Latest news with #goalkeepers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
England's rampant attack renders the goalkeeper narrative obsolete
This piece was supposed to be about goalkeepers. Sentences had been drafted, paragraphs were forming, conclusions were ready to be drawn. Hannah Hampton's performance for England against Portugal was about to be analysed within an inch of its life after Mary Earps' abrupt international retirement made the Lionesses' goalkeeping position the headline story of this international window. Advertisement Earps, 32, was imperious during England's 2022 European Championship triumph and run to the 2023 World Cup final, but unexpectedly called time on her international career on Tuesday, just five weeks before Euro 2025 kicks off, having lost her starting spot to Hampton, 24. Friday's Nations League fixture against Portugal was England's first match since Earps' shock announcement. This was going to write itself. A re-draft was potentially on the cards inside just five minutes at Wembley as England raced into a 2-0 lead through Aggie Beever-Jones and Lucy Bronze, but it was still early days. A re-write was seriously being considered by the half-hour mark as goals from Beth Mead and Beever-Jones further extended England's advantage. Advertisement By the time the half-time whistle had been blown, England were leading 5-0, Beever-Jones had completed her hat-trick, Hampton had yet to lay a glove on the ball and the backspace key was taking an absolute hammering. Chloe Kelly added a sixth in the second half to emphatically ensure that in a week dominated by goalkeeper discourse, England's forward line made themselves the story. In a week in which feelings were mixed within the squad over Earps' decision and the way it unfolded, England turned in a performance of cohesion and togetherness. 'As cliche as it sounds, Sarina (Wiegman) said it's a new kit, new England today — go out there and put a graft in,' Beever-Jones told reporters at full-time. 'I think her words were 'destroy them', in her Dutch accent. 'For us, it was just executing the game plan, and in the first half we were really good at that.' Advertisement The game plan, as Wiegman described in her post-match press conference, was to 'press really early and high, and win the ball back as soon as possible'. This came to fruition within three minutes. Bronze led the counter-press, Jess Park's hustle forced the mistake from Portugal midfielder Andreia Norton, and Beever-Jones capitalised. England's coordinated, aggressive press again paid dividends 90 seconds later as Jess Carter won possession on halfway and fed Lauren Hemp, who scurried past Ana Borges. Her delivery eventually found its way to Bronze to head into an empty net. It was one of a number of encouraging first-half moments from Hemp, who looked particularly sharp on her return to the England side for the first time since October following five months out after knee surgery. Within the opening 30 minutes, she had caused chaos with a surging run, sent in a teasing delivery that narrowly evaded Beever-Jones and expertly spun Borges on the touchline. The Manchester City winger was withdrawn shortly before the hour mark and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes since returning to action at the end of April. Hemp has been ever-present at major tournaments under Wiegman and Friday was a timely reminder of the unique threat she brings. Advertisement 'I'm building up, I'm working hard, training hard,' she said at full time. 'It's been a long time so I'm trying to not put too much pressure on myself but I want to contribute as much as I can.' Hemp was joined by the returning Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood, who were introduced from the bench in the second half following lengthy injury lay-offs of their own, in a further boost to England ahead of Euro 2025. 'They've worked so hard to get where they are right now,' Wiegman said. The England head coach emphasised how positive training had been for her side in the week and while the Lionesses' opening two goals were derived from their press, goals three and four capped slick team moves. 'Connections' has been a buzzword of the Wiegman era and Friday's game was the first time she had fielded a front four of Hemp, Park, Mead and Beever-Jones — the quartet combined impressively throughout. It was Beever-Jones who the night belonged to as she completed her hat-trick on 33 minutes, latching onto a fine Leah Williamson pass and firing low past Ines Pereira. The 21-year-old Chelsea forward was making just her sixth senior international appearance and her first for her country at Wembley. 'She is a goalscorer,' Wiegman said, before praising her quick feet and ability in tight spaces. Advertisement Portugal offered little resistance compared to the side that had held England to a 1-1 draw back in February, and tougher tests will come for the Lionesses — starting with a trip to world champions and group leaders Spain on Tuesday. But Friday was just what England needed as a blend of Wiegman's trusted regulars and fresh faces turned in a performance to ensure the conversation was about those present, not those absent. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. England, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
4 days ago
- General
- New York Times
England's rampant attack renders the goalkeeper narrative obsolete
