :22:50.way. But she managed to get a strong hand to it. She will not be
:22:50. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:18.easy to beat in the goals to date home record. They won their last 11
:23:18. > :23:28.games, only conceding one goal against the Olympic champions, the
:23:28. > :23:59.
:23:59. > :24:05.will not be long until she is a Centurion. A nasty foul.
:24:05. > :24:14.assistant referee put up the flag for offside. That is what he has
:24:14. > :24:24.given. The assistant going for the earlier infringement. In England
:24:24. > :24:32.
:24:32. > :24:38.penalised for the second time. Getting a bit frustrated. For the
:24:38. > :24:46.assistant referee to give it, eventually he did. Rachel Yankey
:24:46. > :24:50.will take it. She can try and bend in the ball. The referee is making
:24:50. > :24:58.sure there is not much bumping and barging happening inside the
:24:59. > :25:06.penalty area. The central defenders got there first. That is why there
:25:06. > :25:16.is a conversation. The defenders might get mixed up with the keeper
:25:16. > :25:35.
:25:35. > :25:45.is. -- keepers. First England of the goalkeeper. Croatia's only.
:25:45. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:55.Coming in a 3-3 draw against Slovenia. -- Croatia's only point
:25:55. > :26:12.
:26:12. > :26:20.came. They want to replicate the is a very good player technically.
:26:20. > :26:27.She will make a difference today. She will get England going. Early
:26:27. > :26:37.days, but has not been an anticipated goal rush so far. One
:26:37. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :26:56.role today, almost like the Kelly Smith role, and not just because of
:26:56. > :27:00.the shirts numbered. Fara Williams is going deeper than Kelly Smith
:27:01. > :27:10.would. She pulls the strings in the mid- field and will be expected to
:27:11. > :27:22.
:27:22. > :27:26.that Hope Powell would expect this to go. Keep the intensity going.
:27:26. > :27:36.Would there be a well keep the intensity for 90 minutes, I do not
:27:36. > :28:02.
:28:02. > :28:12.Great work from Steph Horton. Just managed to get to it. -- Steph
:28:12. > :28:43.
:28:43. > :28:49.she has been unorthodox for word. She started against the Dutch.
:28:49. > :28:55.Eniola Aluko will look to run the channels that she needs. She is as
:28:55. > :28:59.good as any defender in the world in terms of her pace. I am sure
:28:59. > :29:02.Ellen White would be involved as well, but she is on the sidelines
:29:02. > :29:10.following a second yellow card in the competition in Slovenia back in
:29:10. > :29:14.June, so she is suspended. It is good that England have the strength
:29:14. > :29:24.and depth in the class players that are not playing and those that are
:29:24. > :29:32.
:29:33. > :29:38.back. The Flag stays down. It is behind Rachel Yankey. England are
:29:38. > :29:43.creating the space here behind the creation back four. We need to be a
:29:43. > :29:47.bit patient. Yes, that crowd will want to see lots of goals. England
:29:47. > :29:57.will be prepared and will have their game-plan and well played
:29:57. > :30:21.
:30:21. > :30:26.patiently and opportunities well be patient to get her place back in
:30:26. > :30:34.the England team. She was barely involved in the World Cup 12 months
:30:34. > :30:44.ago. She is a player who does things people do not want her to do,
:30:44. > :30:56.
:30:56. > :31:01.breaks up play. She is tough. She Landeka or, it was more of a
:31:01. > :31:05.trundler in the end. Sometimes when you have a young team, there is
:31:05. > :31:11.nothing to fear. That is what the coaching staff will have drummed
:31:11. > :31:16.into them. They are playing in a -- in front of a bigger crowd than
:31:16. > :31:19.they used to. They will not qualify. It is about them gaining experience
:31:20. > :31:24.which they will have done in this qualifying campaign and it will
:31:24. > :31:27.hopefully stand them in good stead for other opportunities. Their
:31:27. > :31:37.coach was also in charge of the junior side so he will know all
:31:37. > :31:49.
:31:49. > :31:57.around with a bit more confidence now. England are still yet to score
:31:57. > :32:02.in this game. I'm sure Holland are watching this game on the BBC back
:32:02. > :32:09.home, maybe with fingers crossed. There have been on top of the group
:32:09. > :32:13.now for over 12 months. There is the coach of Croatia, Dean Klafuric.
:32:13. > :32:20.There was very little between the two sides, England and Holland,
:32:20. > :32:25.when they met in June. Their coach was believing his team would play
:32:26. > :32:30.in the play-offs. It is difficult, these campaigns, where it is just
:32:30. > :32:35.the top ones who go through and the rest go to a play-off. It so
:32:35. > :32:43.important to maintain your consistency. Holland have done that
:32:43. > :32:47.and will hopefully come through. Scurich will take the free kick.
:32:47. > :32:54.Holland will qualify as the best run up if England win this game,
:32:54. > :32:59.unless Scotland can win by four clear goals against France. It is
:32:59. > :33:02.0-0 at Tynecastle in that game at the moment, it also kicked off at 5
:33:02. > :33:06.o'clock. If you are wondering why we are playing so early in the
:33:06. > :33:11.evening, it is all down to UEFA. Russia are also involved and they
:33:11. > :33:21.are kicking off in Moscow. They are several hours ahead which is why we
:33:21. > :33:26.
:33:26. > :33:35.stadium. The atmosphere is a long way at the moment from what we
:33:35. > :33:45.experienced during the Team GB games at the Olympics. An England
:33:45. > :34:12.
:34:12. > :34:19.who has really come to the fore She played like this when she was
:34:19. > :34:29.16, full of confidence -- Sophie Bradley. She has really grown in
:34:29. > :34:59.
:34:59. > :35:06.relative safety of the England half ball well again. She is not afraid
:35:07. > :35:12.to come off her line and collect the ball. England have a few
:35:12. > :35:17.misplaced passes and they need to raise the intensity of it. If they
:35:17. > :35:21.pass the ball more quickly in -- sure not be able to deal with them.
:35:21. > :35:31.England have played here three times and had convincing victories
:35:31. > :35:39.on every occasion. That would have been a great story but Yankey fired
:35:39. > :35:46.over the bar. That was a great move by England and the way a Luke Rowe
:35:46. > :35:56.took the ball in her stride. -- Eniola Aluko. It was a great
:35:56. > :36:02.
:36:02. > :36:12.killed that. That was the second decent chance England have made in
:36:12. > :36:43.
:36:43. > :36:48.There was an arm around the neck so have it! England are on the way!
:36:48. > :36:52.was threatened a couple of minutes ago. You will see there, the
:36:52. > :36:56.movement down the left-hand side by Steph Houghton really creates
:36:56. > :37:02.openings for England. You can see the force she put in with the
:37:02. > :37:05.weaker left foot. Eniola Aluko put the keeper under pressure. Jill
:37:05. > :37:11.Scott was there to tap the ball home. Hopefully this will give them
:37:11. > :37:16.the confidence that they need to go on and score more. Great optimists.
