England v Japan Match of the Day

Good evening. It was a nervy, Edward and plain sailing, but

England came from behind to secured a win over New Zealand. They were

on the verge of the quarter-finals tonight, to see if they could

complete the job against Japan. Only a huge win for Mexico and

defeat for England could see Mexico go through it. Let's get on with

where next for England? A win could take the team through to a quarter-

final in Labour coups and. A draw means back to Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Defeat, that could mean back home in the morning. That's of course is

the option we don't want to have to contemplate. Rest assured, England

will have to play well to get a result against a Japan side that

has looked very impressive thus far. They have more than justified their

current FIFA ranking of being the fourth-best a women's team in the

world. England's side is changed by four from that which kicked off

against New Zealand. Jessica Clarke and Karen Carney come in. Sophie

Bradley is in, and Casey Stoney with the arms ban. -- on and. Anita

Asante get a 50th England cap. Japan, already safely through to

the quarter-finals. England may need to have to get something to

join them a in the last eight. A win would mean England topping the

group, that may mean avoiding Germany. We won't know whether it

will be Germany or France in the given to change, the same side it

started at the last two games. Five of them started it when England

spoke, looking for a positive result to get through to the

quarter-finals of the World Cup for the second tournament in a row. We

will keep you up-to-date with what is happening in the other game,

Mexico against New Zealand. That will only become an issue if Mexico

too much about it. Good to see England in the all-white, I prefer

that to the blue shorts. That is partnership. No, they have been

together at Lincoln all season. That is key. A Sophie Bradley is

young up. I played with her at Leeds United, she is beyond her

years. She is very focused and confident as well. I don't think

she will have any problems. This is only her Hayterth England cap. --

players will be getting the information. Hopefully not at this

stage in the game, maybe later on if it is required. It just sends

nerves around, and they don't need it, because they have got this game

under control. They can't control Bardsley, but she was more than

ready for it. Kozue Ando, just trying her luck. It was worth an

effort. Obviously watched the no way that she is going to not get

to the ball first with those long today, with Sophie Bradley, 22.

Karen Carney is only 23. Ellen White is 22. Adds a bit of energy

to it. The girls will want to chances. Set pieces are going to be

important for England. Sophie Bradley's long throw is a real

World Cup looking to get out of the grid. -- haven't just come. Their

coach, very confident. He was saying before the finals kicked off,

it is semi-finals, minimum. We want to finish at least a third, he was

very specific. Ellen White lobs at the keeper! A brilliant goal!

Scored by Ellen White! Her first World Cup, her first World Cup goal,

she has hit the big-time! What a fantastic finish. She just drew

herself a way from the centre half, the keeper was in no man's land.

Well done, Ellen White. That is a difficult skill, and she just

perfected it. The youngest player in the England squad makes her mark

in Germany. Prolific for Leeds last season. A goal again before Arsenal

in the women's Superleague this year. -- a goal a game. And she

wasn't even looking, she knew exactly what she was going to do as

Asante. She is a centre half, really. I played against her for

many years, she is probably one of the toughest I have played against.

They are not going to get past a out is higher than the Japanese,

and I think that is showing. They look more confident for it. Japan

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are easing their way through the goal for Mexico. Mexico are 2-0 up.

Dominguez has got the second goal. No dramas yet, because whilst

England are in the lead, or even drawing this one, they are in

I think a bit too far out for them to really try something to her to

Sophie Bradley. Alex Scott, one of the smallest in the England team,

managed to get her head on that as little bit nervous, they need to

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for goal number two. It didn't get spectacular! Great save! What a

goal that would have been! The first one will take some beating.

That was a magnificent effort, and credit to Kaihori, who got up, full

stretch, to debate onto the crossbar. A great cross from Jess -

- Jessica Clarke. It is a great volley. She did really well to

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stretch up and get her fingertips great build-up play by Japan. A

little bit hesitant in the defending, the back four, but what

a great cross this is. Well done is England's half because of a

superb goal from number nine, Ellen White, a quarter-of-an-hour into

the contest. She saw the keeper across her mind and locked her from

20 yards out into the back of the net. Just what England wanted.