This piece was supposed to be about goalkeepers. Sentences had been drafted, paragraphs were forming, conclusions were ready to be drawn. Hannah Hampton's performance for England against Portugal was about to be analysed within an inch of its life after Mary Earps' abrupt international retirement made the Lionesses' goalkeeping position the headline story of this international window. Advertisement Earps, 32, was imperious during England's 2022 European Championship triumph and run to the 2023 World Cup final, but unexpectedly called time on her international career on Tuesday, just five weeks before Euro 2025 kicks off, having lost her starting spot to Hampton, 24. Friday's Nations League fixture against Portugal was England's first match since Earps' out of the blue announcement. This was going to write itself. A re-draft was potentially on the cards inside just five minutes at Wembley as England raced into a 2-0 lead through Aggie Beever-Jones and Lucy Bronze, but it was still early days. A re-write was seriously being considered by the half-hour mark as goals from Beth Mead and Beever-Jones further extended England's advantage. By the time the half-time whistle had been blown, England were leading 5-0, Beever-Jones had completed her hat-trick, Hampton had yet to lay a glove on the ball and the backspace key was taking an absolute hammering. Chloe Kelly added a sixth in the second half to emphatically ensure that in a week dominated by goalkeeper discourse, England's forward line made themselves the story. In a week where feelings were mixed within the squad over Earps' decision and the way it unfolded, England turned in a performance of cohesion and togetherness. 'As cliche as it sounds, Sarina said it's a new kit, new England today — go out there and put a graft in basically,' Beever-Jones told reporters at full-time. 'I think her words were 'destroy them', in her Dutch accent. 'For us it was just executing the game plan, and in the first half we were really good at that.' The game plan, as Wiegman described in her post-match press conference, was to 'press really early and high, and win the ball back as soon as possible'. This came to fruition within three minutes. Bronze led the counter-press, Jess Park's hustle forced the mistake from Portugal midfielder Andreia Norton, and Beever-Jones capitalised. England's coordinated, aggressive press again paid dividends just 90 seconds later as Jess Carter won possession on halfway and fed Lauren Hemp, who scurried past Ana Borges. Her delivery eventually found its way to Bronze to head into an empty net. It was one of a number of encouraging first-half moments from Hemp, who looked particularly sharp on her return to the England side for the first time since October following five months out after knee surgery. Within the opening 30 minutes, she had caused chaos with a surging run, sent in a teasing delivery that narrowly evaded Beever-Jones, and expertly spun Borges on the touchline. Advertisement The Manchester City winger was withdrawn shortly before the hour mark and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes since returning to action at the end of April. Hemp has been ever-present at major tournaments under Wiegman and Friday was a timely reminder of the unique threat she brings. 'I'm building up, I'm working hard, training hard,' she said at full-time. 'Obviously, it's been a long time so I'm trying to not put too much pressure on myself, but I want to contribute as much as I can.' Hemp was joined by the returning Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood, who were introduced from the bench in the second half following lengthy injury lay-offs of their own, in a further boost to England ahead of Euro 2025. 'They've worked so hard to get where they are right now,' Wiegman said. The England head coach emphasised how positive training had been for her side in the week and while the Lionesses' opening two goals were derived from their press, goals three and four capped slick team moves. 'Connections' has been a buzzword of the Wiegman era and Friday's game was the first time she had fielded a front four of Hemp, Park, Beth Mead and Beever-Jones — the quartet combined impressively throughout. It was Beever-Jones who the night belonged to as she completed her hat-trick on 33 minutes, latching onto a fine Leah Williamson pass and firing low past Ines Pereira. The 21-year-old Chelsea forward was making just her sixth senior international appearance and her first for her country at Wembley. 'She is a goalscorer,' Wiegman said, before praising her quick feet and ability in tight spaces. Portugal offered little resistance compared to the side that had held England to a 1-1 draw back in February, and tougher tests will come for the Lionesses — starting with a trip to world champions and group leaders Spain on Tuesday. But Friday was just what England needed as a blend of Wingman's trusted regulars and fresh faces turned in a performance to ensure the conversation was about those present, not those absent.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Football Daily Women's Football Weekly: Earps, Corsie & glory for the Gunners