:37:17. > :37:22.She does that so often, Jill Scott, lingers around the penalty area.
:37:22. > :37:27.be fair to the keeper, it was a good save you have to get your
:37:27. > :37:32.defenders their first. 1-0, England. Jill Scott's 11th international
:37:32. > :37:36.goal. That should settle England down. She had such a great World
:37:36. > :37:46.Cup for Hope Powell and now hopefully she has set her team on
:37:46. > :37:53.
:37:53. > :37:58.the way to the European involved in the build up, having
:37:58. > :38:04.had such a good Olympics. She was in fine goalscoring form for
:38:04. > :38:09.England before that as well. think it is so difficult for
:38:09. > :38:13.defenders, the ball that she put in was tremendous and well dealt with
:38:13. > :38:19.by Eniola Aluko. The last few minutes have been good for England
:38:19. > :38:25.and they will hope to capitalise on that. That is another free kick.
:38:25. > :38:31.She is spending so much time as a wing at the moment, Alex Scott. The
:38:31. > :38:36.challenge this time was from Jelencic. A originally Alex was a
:38:36. > :38:46.forward. She likes to be forward. The AA 18-year-old certainly put
:38:46. > :39:19.
:39:19. > :39:25.herself about in the opening tried something different then.
:39:25. > :39:30.What a great save that was. It was just point blank. Casey Stoney gets
:39:30. > :39:34.her side ft attic but she still had to save it. The flag was up for
:39:34. > :39:39.offside so it would not have counted but Stoney did not know and
:39:39. > :39:47.Basset certainly did not know. are finding it difficult, 20 odd
:39:47. > :39:51.minutes. England have scored here, just to confirm, they are now top
:39:51. > :40:00.of the group as things stand, head of the Netherlands, who would also
:40:00. > :40:10.qualify as the best runner-up. Somebody has done some quick maths.
:40:10. > :40:15.
:40:15. > :40:25.It is all done by computer these deeper since that goal was scored.
:40:25. > :40:32.
:40:32. > :40:42.They were camped around the penalty England colours would like to see
:40:42. > :40:51.
:40:51. > :41:01.up there on her own when the white shirts converged on her. It is so
:41:01. > :41:01.
:41:01. > :41:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:41:55. > :41:59.difficult to do that, occupy both Scotland game, they are playing the
:41:59. > :42:09.French at Tynecastle in Edinburgh and they need to win that game by
:42:09. > :42:19.four clear goals. It is goalless at the moment. England are doing them
:42:19. > :42:26.
:42:26. > :42:36.Scotland do not score a few goals in that game. Houghton seemed to be
:42:36. > :42:46.
:42:46. > :42:52.England who have carved out a number of decent chances so far in
:42:52. > :42:57.addition to the goal scored by a Jill Scott. There is not the
:42:57. > :43:07.quality into the box that we want. A few England players waiting there
:43:07. > :43:29.
:43:29. > :43:34.extremely well so far, stands firm. Again, well done from the keeper. A
:43:34. > :43:44.cheeky little bald by Eniola Aluko. She has been bright. Just a bit too
:43:44. > :43:51.
:43:51. > :43:55.again. The impression the keeper has made in the first half an hour
:43:55. > :44:02.of this game means it is one-on-one like that, Rachel Yankey is not
:44:02. > :44:07.going to stick her leg in there. Vicky per is strong and confident.
:44:07. > :44:14.-- of the keeper is strong and confident. So far she has done very
:44:14. > :44:24.well, Doris Bacic. There are two 17 year-olds in the squat and she got
:44:24. > :44:56.
:44:56. > :45:00.edge of the penalty area by England. You think the second goal will come
:45:00. > :45:06.fairly soon. They had obviously worked at this knowing how Croatia
:45:06. > :45:12.would defend against them. Just creating space. At the moment, the
:45:12. > :45:18.keeper is in the way, making it more than one. This has been a very
:45:18. > :45:24.good venue for England. They have beaten the Czech Republic 4-1,
:45:24. > :45:28.Belarus 4-0, and Turkey 3-0. That was Rachel Yankey's one hundredth
:45:29. > :45:38.cap and she scored in the 3-0 victory as England win another free
:45:39. > :46:05.
:46:05. > :46:11.Aluko. The flag is up. A foul a throw, according to the referee.
:46:11. > :46:19.For 30 minutes played, a relatively narrow score a lion, but England
:46:19. > :46:26.could be out of sorts already. -- narrow scoreline. They are playing
:46:26. > :46:29.with confidence and patience. have only conceded two goals in the
:46:29. > :46:39.entire qualifying campaign and they came in the opening game against
:46:39. > :46:39.
:46:39. > :48:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:48:18. > :48:26.Serbia of when they gave away a It looks like M&S, tough tackle
:48:26. > :48:32.between two players. -- it looks like in a nest, tough tackle.
:48:32. > :48:42.knees coming together, that is always very nasty. By Rhys nothing
:48:42. > :48:42.
:48:42. > :49:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:49:47. > :49:53.intended there, she just went for would be great for England. A good
:49:54. > :50:03.counter-attack by England, but just Fowler to step how to an's right
:50:04. > :50:26.
:50:26. > :50:30.foot. -- just felt it to a Steph shouting, keep it moving. She wants
:50:30. > :50:35.to work the Croatian team as much as she can before half-time. To be
:50:35. > :50:45.fair to England, that is what they have done and she wants to keep the
:50:45. > :50:51.
:50:51. > :51:01.intensity hive. That is where the again. Every single England player
:51:01. > :51:18.
:51:18. > :51:22.far away for the second time! Rachel Yankey doesn't score that
:51:22. > :51:29.many with her head, and just running down from Karen Carney,
:51:29. > :51:33.just wide of the coast. -- post. Sometimes the formation is a bit
:51:34. > :51:43.rigid, but it is very fluid today with Rachel Yankey getting on the
:51:44. > :52:05.
:52:05. > :52:15.ball out from the back, but giving in this game until they can find a
:52:15. > :52:15.
:52:15. > :52:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:52:57. > :53:05.playing on the halfway line at the from inside the penalty area.
:53:05. > :53:14.Having Rachel, Rachel Yankey in front of you, then that makes it
:53:14. > :53:24.difficult. England almost playing without a centre for word, but
:53:24. > :53:27.
:53:27. > :53:35.Eniola Aluko is popping up everywhere. -- forward. Good to see
:53:35. > :53:40.Fara Williams on the ball, she can find the gaps through. As long as
:53:40. > :53:44.England win this game, a bid will qualify automatically for the
:53:44. > :53:48.European Championships in Sweden next year. -- we will qualify. As
:53:48. > :53:55.things stand, Holland will join them automatically as the best
:53:55. > :54:05.runners up. Scotland need plenty of goals against the French to deny
:54:05. > :54:16.
