The England women’s national football team need just one point in order to qualify for the 2015 World Cup after getting a 2-1 win over Ukraine. The former manager of Bristol Academy team, Sampson, said that this team clearly has the potential to create history. England will be taking on Wales in the next match. Sampson expects much better test from the opposition in the next match, as it is felt that Wales have more talent. England’s former captain’s Tony opened the scoring after just 11 minutes.
Chelsea star Aluko increased advantage for the English by scoring the ninth goal of the season. However, England were held back to a nervous finish after Ukraine got the equaliser through Olha Ovdiychuk. England go into the next match knowing that only Wales can finish above them in the group. Both teams have two matches remaining before the World Cup. Even though England need only one to confirm their place in the competition, they would ideally like to win the group. As England registered a win over Ukraine, Wales also did the same with the 3-0 victory over Belarus.
Wales are five points behind England, and it would take something monumental in order to see England slip to second place. “Wales have got the talent and ability to cause us problems. We will have to be at our best to get the result we want. The game will be as difficult as this one against Ukraine. In the first half we played really well, created chances and might have got more than two goals. In the second half they put us on the back foot at times,” said Sampson.
The goal conceded against Ukraine also meant that England’s record of keeping a clean sheet for the last 693 minutes came to an end.