Ellen White and Ben Haines are at St Georges Park and react to the shock announcement that England goalkeeper Mary Earps is retiring from international football. Ellen shares her view on why now but they also reflect on what Mary did for the women's game and its profile, particularly for goalkeepers. Niamh Charles and Keira Walsh share their memories of playing with Mary and her impact off the pitch. They also look ahead to England's next Nations League games against Portugal and Spain as the Euros approaches. Ellen and Ben also talk Arsenal winning the Champions League and how Renee Slegers masterminded that huge victory over Barcelona. Plus Jen Beattie has caught up with her former teammate and Scotland captain Rachel Corsie who has announced her retirement from football this week. Rachel won 154 caps for Scotland and led her country out at their first ever World Cup in 2019 and is part of the Scotland camp for their next Nations League fixtures against Austria and the Netherlands. 00:20 Intro 01:36 Mary Earps retires from England 04:10 Earps statement 10:28 Arsenal win the Champions League! 15:50 How did Arsenal do it? 20:35 Niamh Charles 25:00 Keira Walsh 32:30 Rachel Corsie with Jen BBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries next weekend: Wed 2000 Real Betis v Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League Final Fri 1945 England v Portugal in the UEFA Women's Nations League Sat 2000 PSG v Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Premier League will see more rule changes next season – when will this ever end? I have NO idea what football rules are
CLAUDIO RANIERI earned the nickname 'Tinkerman' during his spell at Chelsea as he was forever changing his player line-ups but that meddling moniker should surely now be passed on to football's governing bodies. Next season there will be more new rule changes. When will this ever end and are you, like me, baffled and bamboozled in equal measure as to what the actual rules of football are? 2 2 From next season goalkeepers will be penalised for holding on to the ball for more than eight seconds, with the punishment a corner to the attacking team. Referees are supposed to indicate when a keeper has held the ball for three seconds, giving him five more seconds to release it. Apparently, this new rule has been tried and tested and will be in place for next season. So what was wrong with the old rule which gave keepers six seconds to release, with punishment in the form of an indirect free-kick? Beats me. It was hardly ever enforced anyway. The body which has come up with this latest daft tinkering, I meant well-researched brainstorm, the International Football Association Board, must have spent ages on it. Probably in a well-stocked five-star hotel somewhere near Fifa's Swiss Alps headquarters. The purpose of this newest change is to cut down on time-wasting but how can extending possession from six to eight seconds do that? And also the fact that the 'old' rule was almost never imposed surely means it was a good rule. A bit like competent refereeing, if you don't know they are there, chances are the official is doing a decent job. Every year we are told greedy water companies will clean up their act and every season football makes changes which confuses the hell out of fans. Dirtying the waters, so to speak. We have had 'golden' goals, 'silver' goals, the advance ten-metre rule, you name it. If anyone can successfully tell me what the current rules around handball are, please let me know. As for VAR, well let's just say the jury is still out on that one. We have been told the introduction of Semi-Automated Offside Technology will solve the ridiculous amount of time it has taken Stockley Park assessors to actually reach a decision. Well, that wasn't true last weekend at the West Ham v Forest game, as that quick check we were promised turned into an excruciating six-minute delay as the offside technology was not working. And don't get me started on the financial fair play rules. Professor Brian Cox might be able to name all the stars in the sky but even he would struggle with that. I'm the first to admit that some changes have been of great benefit. In 1992, the introduction of the backpass rule where keepers cannot handle the ball when it has been deliberately kicked to them by a team-mate is one. When will this ever end and are you, like me, baffled and bamboozled in equal measure as to what the actual rules of football are? Karren Brady Goal-line technology came in 2012 following the uproar over the Frank Lampard World Cup 'goal-that-never-was'. That was another. But in recent seasons the dribble of rule changes has become a downpour. From allowing the kick-off to be taken in any direction, to teams now requiring a mandatory captain, complete with armband, to additional subs if a player has received a concussion injury. Have any of these actually improved fans' enjoyment? Just leave the game alone please. The International Football Association Board should adhere to the wise man, more likely wise woman, who said, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Or to put it another way, stop bloody tinkering. I'm just waiting for the first referee next season who awards a corner after a keeper has transgressed this newest rule change. Cue hundreds of examples by irate fans where the 'offence' was not spotted. Football. They say it used to be a simple game which involved two jumpers and a ball. Not any longer.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
A-League: Keeper v keeper as former teammates face off