:54:16. > :54:22.lot of things. The shot gets a deflection, and England are
:54:22. > :54:27.grateful that it went into the arms of the goalkeeper. When Croatia
:54:27. > :54:32.tried to defend and not lose, it is important to have a threat, and
:54:32. > :54:39.they do have a threat at going for word. The tricky players are quick
:54:39. > :54:49.and can create opportunities. You do not want to spend the whole time
:54:49. > :54:49.
:54:49. > :55:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:55:34. > :55:39.goal tally. The she scored during for granted in this game. It is
:55:39. > :55:44.still one-0, and the Croatian coach will be happy at the way that
:55:44. > :55:54.things are going and have stuck at their game. He would just want his
:55:54. > :56:09.
:56:09. > :56:19.team to improve over the campaign, towards the penalty area. That will
:56:19. > :56:37.
:56:37. > :56:42.single player back around the and the ball has diverted across
:56:42. > :56:48.the area. In the end, a rather weak shot, but England got away with it
:56:48. > :56:54.there. A catalogue of errors that merely created a beleaguered
:56:54. > :57:00.opening for Croatia. It just came back there. She kicked the air. A
:57:00. > :57:08.wrong decision and the wrong play at the wrong time. You can see how
:57:08. > :57:17.a nervous you could be at one else. -- at 1-0. You have to be careful
:57:17. > :57:27.not to concede. That can happen sometimes when you are under attack.
:57:27. > :57:49.
:57:49. > :57:59.Croatia will get lots of confidence with Casey Stoney. To nothing that
:57:59. > :58:06.was a deliberate foul. -- do not think. If it was, it would have
:58:07. > :58:16.been a penalty. Some treatment for Croatia's main striker. The water
:58:17. > :58:17.
:58:18. > :58:22.will not do any good! England do have the lead here. Some great play.
:58:22. > :58:32.Eniola Aluko did really well, and Jill Scott, poaching like she often
:58:32. > :58:35.
:58:35. > :58:39.does. Gets it on target, Jill Scott races to be the first to it.
:58:39. > :58:49.England will want a few more or, or maybe one more, before they can
:58:49. > :59:17.
:59:17. > :59:23.in the first half. Shouts of a hand ball from the crowd. It has been
:59:23. > :59:33.given by the assistant referee. Coming towards the final minute of
:59:33. > :59:54.
:59:55. > :00:03.the first half. One additional Could have gone down the first time,
:00:03. > :00:10.but chose not to. Not really something Rachel Yankey does his
:00:10. > :00:18.died. She wants an opportunity to score. -- not something Rachel
:00:18. > :00:28.Yankey lead normally does, diving. Jill Scott, clouted following the
:00:28. > :00:38.
:00:38. > :00:48.Croatian goalkeeper has been the star of the first half -- Doris
:00:48. > :01:11.
:01:11. > :01:21.She definitely did the right thing there taking a touch. She saw her
:01:21. > :01:34.
:01:35. > :01:40.name in lights before she took the finish the first half with a free
:01:40. > :01:50.kick. But they play on, the referee initially blew the whistle. Then
:01:50. > :02:22.
:02:22. > :02:28.for Yankey. England will finish with a corner but the half-time
:02:28. > :02:33.whistle has gone. It has not been the goal rush many people were
:02:33. > :02:40.anticipating so far. Hope Powell and her team are halfway towards
:02:40. > :02:44.the European Championships though. Only one goal, several chances,
:02:44. > :02:54.several near misses. Jill Scott with the goal. At half-time,
:02:54. > :02:54.
:02:54. > :02:59.England never liked to do it too easily, whether it is the men all
:02:59. > :03:04.the women. What did you make of it? I think Croatia did exactly what we
:03:04. > :03:09.thought. They made it difficult for England like we said earlier.
:03:09. > :03:15.England created chances. We knew that was what they were going to do.
:03:15. > :03:19.We could do with getting a few more. It is nerve-racking for us are here.
:03:19. > :03:27.We have controlled possession but it is important that the players
:03:27. > :03:34.keep the ball moving, keep changing position. Eniola Aluko is popping
:03:34. > :03:38.up all over the field but we need other players doing the same thing.
:03:38. > :03:42.They are very compact. They are playing very tight across the back
:03:42. > :03:47.and five in midfield, shielding the centre-halves. There is not a lot
:03:47. > :03:52.of space. That passes have to be so precise in that area to find
:03:52. > :03:58.players' feet. Yes, they have to keep the ball moving because that
:03:58. > :04:02.is when we create our chances. was huge relief when the goal did
:04:03. > :04:07.come in the first half, scored by Jill Scott. It was picked up by
:04:07. > :04:12.Asante and then the cross came in from Steph Houghton. We saw so much
:04:12. > :04:17.from her in the Olympics. Perhaps the keeper should have done better?
:04:17. > :04:24.Yes, we were saying they should keep it out wide. We were saying,
:04:24. > :04:31.get the ball out wide and that is what Steph did. The keeper maybe
:04:31. > :04:35.should have done better but Gill is an absolute poacher in the box. I
:04:35. > :04:40.am so pleased for Gill and so pleased we can relax a bit. I think
:04:40. > :04:44.the keeper has made some good saves and she looks very composed with a
:04:44. > :04:49.good presence in the net, considering she is only 17. But you
:04:49. > :04:57.would expect her to have pushed it away from danger. We had good
:04:57. > :05:03.bodies in the box. We have had a few positions where Eniola Aluko
:05:03. > :05:08.has got into that position. She needs to have a better final
:05:08. > :05:14.product. We did wonder whether that goal would come. There was a good
:05:14. > :05:18.chance for Karen Carney, the keeper was forced to make a save. Yes, a
:05:18. > :05:23.few times there have been saves from free kicks and Karen Carney
:05:23. > :05:31.getting on the end of the shot. That was fantastic. First of all it
:05:31. > :05:35.hit Rachel Yankey. A fantastic save from the keeper. We thought it was
:05:35. > :05:42.her wrong hand but me not being too much of a goalkeeper, I have not
:05:42. > :05:46.got a clue! Just before the goal came, Rachel Yankey had a chance.
:05:46. > :05:52.Unfortunately for her and England, AA came on her right for it and she
:05:52. > :05:58.is famous for her left foot, as you are, Sue Smith. This came on her
:05:58. > :06:02.right foot, a wonderful build up. Yes, it was good Interlink play
:06:02. > :06:07.between the two of them. You would want that on her left foot but she
:06:07. > :06:13.has had a good strike. She had another one a bit later which ended
:06:13. > :06:17.up on her head. She can see she wants that opportunity to score on
:06:17. > :06:21.such a special day for herself. think it is positive she's getting
:06:21. > :06:25.on the end of them. She can say she was making those runs and getting
:06:25. > :06:29.on the end of it. She should be confident in the fact she is
:06:29. > :06:35.getting there. And she would like that on her left foot on ahead
:06:35. > :06:40.record-breaking day, how 120 eighth cap. 45 minutes left for England to
:06:40. > :06:44.book their place on a plane to Sweden next summer. The women's
:06:44. > :06:51.Super League was the brainchild of the FA who were looking to
:06:51. > :06:56.revolutionise the game in this country. Has the experiment worked?
