Sophie Downey was sent to Coventry to cover this one and here’s her match report.
Here’s the three goals from Cov.
💥 RACHEL DALY 💥
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 19, 2023
She gets her 12th goal for the @Lionesses to put them in front against Italy. Should she be starting up front every game?
📺 @ITV pic.twitter.com/criJkktm7j
𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞? 🎥🧐
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 19, 2023
Controversy as Italy are awarded an equaliser but did the ball cross the byline before Sofia Cantore headed in? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/2WT4LXbQUL
DALY AT THE DOUBLE 🙌
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 19, 2023
Lauren James is the provider but what a header from @RachelDaly3 💥@Lionesses | @AVWFCOfficial | @ArnoldClarkCup pic.twitter.com/bZjzWqzzRO
Two-goal Rachel Daly speaks to ITV.
There were spells where they put us under pressure but we stayed patient.
We were disappointed to concede but we got the win, stuck to the gameplan and it was a good team performance today.
I think I’m pretty good in the air. It helps when I play in all sorts of positions.
“I’m here to score goals when I play up front. I always say I’ll play anywhere. I enjoyed it today.
Winning the game was the main thing and I’m glad we could deliver.
That’s what comes with the depth of this squad. Everyone is capable of playing. It keeps us on our toes and the competition is so healthy.
Updated
Documentary proof of that record Cov crowd.
We’ve broken the record for ANY sports event here at the @CBSArena 🤩 pic.twitter.com/qSgQc1l7aB
— Arnold Clark Cup (@ArnoldClarkCup) February 19, 2023
Full-time: England 2-1 Italy
That’s a wrap. All hail Rachel Daly, two fine headers took the spoils for England’s unfamiliar team as the ever versatile Villa player seized her chance to play at centre-forward. Sarina Wiegman knows a little more about her reserve players now, and a couple of youngsters too. That makes it 28 unbeaten under her, and roll on Belgium on Wednesday. Coventry has seen a decent contest.
90+3 min: Le Tissier struggles again, and Serturini can make a burst in search of that equaliser. Thankfully for Roebuck and Le Tissier, Serturini smashes wide.
90 min: Five minutes added on, and so the job’s not complete just yet.
89 min: Most of the amusement now coming as a lone trumpeter plays out the In-ger--lund chants. They’re loud, and getting the job done. So does Wubben-Moy in clearing up some clear and present danger in the corner.
More David Penney: “I’m not sure I’m a fan of the tikitaka short goal kick strategy either; I get the theory of having a person over but it has to work perfectly or otherwise it can go very, very wrong.”
Updated
86 min: England not exactly rushing here. They have Belgium to play on Wednesday, let us recall. Here’s that second goal, by the way.
DALY AT THE DOUBLE 🙌
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 19, 2023
Lauren James is the provider but what a header from @RachelDaly3 💥@Lionesses | @AVWFCOfficial | @ArnoldClarkCup pic.twitter.com/bZjzWqzzRO
84 min: Italy look to try and end their losing streak, and it’s down the left where Maya Le Tissier has not always had it easy that they try. The ball loops out behind the goal for some relief to England.
82 min: A record crowd announced for the Coventry Building Society Stadium, though there are empty seats visible. Could be “tickets sold”, might be the actual attendance but the locals’ imaginations have been captured at a stadium with a rather mixed history.
81 min: Off comes Rachel Daly, the heroine of the hour, who won’t get time for a hat-trick and on comes Ebony Salmon of the Houston Dash.
77 min: Zelem is sitting deep as the playmaker as England have a control of the midfield they didn’t always enjoy in the first half.
75 min: Wubben-Moy gets the ball launched when the ever dangerous Bonanesa is bearing down on goal.
73 min: Good response from England, but there’s the quality they can bring on from the bench. The WSL continues to churn out such a high standard of player, and Sarina Wiegman can do no wrong.