Everything is going to plan for Hope Powell's team. Rachel Yankey,

England's and most capped player yet in the current squad, second

most capped player of all time, is tactical change by Hope Powell. All

was going well so it would suggest clock got a knock but you never

know with England's coach. -- Jessica Clarke got a knock. She

made just one big experience of this half. They need to impose

themselves. Japan have obviously had a talking to at half-time to

increase the intensity and they have done. The free-kick has gone

to Japan. It was too easy, the ball into midfield. Japan are pressing a

great chance for Japan to level. It and they have obviously practised

this. That should have gone in. The keeper had no chance if it was on

target. She is astride get that his prolific in Germany. -- she is a

corner, I was about to scream a who I think agree with you.

Incredibly that is not a corner. I don't think that is quite up

there with the equatorial Guinea and handball injury. No penalty! If

you haven't seen it, look it up. It was a strange one, that one. It was

as clear a corner as you will ever seen. Eniola Aluko is going to come

on and Kelis Smith will make way. She has hobbled out of a couple of

challenges today. She has defended well. But where we meet her, it is

brought off, there is something to the quarter-finals of the World

Cup! It is a great ball in from Rachel Unitt. The first touch was

excellent, the second touch even better. What a great goal. Two very

different England goals. Two goals of real quality as far as finishing

goes. Rachel Yankey's Movement, great first touch. Brilliant. It

was a good finish. Just at the right time because Japan were

getting on top and they looked like scoring. It has killed the pressure.

There is the experience and the not making the knockout stages for

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that. It has been a good game. I have enjoyed it. I think England

have done extremely well against a the last eight to place... A win

think it might have been. -- Jill Scott. England are being more

physical knowing they are physically stronger than the

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for Japan. -- Karen Cargill A. No go for it and stepped behind for a

Japan corner. Was unsure whether it would have sneaked in. Good

goalkeeping. She has given a other side. That is ridiculous!

Ellen White, who has got England going with a terrific opening goal,

she is running off. That is how much energy she has got! What a

great goal. An all-round performance. She will get a

standing ovation from the England fans in the stadium and well

deserved. Centre-forward is off, the centre-back is on. Bassett.

There have been occasions where the keeper of the heel and going down

would have got a penalty. Not that I am advocating that. She got a

touch and she goes down... You said far too honest. Can there be such a

thing? I don't know! Very honest This time! There will be an ironic

cheer from the crowd if she has given a corner. Another referee

playing against European teams. And they have lost another because

England had beaten Japan! Not only to seal their face in the quarter-

finals of the World Cup but to do it as winners of Group B. Who knows

Were you happy with the changes you made? Absolutely. I made them, so

yes. We all were said at the beginning it would be a squad thing

that would get us out of the group and then we would go from there but

some of the play is that came in, Sophie Bradley was enormous,

Jessica Clarke did her job in the first half, we changed a few things,

we had a game-plan and the goals did really well. A difficult

technical team to play against but she coped with everything. To be

honest, they are good, they get the ball down, I think we matched them

in parts of the game and we used physical strength as well which was

good. We needed to build on that from New Zealand and we did today.

Every one of the coach's changes was justified. It shows just how

strong our squad is. Ellen White, a young player coming in, scoring a

goal like that in the World Cup. What a finish, I am sure her

parents are very proud of her today. Tell the view was what it is like

to score in the World Cup. It is indescribable, I can't put it into

words. It is the pinnacle of your career coming to the World Cup and

scoring. Unbelievable. I am so pleased we got three points and

topped the group. You came on at half-time. Did you have a point to

prove? No! They said I wasn't going to start the game. To be fair,

scoring the goal was probably the only good thing I did so lucky a

Tibet! It was a great goal! weren't bad! It was a great cross

from the Unitt. I don't know if it was meant for me. Winning the group

against Japan, fourth in the world, it must give you so much.

Definitely. We were not favourites. To top the group and come out... We

need to wait to see who we are playing but it is a big confidence

boost for. This team is getting better, it isn't it? We said our

first two performances were not great but it seems to be coming

together now. It is all about building on that now. This team is

grubbing. Yeah. We have got better in each game we played so that is

positive. We will take that and use that as encouragement and hopefully

we can go a long way. See what happens. Have you finally found

your feet? We are getting closer. Not quite sure we are there yet. We

don't know who we have got next but that will be a big test. The

ambition was to get out of the group and try to top the group. If

we have achieved that so far. We New Zealand, with two late goals to

A really impressive performance, and an example of a team who why

just growing throughout this tournament, in confidence and style.