:06:56. > :07:00.We want to make the game as professional as it can be, and
:07:00. > :07:04.arguably one of the best teams in the world for football. There are a
:07:05. > :07:09.number of problems for the Winter League. Poor facilities, postponed
:07:10. > :07:13.matches and very little marketing of the game. Some of the better
:07:13. > :07:17.players went to America in particular. We have had an issue
:07:17. > :07:25.with pitches which affects the quality of play. We felt we needed
:07:25. > :07:28.to start again so we created the women's Super League. It was
:07:28. > :07:33.launched in March 2011 and is a brand new Elite League which plays
:07:33. > :07:37.across the summer months from March to October. We have created a club
:07:37. > :07:41.licence system. The club's other best eight teams on the pitch and
:07:41. > :07:45.off the pitch as well. There is a professional structure to raise the
:07:45. > :07:50.bar and standards and improve the quality of the competitive level,
:07:50. > :07:58.the elite level. They have got the right facilities, commercial
:07:58. > :08:02.backing, marketing expertise to help move the game on. It has been
:08:02. > :08:07.a long time and planning, a great deal of anticipation. Chelsea get
:08:07. > :08:11.the new FA Women's Superleague under way. For the first time,
:08:11. > :08:16.women's football is on TV every week, there is a highlight stroke
:08:16. > :08:24.and a number of live games. Fantastic! A moment of real quality
:08:24. > :08:27.from Rachel Williams! The important thing is the football. They went
:08:27. > :08:32.right to the wire, Arsenal beating Birmingham to the top spot on the
:08:32. > :08:36.last day of the season. 2014 will create the second division so we
:08:36. > :08:40.have promotion and relegation between the two. We will see some
:08:40. > :08:47.top players come back and they will make it more competitive. Listen to
:08:47. > :08:50.the cheers for Kelly Smith. It has really improved. I think the fan-
:08:50. > :08:53.base has improved as more people come to the game. We would that
:08:53. > :08:57.more people to come but slow and steady progress is what we are
:08:57. > :09:02.seeing. The clubs have focused heavily on Twitter and Facebook to
:09:02. > :09:05.build fans and get follows. Each club has a digital ambassador had
:09:05. > :09:10.their job is to build the profile and get the message is out there
:09:10. > :09:14.and get people following bent and following them on TV. Takes someone
:09:14. > :09:19.like Steph Houghton who was the star of the Olympics. She had
:09:19. > :09:23.$9,000 before the Olympics are now around 25,000. Steph Houghton,
:09:23. > :09:30.could she scorer again? Yes, she could, what an Olympic games she is
:09:30. > :09:34.having. A game against Brazil was fantastic, 70,000. I'm sure we will
:09:34. > :09:38.try and see if we can arrange another women's game here next year
:09:38. > :09:41.in order to keep that momentum going. We have shown from the
:09:41. > :09:44.research following the Olympics that more people are likely to come
:09:44. > :09:49.along. Football fans are more likely to come along now and see
:09:49. > :09:53.women's football. It is a nice environment to bring the family.
:09:53. > :09:56.You will see the players stay after games to sign autographs. It is all
:09:56. > :10:01.about getting the players as close as possible to the fans and about
:10:01. > :10:06.encouraging girls to come along and also to play. We have had a
:10:06. > :10:10.roadshow with nearly 5,000 girls coming along across the country.
:10:10. > :10:17.pathway is a lot easier for girls from that age to reach the top
:10:17. > :10:21.level. There are lots of little facets. They have been some
:10:21. > :10:25.challenges. But we have seen fantastic developments. More and
:10:25. > :10:30.more fans coming to the game, regular broadcast coverage, new
:10:30. > :10:35.sponsors, top players coming back. We are really pleased with how it
:10:35. > :10:38.has gone so far. Raising the standard at club level can only
:10:38. > :10:43.help at the international level. I think we have made the right
:10:43. > :10:47.decision going to a summer league. Time will tell. From that
:10:47. > :10:50.perspective, I am really pleased. I have been to a lot of matches and
:10:50. > :10:55.it does seem to have made a difference from a spectator's point
:10:55. > :11:00.of view. What about from a player's point of view? What difference has
:11:00. > :11:05.it made? I think from a player's point of view, the fact we could
:11:05. > :11:08.train every day. Before, we worked a nine-to-five jobs and we had to
:11:09. > :11:13.fit in training afterwards. The fact that the competition has got
:11:13. > :11:17.better, Arsenal used to run away with things, now it is a lot
:11:17. > :11:21.tighter. There are five or six teams who can all challenge. That
:11:21. > :11:26.makes it better internationally. Hope has better players to pick.
:11:26. > :11:30.Have you noticed a difference? at the state of the pictures, games
:11:30. > :11:36.are not postponed as much which is not only frustrating for players
:11:36. > :11:38.but also for fans to find out about the games, it is very hard. If
:11:38. > :11:42.games were being called off they could not find out when their team
:11:42. > :11:47.was going to play. And also how close the players try and work with
:11:47. > :11:51.the fans. As Kelly was saying, it is more of an experience for them
:11:51. > :11:56.to come and feel part of it, rather than just the players being people
:11:56. > :12:02.they cannot touch. Hopefully they will inspire them to play as well
:12:02. > :12:05.as come and watch. Your Arsenal team won the first season last year,
:12:05. > :12:10.it looks like you well done -- you will do it again. People think you
:12:10. > :12:15.dominate all the time but you have been pushed very close. Everton and
:12:15. > :12:19.Birmingham are your rivals. Last season we were chasing Everton and
:12:19. > :12:23.Birmingham the whole way. When you can put the performances in and get
:12:23. > :12:28.the games, this year we have led from the start, pretty much. We
:12:28. > :12:32.were fortunate to get Kelly, Alex, Gemma Davidson back from America as
:12:32. > :12:37.well. In general with the competition, you go out there
:12:37. > :12:41.without knowing you're going to have four or 5-0. That is pleasing
:12:41. > :12:46.for the players but also for the people coming to watch. That must
:12:47. > :12:56.be lovely for you, what it is to be an Arsenal player! For details of
:12:57. > :12:57.
:12:57. > :13:04.when and where to go, go to www. FA E W S L .com. A reminder that he
:13:04. > :13:08.are England are leading one hiding 0 against Croatia. A regular at
:13:08. > :13:13.matches is the Trevor Brooking and he is picked side.
:13:13. > :13:18.Are hello, we're here with Trevor Brooking, used support these
:13:18. > :13:23.women's matches often, what did you think of that first half?