Goal! England 2-1 Italy (Daly, 71)
Rachel Daly scores a fine header, from a fine cross from Lauren James. A lovely header in fact. Is there a vacancy for the England No. 9 spot? Hell yeah there’s a vacancy for the No. 9 spot. One in the eye for the Russomaniacs out there.
Updated
69 min: David Penney gets in touch: “Karen doesn’t like it, but that was a Japan-style valid goal.” Yes, like this.
It really does look like all of the ball crossed all of the line for Japan’s second goal.😬 pic.twitter.com/kt4g4AOE7C
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) December 1, 2022
68 min: Kelly forces a corner as England build up some momentum.
66 min: England have a test, and that’s no bad thing with the year ahead the Lionesses face. The goal came from nowhere, probably shouldn’t have stood but now England have to win the game again.
64 min: England make a trio of changes. James, Kelly and Wubben-Moy are on now. Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Katie Robinson make way. We have a game on our hands.
Goal! England 1-1 Italy (Cantore, 62)
Chaotic goal, very possibly not a goal at all. The ball looked to have gone out at the byline and then Cantore, one of Italy’s subs, nodded the ball in. Ellie Roebuck could have done far better than palm it over the line. It did cross, but then it had been out in the first place when Bonansea crossed. No VAR, no goal-line tech so goal.
Updated
59 min: Joe Pearson on Rocking All Over The World: “As for Fogerty, I was never much a fan of his particular flavor of ‘swamp rock’. But did you know that after he went solo, Fantasy, CCR’s record label, sued him for plagiarism OF HIMSELF!? They lost.”
I did. Fogerty’s is a tale enmeshed in legal matters. Huge talent, mind.
56 min: Harry Wolf gets in touch: “Alessia Russo IS the number 9 - there is NO vacancy.”
Let’s see, though Karen Carney, my Guardian colleague, was making a not dissimilar point in ITV’s broadcast.
55 min: So close, Jordan Nobbs. Good save Giuliani in goal, but Italy under the cosh here. They make a couple of changes, too.
53 min: England might have had another, Alex Greenwood releasing Coombs who has her shot blocked twice.
51 min: Katie Zelem fact: her uncle Peter, who played for Chester City, was Zelem was the first post-war Football League player to have a surname beginning with a Z, first appearing the season before Romeo Zondervan joined Ipswich.
Repeating myself here but her dad, Alan, Peter’s twin, was a goalie for Macclesfield in the GM Vauxhall Conference days of the late 1980s. He had a keening, piercing voice when calling to his defenders.
49 min: Zelem soon enough shows her vision with a fizzing ball out to Robinson.
48 min: A quiet start when compared to that frantic opening, and England play calmly rather than directly. The two players who went off were midfielders, where England suffered.
46 min: What can Jordan Nobbs offer? She’s been so unlucky with injuries while Katie Zelem missed out on the Euros by not much.
Half-time subs: on comes Katie Zelem and Jordan Nobbs, two very popular players, for Keira Walsh and Jess Park.
A Dr Aust gets in touch: “England women’s no 9 vacancy? Really? Ought surely to be Alessia Russo’s, who improved the team in every game in the Euros when she came on as a sub for Ellen White.”
Clearly the player in possession but not set in stone.
It’s World Cup year, remember.
Half-time: England 1-0 Italy
It’s been bitty at times but even with an unfamiliar team, the Lionesses eventually hit their stride. A very nice goal from the ever dependable Rachel Daly but more may be needed against an Italian team who have been quite decent so far.
45 min: Daly on the end of a Le Tissier cross and rattles the crossbar, only to be called back for an offside. Nevertheless, she’s been quite the target for her teammates.
43 min: Giacinti looks in on goal from a Bonanesa pass but Ellie Roebuck is equal to the task, scampering out to claim the ball. Good, alert keeping from someone who’s been a bystander for most of the game.
41 min: The Lionesses, by the way, look far likelier to get the next goal. Hemp over-deliberates in the box when she’s got space and time to shoot.