Goalkeepers Jack Duncan and Alex Paulsen Photo: Photosport For back-to-back A-League seasons Alex Paulsen has been the best goalkeeper in the competition and someone who has had a close-up look at his rise will be at the opposite end of the park on Saturday when Auckland FC meet Melbourne Victory in the second semi-final in Auckland. Last season Paulsen was the number one keeper at the Wellington Phoenix, keeping the experienced Jack Duncan on the bench. Paulsen had a breakout season playing every minute of Wellington's 2023-24 A-League campaign after being limited to just five first team appearances in his first two years as a professional. He kept a club record 12 clean sheets and picked up just about every award on offer, giving Duncan no real chance of taking the gloves off the young gun. Paulsen and Duncan both left the Phoenix after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season and went in very different directions. In June 2024 Paulsen signed a deal with English Premier League club Bournemouth. Only to find himself loaned back to A-League newcomers Auckland FC for this season as both clubs have the same owner. Duncan exited Wellington for Melbourne Victory - his fourth different A-League club since 2011. Again this season Paulsen has played every minute of his side's A-League games, whereas Duncan has been in and out of the Victory side. Duncan played the first 13 matches of the season before getting benched and injured as he shared keeping duties with Mitch Langerak. A foot injury to former Socceroo Langerak has given the gloves back to Duncan for Victory's last four games - including the Elimination Final and first semi-final. In the first semi-final Paulsen and Duncan went head-to-head in Melbourne and the Auckland gloveman came out on top. Melbourne Victory's Jack Duncan clears. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Auckland got one goal past Duncan in the first semi-final, and were unlucky not to get a second, but Paulsen has kept Victory's attacking threats out for more than 270 minutes of football across three meetings so far this season. Auckland defender Tommy Smith has a lot of praise for his fellow All White. "He's probably the best goalkeeper in the league, he's done it two years on the trot now and he's such a calming influence on us knowing that he's that last line of defence if we do get beaten. He's come up with some massive saves this season and we know the value to us that he brings and we're very happy with him," Smith said. Smith also has empathy for the player stuck behind Paulsen this season - Michael Woud. "He's acquitted himself so well, because he probably signed for the club thinking he'd be the number one and in training every single week he's pushing [Paulsen] which is getting both himself and [Paulsen] better and better week in week out." Despite all of his accolades, Paulsen said last season was sometimes a struggle for him. He believes his mental strength is better for it this season and he is also enjoying the challenge and support of the other Auckland FC goalkeepers. "[The back-up goalkeepers] have been big characters within our team as well even in games Mike is always giving me tips and tricks... if I can't figure something out he's always got something to help me out I appreciate that so much from him as well because at the same time it's a team effort just not the whole team but the goalkeeping union as well." Auckland FC's Alex Paulsen. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Duncan is familiar with being the back-up. It is a position the 32-year-old had to fill earlier in his career, including being behind former All White Glen Moss at Newcastle Jets, and again had to accept when Langerak re-joined Victory in January after 14 years playing overseas. A strong A-League pre-season this season set Duncan up to be the go-to guy between the posts when Victory needed him. "Having missed all of last season, pretty much being behind Alex Paulsen at Wellington, it was good for me to get that leading into the season that run of form in the Australia cup, and I just tried to keep that going. "When Mitch came in, I thought at the start of the season, I just had to give myself the best opportunity to make the coach's decision as hard as possible. "And unfortunately, from a team perspective, we weren't quite picking up results at that time, so I understood that a change had to be made. I was disappointed, as all footballers would be in that situation, but I just tried to keep my head down, working hard be a good teammate, be good around the dressing room, and play my role in that aspect, because you never know when the opportunity is going to come again, and like it has, Mitch has got an injury, and it's time for me to be playing again, and hopefully I can contribute moving forward [on Saturday in Auckland] and hopefully in the grand final as well." Both Paulsen and Duncan could be in the spotlight if the second semi-final goes to penalties. "As a keeper, some people think that all the pressures on you, but I look at it the opposite way, all the pressures on them to score. So if it comes to it, I'll be doing a lot of preparation. I did a lot for last week's game, which I've had a lot of confidence if it did go to penalties, and I'll be doing the same again this week to put myself in the best position to step up for the team, for pride," Duncan said. 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