:13:23. > :13:27.result is really important, we have to win to top the group. Weather
:13:27. > :13:33.that has caused a few nerves, I do not know but the passing has not
:13:33. > :13:38.been good. The passing has been poor. We had a couple of little
:13:38. > :13:46.spells for five minutes when I think it was a new code played and
:13:46. > :13:51.then after that we got the goal but Jill followed up. Idea of thing we
:13:51. > :13:55.have tested the goalkeeper, when you think how much attacking play
:13:55. > :13:59.we have had -- I don't think we have tested the goalkeeper. That
:13:59. > :14:03.performance has not matched what I was hoping. A bit of a nervous
:14:04. > :14:10.start. A lot of people are cheering on Rachel Yankey, hoping she can
:14:10. > :14:15.get a goal. 120 caps, she has broken the record and she may
:14:15. > :14:20.possibly break Peter Shilton's record as well. I think Rachel has
:14:20. > :14:26.done really well. About a year ago she went off form a little bit.
:14:26. > :14:30.Then she really rediscovered her appetite and worked really hard
:14:30. > :14:35.last year. Great credit to her. She is a good role model and an example
:14:35. > :14:39.for our younger players. It would be nice if she could score. If that
:14:39. > :14:45.chance was on her left foot I'm sure she would have done. Very
:14:45. > :14:50.important that they do qualify for Euro 2013? We had a fantastic
:14:50. > :14:54.summer for the Olympics, the ladies playing at Wembley when they beat
:14:54. > :14:59.Brazil in front of 70,000 was a great moment for them. They have to
:14:59. > :15:02.build on that legacy and qualify and get in the finals in Sweden
:15:02. > :15:05.next summer will be really important and hopefully try and
:15:05. > :15:15.bring some of the younger players through to get the tournament
:15:15. > :15:17.
:15:17. > :15:22.I have seen him at all of the matches and he knows a lot about
:15:22. > :15:31.them. He will be anxious with England's leading had won gold to
:15:31. > :15:41.zero. -- leading had one-0. Let's put it to chance Croatia had just
:15:41. > :15:43.
:15:43. > :15:46.before the break. It is almost a comedy of errors. Yes, a bit
:15:46. > :15:56.comedy of errors. Yes, a bit jittery, you need to be calm and
:15:56. > :15:58.
:15:58. > :16:08.collected. A good following by the Croatian. You need to keep your
:16:08. > :16:10.
:16:10. > :16:17.composure and concentration. She only needs one chance, and when it
:16:17. > :16:26.is so close in a game like this. Eniola Aluko, as busy as ever for
:16:26. > :16:33.our indents. Yes, this is what she can do. She can pick out a player.
:16:33. > :16:39.He yes, that final pass. And Rachel is a very quick. The goalkeeper has
:16:39. > :16:45.done well. You have to put your foot up sometimes. La LEA from Jill
:16:45. > :16:50.Scott, Rachel Yankey is through. -- lovely from Jill Scott. A very
:16:50. > :16:55.experienced. How many times have we seen Rachel Yankey nipping in
:16:55. > :17:00.before the goalkeeper when she is slow off the line?! She must have
:17:00. > :17:08.been thinking, please a fall on the left, but a good turn from Karen
:17:08. > :17:13.Carney and that is why you wanted to be. From some of the crosses
:17:13. > :17:22.that we had, over the years, we have always lacked somebody
:17:22. > :17:28.attacking the ball up front. Karen Walker in the past, some people may
:17:28. > :17:32.not to know what she is, but she puts her body on the line. If it is
:17:32. > :17:41.being delivered in the air, you need to attack it, rather than
:17:41. > :17:45.waiting for it to drop down. Play on the floor. These players do not
:17:45. > :17:55.want to be in the play-off draw on Friday, they want to be there of
:17:55. > :18:13.
:18:13. > :18:18.their own right. Time to go back to the best runners up at the moment,
:18:18. > :18:23.because Scotland are trailing 2-0 against France at half-time at
:18:23. > :18:33.Tynecastle. Scotland need to win with a good score line to put
:18:33. > :18:59.
:18:59. > :19:04.pressure on the Dutch. But the England! This surely seals the
:19:04. > :19:14.place for England at the European Championships! An unorthodox way of
:19:14. > :19:15.
:19:15. > :19:20.kicking it. It took the goalkeeper by surprise. She is the second goal
:19:20. > :19:30.scorer! I think she was looking for a flag. She was almost surprised to
:19:30. > :19:30.
:19:31. > :19:40.score. A-grade the finish into the corner. She is sort of scooped it
:19:41. > :19:43.
:19:43. > :19:50.up. That will count. In off the post this time. That will just
:19:50. > :19:53.settle in England with a perfect start to the second half. I would
:19:53. > :19:59.think the fact that they were told during half-time to keep passing
:19:59. > :20:09.and keep moving and you'll get the reward. It is good that it came so
:20:09. > :20:14.
:20:14. > :20:21.crowd since kick-off. A very good attendance here at the stadium,
:20:21. > :20:28.here at the Banks's stadium outside Birmingham. Many people came here
:20:28. > :20:38.to see seven goals and hopefully now they well. -- sees some goals
:20:38. > :20:54.
:20:54. > :20:59.but the Dutch will also go through as the best runners up unless there
:20:59. > :21:04.is a big change in the game between Scotland and the French. Scotland
:21:04. > :21:10.need to win by four clear goals and at half-time, they were trailing 2-
:21:10. > :21:20.0. Those of the group's up skeins will join the other big names in
:21:20. > :21:47.
:21:47. > :21:57.the draw. -- the group's six names out of the way. Fara Williams can
:21:57. > :22:23.
:22:23. > :22:30.Holton has great technique. -- Steph Houghton has great technique.
:22:30. > :22:40.A great strike. She scored a couple like that during the Olympics for
:22:40. > :22:42.
:22:42. > :22:47.tournaments for injury during her career. She will be desperate to
:22:47. > :22:52.make an impact at the European Championships. It is made for her.
:22:52. > :22:56.She had the bad luck, and I think the rest of it is coming with hard
:22:56. > :23:06.work and some luck as well. She is one of the top players in England
:23:06. > :23:17.
:23:17. > :23:22.has managed to get through her career without debate injury. At
:23:22. > :23:27.international level, when you're at a very few months, you have some
:23:27. > :23:33.time to get back to international level. Rachel has done so well to
:23:33. > :23:38.stay fit all the way through. What incredible achievement. I played
:23:38. > :23:48.against still pulled hard, and she was a fantastic player, so she well
:23:48. > :23:51.
:23:51. > :24:01.be the very proud to the, Rachel Yankey, to break her record. -- I
:24:01. > :24:01.
:24:01. > :24:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:24:45. > :24:54.made a good impact. -- the team and Croatia seem to be stepping up.