39 min: Good question by David Holland, for which I don’t have the answer. He gets in touch: “There were 31,000 tickets sold for this match. When I looked for tickets on Friday the only ones available were in the back two rows of the corner. Any idea why there are so many empty seats?”
Great swathes empty for a near sell-out, that are visible on TV? Shades of Qatar 2022. Was at this stadium a few weeks back, and one end was completely empty – Cov v Wrexham. It made for a right bracing breeze.
Any ideas on the empty seats? Get in touch.
37 min: Italy struggling to respond to the speed of England, who now look far more of a unit. That goal seemed to energise them and the midfield passing patterns are paying off, too.
35 min: Daly’s goal shows the options Wiegman has within her squad. Rachel Daly won the Euros as a left-back, let us recall.
Goal! England 1-0 Italy (Daly, 33)
The breakthrough at last! Hemp scampers to the line, and the ball is cleared. The second ball comes back in, and there’s Daly to finish. Robinson chips in from the right and Daly heads in. That’s what happens when she plays as a centre-forward.
Updated
30 min: Walsh in the thick of it, as Italy continue to defend deep and compact. Rachel Daly chases the ball down out wide as a No 9, but can’t find the speed to reach the ball. There’s a vacancy in that position with Ellen White having retired.
27 min: All England for the last few minutes, but Italy are holding firm enough, with the Lionesses’ midfield struggling for fluency.
25 min: This hasn’t been anywhere as easy as was expected in pre-match, though all those changes have resulted in a disjointed England performance, as can only be expected.
22 min: Hemp is released out wide, links with Park, and on the opposite flank, Robinson cuts in, but is tackled. Italy are showing off their experience here.
19 min: Bonanesa shows off some really neat skill, but she can’t release the ball out wide. England have been forced to go more direct by an opponent that seems more comfortable on the ball. Get it launched? Well, that’s always the best policy.
17 min: Nice run by Charles, in from the left, and sets up Maya Le Tissier for a shot that is rather hurried. And no, no relation to the famed alternative thinker.
15 min: Italy are doing well, and Lauren Hemp is forced into evasive action and a foul. There’s relief when Girelli is caught offside.
12 min: England’s bright start fading? Greenwood is in the thick of things as one of the more experienced players on show amid this inexperienced lineup.
10 min: Italy riding out a storm, and gain some territory. England’s defenders do admirably enough with a corner. Italy seem fine in midfield, and then England’s attacks have come on the counter.
7 min: Rachel Daly forces a chance by hunting down an Italian defender and forcing a mistake and then a decent save from Giuliani.
5 min: But Italy go on the attack, Galli shows off her class, playing in Giacinti to force a decent save from Roebuck. The corner is wasted but the danger of the visitors has already been revealed.
4 min: Early burst by Robinson, released by Jess Park, and she looks full of speed. Been a busy afternoon already for the Italian defence.
2 min: England begin on the front foot, and force a quick corner. Plenty of the usual impetus, even with that unfamiliar lineup.
1 min: The players take the knee to applause. Worth noting that the England players are wearing purple wristbands during today’s game to display their support for gender equality and in a show of solidarity for the Canadian women’s national team. Canada’s players are in dispute with Canada Soccer because of concerns over funding cuts and a lack of pay equality.
The teams are in the tunnel, and make their way into the Warwickshire afternoon.
Pretty full crowd in the arena, and flames a-burning in the pre-match ceremony. The Italian anthem rings out first, sung lustily by their players. God Save The King now, as we look for those who can’t help sing “queen’, which sounds better anyway. Lennon and McCartney would have chosen Queen over King as the key word.
Sarina Wiegman speaks to ITV.
The camp has been nice. [Katie Robinson] is very quick and very agile. We want her to run behind and be involved in possession when we need it. Hopefully, she can attack crosses from the opposite side and also deliver some too.
[Jess Park] started out wide but at her club, she can also come inside and play as a 10. We want to see her as a 10 today to see where she is at in this moment and where she relates to this team.