The way they snuffed out all of Japan's possibilities. I thought

they played really well, they have just grown in confidence throughout

the tournament. I just thought a draw today, so it they were clear

winners for me. Again, a word for the manager, because Kelly Smith

comes off after an hour, we were wondering what she's doing, and she

changes it round, everybody plays their part. The whole team was

outstanding today. We have got a real chance here, with these ladies

come much progress in this tournament. Ellen White has got AA

chance of goal of the jaw and then, I would suggest. -- goal of the

It is nice to see this, we have played it out from the back, a

great finish. We finally now have a striker at the top level for the

ladies who can score goals. The defending was Abid ball, but she

has punished of them. She still had a lot to do. Fantastic running

between the two defenders. She looked up, saw the keeper off her

line, a lovely lob. It is a greater awareness. She has just picked her

spot. An outstanding finish, I'm sure when she sees that back later

she will be delighted. She has scored a goal again a for Arsenal

in the Super League, she is firing They are not at the end of a really

long season, I think it is looking at the moment like Ferrar a real

buzz about them. Definitely. It is not the end of the season, often

you go into a tournament you are a bit fatigued, you have played a lot

of football. But they look like they are buzzing. It is a good

point, their energy levels, they are rotating so many players, and

everybody is doing well. They all feel like they are doing an

important role. Rachel Yankey was out of favour at the last

championships with the coach, Hope Powell, but back in the squad, and

then today, out of the starting 11, she comes back on in the second

half and seals the deal. It is difficult when you keep chopping

Really pleased for Rachel. She has licked her wounds, she has come

back. Kelly has just gone off the pitch, it breaks nicely for her,

she is on it in a flash, and that is a great finish from that angle.

What I like the first of all was Karen Carney's bit of movement. A

great ball in, and that is a perfect touch. He just set her on

her way. She looks up, sees the keeper a little bit off her line,

and that is a difficult technique. She has got the pace, the awareness

and the quality to put it into the back of the net. I think she has a

Interesting, England set out to be physical in this game, we heard

Kelly said before the match saying, we are going to make the most of

our physical strength, stop the Japanese playing in the way they

have played, and they did it with some brilliant tackling today.

did, and they learnt at the right has come in, an awful lot of

pressure on her, she has handled herself well. I thought she would

do, because she is experienced at other levels. Jill Scott, she is

everywhere! Would she be your men of the match? I think so. Casey

Stoney, captain for the day, and doing a captain's job. Let's not

forget Asante has well in that midfield. You are wondering now,

they have selection problems. Williams is fit enough, which

A little bit slippy in that first game against Mexico, and Karen

Bardsley is a good example of a player who had a moment, if you

like, in that opening match. And probably have liked to have saved

this. She will be delighted we are showing that again! But she has

come back well. She showed personality and character. And that

is what you need. The World's eyes on you, these are packed stadiums,

these girls are not used to this, but they rose to the challenge.

That is a great Punch, she is It is interesting that England have

had five goals scored now, five different goalscorers, which again

illustrates the point that there is this strength in depth. You say

Ellen White is now going to be the out and out goalscorer, great to

have a reliable goalscorer, but we are getting goals from all over the

pitch. You want to natural goalscorer, but then you have the

likes of Rachel Yankey, Jill Scott, it is nice to see them coming from

all over the place. You look at other teams, they must look at

England and say, nor are we going to mark? It is growing, this

tournament. So many players are making their mark. Players of

grabbing the headlines, they will be a different star every day. It

So who do England play in the quarter-finals? England will play

France in Leverkusen -- on Friday. We don't have traditionally do very

well against European opposition, and we haven't beaten France since

1974, why are we going to be done this time? That is a tough question.

France have done really well in this tournament so far, they are

going to be difficult to play against, but we are playing well,

and we have got to be confident and just take the result today and take

that into that game and I'm sure we can do that. Are they more of a

physical side? Yes, they are, they like to move the ball well, they

are quick up front, so they need to be aware of their pace up front.

Their number 9, especially. They are good at analysing teams and

watching what they are good at, and stopping that, which they did today

against Japan. We have already said how Hope Powell now seems to be

finding her best 11 as the tournament goes on, which we saw

with Bobby Robson, in World Cups, it changes throughout the

tournament. You feel with her that she has total belief in all these

players, and she is not bothered who she picks, they are all going