:24:55. > :25:00.Off the woodwork again! It has cleared off the line! England
:25:00. > :25:06.queueing up right here! Eventually, a corner. England could have scored
:25:06. > :25:16.three times. With Croatia, if you are going to defend well, you need
:25:16. > :25:44.
:25:44. > :25:54.bodies on the line. Everything from Yankey again. Eniola Aluko is
:25:54. > :26:09.
:26:09. > :26:19.Scott, defending well in front of Rachel Yankey. They are queuing up
:26:19. > :26:38.
:26:38. > :26:44.inside a parlty area once again. -- to get a touch from the keeper. She
:26:44. > :26:54.played incredibly well. She had to do, otherwise it would be many more
:26:54. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:14.themselves in the early evening sunshine here. -- England are
:27:14. > :27:15.
:27:15. > :28:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:28:53. > :28:58.it is more important that they get European Championships, as cement
:28:59. > :29:08.that things do not go horribly wrong in the last 30 minutes. --
:29:09. > :29:19.
:29:19. > :29:27.herself after that goal. Many at the team mates anticipating that
:29:27. > :29:37.shot. Alex Scott thought she would end up with a shot here. But she
:29:37. > :29:43.
:29:43. > :29:49.really recover form since the World Cup. Yes, and she has had the
:29:49. > :29:57.chance to play at this level and for Team GB. She creates goals, she
:29:57. > :30:07.has scored, so that is effective for her. A busy time for Alex Scott,
:30:07. > :30:35.
:30:35. > :30:44.she would take the throw-in. But They are enjoying themselves.
:30:44. > :30:49.Batter someone's school tie. Someone is in trouble! There are
:30:49. > :30:59.plenty of young supporters here, enjoying the England performance so
:30:59. > :31:30.
:31:30. > :31:37.far. A goal from Yankey would Birmingham City. There is plenty of
:31:37. > :31:47.local support for her here. looked like she had One Direction
:31:47. > :31:59.
:31:59. > :32:06.behind the goal cheering her on. the goalkeeper. -- she got there
:32:06. > :32:16.ahead of the goalkeeper. This game is developing into attack against
:32:16. > :32:19.
:32:19. > :32:24.defence now. Alex Scott takes it superbly. In fairness to Croatia,
:32:24. > :32:28.bay -- are they are defending quite well. If you set yourself up as a
:32:28. > :32:38.defence and you are compact, it is difficult. They have done well so
:32:38. > :32:42.
:32:42. > :32:47.far. The final touch of Alex Scott. England are yet to concede a goal
:32:47. > :32:53.against Croatia. It was a 6-0 win back in March. In their previous
:32:53. > :33:03.meetings England have won 5-0 and 2-0. They will be keen to keep that
:33:03. > :33:26.
:33:26. > :33:31.Kolar. Sophie Bradley does well because she spent the whole of the
:33:31. > :33:37.second half watching her team-mates attack. When she had to defend she
:33:37. > :33:41.did. It is great recovery. All the England players were in the
:33:41. > :33:51.opposition's halves. Good recovery from the defenders. A moment of
:33:51. > :34:11.
:34:11. > :34:14.Eni Aluko have scored the two goals here so far. England could have had
:34:14. > :34:22.plenty more apart from some wayward finishing and the form of the
:34:22. > :34:27.Croatian goalkeeper. Landeka does well to come away with the ball.
:34:27. > :34:37.The problem is, when you are defending so deeply, when you're
:34:37. > :34:46.
:34:46. > :34:51.attacking, there are not so many She always fancies a girl and she
:34:51. > :34:57.is capable of scoring them as well. She has got the cover from safety
:34:57. > :35:07.Bradley. She has freedom down the right hand side. -- are so few
:35:07. > :35:16.
:35:16. > :35:21.herself justice in a major tournament. She was injured in the
:35:21. > :35:26.World Cup. She is a class act in terms of what she can do with the
:35:26. > :35:31.ball. Everybody here today will want them to win this game. They
:35:31. > :35:41.will want to be part of the squad next summer and put in performances
:35:41. > :35:41.
:35:41. > :36:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:36:45. > :36:55.which means Hope Powell has no Salek is only 17 years old. She
:36:55. > :36:55.
:36:55. > :37:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:37:38. > :37:42.made her debut at the age of only for Croatia in that position.
:37:42. > :37:51.Williams charging down the clearance. The referee says no
:37:51. > :37:57.penalty. It was cleared away at the far post. Scurich with a touch
:37:57. > :38:07.again. What about that? Fara Williams, the ball came off and she
:38:07. > :38:16.
:38:16. > :38:26.put her body between the goalkeeper Fara Williams is now at the other
:38:26. > :38:34.
:38:34. > :38:44.end. She inadvertently set up disappointing finish. She is quick.
:38:44. > :38:54.She managed to get a shot of there. Strong as well. But not on target.
:38:54. > :39:17.
:39:17. > :39:24.At 26, she is one of the veterans way in this game but they have not
:39:24. > :39:29.quite built on the second girl. think sometimes when you have so
:39:29. > :39:35.much of the ball, you have to make the right decision each time. They
:39:35. > :39:40.will be happy just to win this game. That is the thing, you win it, that
:39:40. > :39:47.is the goal for today. But a lot of goals will be good for the Crown.
:39:47. > :39:57.But the three points is the most... England Darin control of their
:39:57. > :40:08.
:40:09. > :40:14.what a save! Rachel Yankey has come alive this second half. Such power
:40:14. > :40:22.in that shot. All she could do was palmed it away. The first time shot
:40:22. > :40:28.by Alex Scott, great technique. He will definitely be approved a of
:40:29. > :40:36.his goalkeeper today. Grudging applause by the coach there. Half a
:40:36. > :40:46.dozen really good saves by Doris Bacic. Here is the save -- the
:40:46. > :40:56.
:40:56. > :41:06.change. An 18-year-old goes off and That really could have gone
:41:06. > :41:06.
:41:06. > :41:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:41:49. > :41:59.Bardsley has had to do in the has shifted the ball to the right.
:41:59. > :42:24.
:42:24. > :42:34.Allison Scurich has got in the way That was a brave shot at the far
:42:34. > :42:53.
:42:53. > :43:00.missed. I do not think hope will be happy up howl open this game is at
:43:00. > :43:03.the moment. They have been a couple of times where it has come to
:43:03. > :43:13.nothing but the signs are there that the spaces are there at the
:43:13. > :43:16.
:43:16. > :43:26.back. That is new tent Heidi from Jill Scott. -- neat and tidy. Alex
:43:26. > :43:35.
:43:35. > :43:45.Scott's determination to score has Powell does have options on the
:43:45. > :43:57.
:43:57. > :44:02.Duggan, from Everton, I wonder if we will see her? She has a lot of
:44:02. > :44:08.experience that younger age groups. It would be quite nice to give her
:44:08. > :44:15.a little bit of experience and may become one and get a girl. Maybe
:44:15. > :44:25.hope it is thinking of making changes will stop -- may be Hope
:44:25. > :44:25.