With three games we want to try some things and one of those is that [Rachel] Daly starts as number nine.
I think there will be more duels and they will challenge us more in possession so we need to prepared for that.
Find it remarkable that the Lionesses’ theme tune is Rockin’ All Over The World, made famous by Status Quo, actually written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame.
Quo’s version is better, isn’t it? Nice piano on the Fogerty version, mind.
Ahead of this game, Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, had some interesting thoughts on the diversity of the women’s game.
Women’s football is quite a middle-class sport in my opinion. In terms of the locations, the pedigree of player, they’re often coming from suburban belts around the training grounds. They’re not the Alex Scotts, the Rachel Yankeys, the Anita Asantes. They’re not coming to our facilities in the same way and you’ve got to ask yourself the question: why?
Look at the number of footballers that came out of south-east London and into the England men’s team; an unbelievable number. Why aren’t they in the women’s side? I often ask that question [at Chelsea]. They’re all from Surrey. They’re the most talented kids in Surrey. But are they the most talented kids around? I beg to differ.
Why aren’t we going into London? Why aren’t we hosting our academies right in the heart of London? Who in their ivory tower has been dreaming up this prawn sandwich girls football club?
Here’s the Italy starting team, by the way, a stronger lineup than they picked against Belgium.
Italy: Giuliani, Salvai, Boattin, Lenzini, Bergamaschi, Giugliano, Rosucci, Galli, Girelli, Giacinti, Bonanesa. Subs: Schroffenegger, Baldi, Filangeri, Linari, Cantore, Cafferata, Bonfantini, Serturini, Polli, Caruso, Piemonte, Greggi, Catena, Orsi, Severini.
Updated
Keira Walsh returns, and Wiegman had this to say on the Barcelona player.
It is really nice for her that she is back, because of course she wants to be part of the team and we want to see her play. It will be really nice to have her on the pitch.
That’s 10 changes made to the England team by Sarina Wiegman, with only Alex Greenwood remaining from MK. Jess Park and Maya Le Tissier are both earning their second caps.
Arrived ✅
— Arnold Clark Cup (@ArnoldClarkCup) February 19, 2023
First up the @Lionesses take on @AzzurreFIGC 🤩 who are you backing? pic.twitter.com/ysMtrjp04s
Updated
The England team is in
📃 Today's #ArnoldClarkCup team news... pic.twitter.com/yb849Oe5XH
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 19, 2023
England: Roebuck, Greenwood, Walsh, Hemp, Daly, Park, Carter, Charles, Robinson, Le Tissier, Coombs. Subs: Earps, Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Kelly, Stanway, Russo, Toone, James, Salmon, Zelem, MacIver, Wubben-Moy, Nobbs
Preamble
Thursday saw Sarina Wiegman’s team do what we have become accustomed to in taking apart South Korea. From Milton Keynes to Coventry, their tour of the southern Midlands continues, and this time it’s the Italians. Italy lost 2-1 to Belgium in their opening game of the Arnold Clark – does anyone call it The Arnie? – to continue what has been a shaky buildup to this summer’s World Cup, for which they are qualifiers, and face Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina in the group stage. They’ve lost their last four matches, by contrast to the Lionesses, still yet to lose a match of all the 27 Wiegman has presided over. The expectation has to be an England win, doesn’t it, with the sun-bleached Sky Blue seats of the former Ricoh Arena rattling to the sound of another triumph for this nation’s saving grace of a football team.
Per Suzanne Wrack
Italy finished bottom of their group at Euro 2022 but face the champions buoyed up by topping their section in World Cup qualifying, winning nine of their 10 matches. Wiegman said: “Italy are a pretty good team. What they do tactically is they do different things in the game which will challenge us – sometimes a high press, sometimes dropping a little deeper. It’s good for us to adapt to that and scan continuously as a team what they do and be proactive in that so we can control the game.”
Kick-off at 3.15pm. Join me.