:44:25. > :45:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:45:36. > :45:46.Powell is thinking of making second change. Izabela Lojna is
:45:46. > :45:58.
:45:58. > :46:04.about to come on. Rachel Yankey waiting for this shot and she went
:46:05. > :46:14.for the past. She needed to have a shot. She was in a great position.
:46:15. > :46:18.
:46:18. > :46:26.I was surprised she did not blasted at the goal. Eniola Aluko was very
:46:26. > :46:36.clever there. I am sure she will try it again in this game. There
:46:36. > :46:41.
:46:41. > :46:51.she is, lurking on the halfway line at the moment, such is the desire
:46:51. > :47:00.
:47:00. > :47:02.runners up behind England and qualify automatically. It is now 5-
:47:02. > :47:08.0 to the French. Scotland will be heading towards the play-off draw
:47:08. > :47:14.at the end of this week. No shame on Scotland, France are one of the
:47:14. > :47:19.favourites going in to the competition next year. Ensure they
:47:19. > :47:24.will be looking to get through the play-off spots. Scotland have
:47:24. > :47:31.qualified, having won every single game. Also, the same for it to
:47:31. > :47:38.leave. They did not concede a goal. -- the same for the Italians, they
:47:38. > :47:48.did not concede a goal. Good work on the right-hand side by Alex
:47:48. > :48:05.
:48:05. > :48:15.the bottom corner. Couldn't manage off. Izabela Lojna is replacing
:48:15. > :48:15.
:48:15. > :49:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:49:23. > :49:33.them. The ad and look very happy! - tonight. One of the larger
:49:33. > :49:43.
:49:43. > :49:48.attendances that England have had and they will want one or two more
:49:48. > :49:52.goals before the finish, and England will as well, because the
:49:52. > :49:56.possession statistics will be very interesting at the end of this game.
:49:56. > :50:05.It has been all England, they just have not put as many away as they
:50:05. > :50:15.would have liked. Around of applause for Karen Bardsley as she
:50:15. > :50:23.
:50:23. > :50:27.picks up the ball. Toni Duggan just given a chance. Yes, and she has
:50:27. > :50:33.done well getting into the squad, and good to get a few minutes on
:50:33. > :50:36.the pitch, it will do her the world of good. She has said experienced
:50:36. > :50:46.club-mates in the squad alongside her like Rachel Brown and Jill
:50:46. > :50:59.
:50:59. > :51:09.by the woodwork. NF past the post to get it out of the way. -- enough.
:51:09. > :51:23.
:51:23. > :51:32.Yankey. The crowd giving her the applause that she deserves. I am
:51:32. > :51:38.sure there are many more caps to come for her. A big smile. Rachel
:51:38. > :51:48.Yankey, the record-breaker, making way for somebody else. Toni Duggan,
:51:48. > :52:17.
:52:17. > :52:22.her first appearance at full off! Casey Stoney! Great technique!
:52:22. > :52:28.She will be pleased. Great work by Karen Carney down the left-hand
:52:28. > :52:34.side. The England captain was watching everybody else have a dead
:52:34. > :52:44.goat, she thought, I will have a go myself. -- everybody else having a
:52:44. > :52:47.
:52:47. > :52:57.go. Her fifth international goal in her 104th appearance. When she
:52:57. > :53:37.
:53:37. > :53:47.finishes like that, you wonder why to his scorer with the exception of
:53:47. > :54:11.
:54:11. > :54:15.Karen Bardsley in the remaining 10 losing to Germany in the final.
:54:15. > :54:20.They will be looking for at least a place again. Yes, they have done
:54:20. > :54:23.well since that competition. The strength in depth of the youngsters
:54:23. > :54:27.coming through, England will be going to the tournament full of
:54:28. > :54:37.confidence that they could get there and perhaps win it. Perhaps
:54:38. > :54:47.
:54:47. > :54:57.and here she comes again. -- Toni Duggan almost makes it on her
:54:57. > :55:07.debut! Toni Duggan could have scored twice in that move. Croatia,
:55:07. > :55:07.
:55:07. > :55:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:55:52. > :56:02.for Everton. When Everton player has already scored tonight, Jill
:56:02. > :56:30.
:56:30. > :56:34.Scott. -- 1 Everton player. Toni Toni Duggan coming in, they are
:56:34. > :56:41.confident, they know this system, and they are not afraid either.
:56:41. > :56:51.They used to playing had a higher level. -- they're used to playing
:56:51. > :57:09.
:57:09. > :57:14.the end! A good effort with her left foot. A lot of footballers,
:57:14. > :57:24.men and women, they cannot strike the ball just as well with both
:57:24. > :57:32.
:57:32. > :57:42.file a Croatian change. She has done well. England are aware of the
:57:42. > :57:52.counter-attack. Another 17-year-old coming on for Croatia out. When he
:57:52. > :57:52.
:57:52. > :58:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:58:36. > :58:46.threatened to put the kids in, he but their qualification already
:58:46. > :58:56.
:58:56. > :59:06.ground and concedes the free-kick. Our real tussle down the side.
:59:06. > :59:38.
:59:38. > :59:48.is going off. Claire Rafferty comes on. It has been a switch inside to
:59:48. > :00:23.
:00:23. > :00:33.tonight he would have thought England could score 6, 7 or eight
:00:33. > :00:33.
:00:33. > :01:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:01:18. > :01:28.goals and sq they could have done. forward so far then she has and the
:01:28. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :02:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 125 seconds
:02:23. > :02:33.rest of this game. Wave sent waves driving rain here for the final
:02:33. > :02:41.
:02:41. > :02:51.minute of the game. A shower of player of the match. There will not
:02:51. > :03:04.
:03:04. > :03:07.moment. Three added minutes. would think the referee would put
:03:08. > :03:16.the Croatian team out of their misery but instead they have added
:03:16. > :03:21.three minutes. I wonder what is at the bottom of that rainbow. England
:03:21. > :03:30.know they have a place that the European Championships. Six wins
:03:30. > :03:35.and two draws. Both they and the runners up, Holland, will be
:03:35. > :03:45.qualifying automatically. Scotland will be into the play-offs to try
:03:45. > :04:05.
:04:05. > :04:11.and make it to Sweden second time group, only six goals scored in
:04:11. > :04:15.their qualifying games, unless they can find one during injury time.
:04:15. > :04:22.They had one chance in the first half which was almost presented by
:04:22. > :04:28.England's mistakes, they have not really troubled Karen Bardsley. On
:04:28. > :04:38.the other hand, at the other end, Doris Bacic has stopped her team
:04:38. > :05:05.
:05:05. > :05:10.England half which has been the case for much of the game. The rain
:05:10. > :05:20.is absolutely teeming down here now. Just in time for 6,000 people to
:05:20. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:57.of next year so England will have plenty of warm-up games in the
:05:57. > :06:02.meantime. Hope Powell will still want competition for places.
:06:02. > :06:07.will. She knows she has strong players to choose from as well. It
:06:07. > :06:11.has been a professional performance tonight and three points. Hope
:06:11. > :06:16.Powell leads her side to a 5th successive major tournament. Eni
:06:16. > :06:23.Aluko scoring the goal in the opening seconds of the second half,
:06:23. > :06:27.just soon settle the nerves. The captain, Casey Stoney, making a 3-0.
:06:27. > :06:32.They could have been so more. That will do for England. They have
:06:32. > :06:41.qualified for England, for the European Championships. They have
:06:41. > :06:46.beaten Croatia by three goals to England have won the group. They
:06:46. > :06:56.have qualified for Euro 2013 and they are safely in the draw in
:06:56. > :07:05.
:07:05. > :07:10.It is the first time now they have topped the group. Faye White,
:07:10. > :07:14.relief all round? Yes, a relief, now we know we are in that drawer.
:07:15. > :07:19.Next July we will be in Sweden. A team like England now, the fact we
:07:19. > :07:22.a qualifying for major tournaments is a major plus and it will help us
:07:22. > :07:27.keep developing and having the experience that we need to push on
:07:27. > :07:33.a bit more. Was it as comfortable as you thought it would be tonight,
:07:33. > :07:36.Sue? No. We had a lot of possession. We were constantly in their half
:07:36. > :07:40.but there were times we were thinking we need to score. There
:07:40. > :07:45.was a worry that they could break away and get one back. We know that
:07:45. > :07:49.England like to make a sweat a little bit. I think the girls have
:07:49. > :07:54.got to be happy. They looked relieved. They looked like, thank
:07:54. > :07:59.goodness we have got through. This was a massive game for them. It is
:07:59. > :08:03.easy to slip up in games like this when you are expected to win. Hope
:08:03. > :08:07.said not to be complacent. She said to go out there and play their game.
:08:07. > :08:12.That is exactly what they did and scored their three goals,
:08:12. > :08:15.comfortably in the end. We have come to expect England to qualify
:08:16. > :08:21.for major tournaments now ever since they hosted Euro 2005, they
:08:21. > :08:24.have not slipped up. That is right. It is down to Hope Powell to keep
:08:24. > :08:28.developing big players. We talk about the number of caps some of
:08:28. > :08:33.the players have. When we go to tournaments now, we feel like we
:08:33. > :08:38.can win and compete with the top nations like France, Germany and
:08:38. > :08:43.Sweden. Four years ago, we got to the final, played against Germany.
:08:43. > :08:46.Each time it is getting better. Now it is major tournaments, have been
:08:46. > :08:51.consistent performances and when the big games come, being able to
:08:51. > :08:57.put those big displays and match- winning performances actually
:08:57. > :09:02.winning matches. Let's look at how England did it, how they qualified
:09:02. > :09:06.for Euro 2013. The first goal scored by Jill Scott. It was
:09:06. > :09:10.fantastic play by Stefan initially down the left-hand side,
:09:10. > :09:17.considering she is not a left footed player, she picked someone
:09:17. > :09:22.out. That was a lovely ball to Eni Aluko and she hits it first time.
:09:22. > :09:28.Gill is a page in the box and that is exactly what she did there. -- a
:09:28. > :09:36.poacher. Gethin Eni Aluko was involved in the news of that as
:09:36. > :09:40.well. It shows the desire. A centre-forward coming into midfield,
:09:40. > :09:44.did try and pick up the ball and move players around. Gill did well
:09:44. > :09:51.running in behind with Fara Williams, not as much as we would
:09:51. > :09:59.like kerb too. And the second goal scored by a your player of the
:09:59. > :10:04.match, Eni Aluko. She was constantly a threat, constantly
:10:04. > :10:09.making a move. That is why we picked around. I don't know she
:10:09. > :10:15.toe-poked it but it was a nice finish into the top corner. It is
:10:15. > :10:20.what she had to do. We can hear now from the England coach, Hope Powell.
:10:20. > :10:26.Hope, congratulations, 3-0 win, they did exactly what you asked
:10:26. > :10:30.them to do? Yes, got their three points. In patches, I thought we
:10:30. > :10:37.played very well. It has been a good week in terms of training.
:10:37. > :10:40.They transferred very well onto the pitch. How much of a relief is that
:10:40. > :10:45.there you qualified automatically? It is a relief. It means we do not
:10:45. > :10:54.have to go through play-offs. It is nice to qualify automatically top
:10:54. > :11:02.of the group. Now we can focus on being top of the group. Eni Aluko,
:11:02. > :11:07.can I get you to pass over the champagne, Hope, and how much did
:11:07. > :11:13.your golf settle down the team? think it was important to get the
:11:13. > :11:18.second one. We said we should not let up. Which said we should be
:11:18. > :11:23.ruthless in front of goal and their chances. I am thankful I got on the
:11:23. > :11:27.scoresheet today. Thank you both very much.
:11:27. > :11:32.Smiles all round on the pit and smiles all round up here in our
:11:32. > :11:37.studio because we are joined by the victorious England captain, Casey
:11:37. > :11:43.Stoney, she is also a goalscorer. It does not happen too often but I
:11:43. > :11:49.found myself in the right area. was a fantastic finish. Here you
:11:49. > :11:57.can see your own goal. It was Karen Carney with the ball down the left-
:11:57. > :12:01.hand side. I would like to do that every week. Did the game go as
:12:01. > :12:06.expected it to? I think it was a bit frustrating that we had so many
:12:06. > :12:10.chances and did not finish them. At half-time we knew we were still in
:12:10. > :12:14.the game. We knew they would be physical which they were. We kept
:12:14. > :12:20.the ball moving well at the time. We know there are things to move on
:12:20. > :12:26.and we have qualified. goalkeeper had a good game. Have
:12:26. > :12:30.you seen videos of her? No, she was a surprise package because she was
:12:30. > :12:34.not the number one goalkeeper who had played in the past. She looked
:12:34. > :12:40.really young. She is a prospect for their future. She kept them in the
:12:40. > :12:44.game for long periods. Any thoughts of Euro 2013? You have got the draw
:12:44. > :12:49.on November 9th, you are now used to qualifying, isn't an expectation
:12:49. > :12:53.that is on your shoulders? Definitely. It is an expectation
:12:53. > :12:58.that we qualify. We are looking forward to Sweden now. The hard
:12:58. > :13:01.work begins now. I'm sure we will be looking forward. It has not been
:13:02. > :13:06.a hangover from the Olympic games, on the contrary, you have had
:13:06. > :13:12.something positive to look forward to? Definitely, it has been great
:13:12. > :13:15.to get back into W S L. That is a fantastic league. This is what we
:13:16. > :13:20.needed after the Olympics, to get the win is even better. Casey
:13:20. > :13:25.Stoney, thank you. My thanks go to Faye White, good luck to you in the