Key occasions
Full time: England 2-1 USA
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! It’s throughout at Wembley, the place England have seen off the world champions in a prestigious pleasant and stretched their unbeaten run to 23 video games. Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway bought the primary half objectives both aspect of Sop[hia’s Smith’s strike for the USA. A tremendously entertaining game in front of a sell-out crowd of 90,000 punters has ended with England in the ascendency.
90+3 min: Lucy Bronze puts the ball out of play for a throw-in halfway inside the England half under pressure from Thompson.
90+2 min: The USA win a corner which is cleared by Lauren James.
90+1 min: England substitution: Lauren James replaces Chloe Kelly, who scored the winner for England at Wembley when they won the Euros earlier this year.
90 min: Keira Walsh lofts a cross towards the far post but it’s cut out by Sanchez.
88 min: Substitute, two-time World Cup winner and Olympic champion Becky Sauerbrunn cuts out a cross as England go in search of a late third goal.
85 min: USA triple-substitution: Rapinoe, Rodman and Girma have left the pitch to be replaced by Thompson, Sanchez and Suaerbrunn. Alyssa Thompson is the substitute of note here. A 17-year-old student more used to playing with her high school boys’ team, this is her USA debut.
82 min: Following a quick look at her pitchside monitor, referee Riem Hussein draws the obvious conclusion that it’s no penalty.
80 min: USA free-kick, wide on the left. Rapinoe curls the ball towards the far post and Millie Bright heads it out for a corner. Rapinoe’s outswinger is wellied goalwards by Lavelle and hits Lauren Hemp’s backside, but referee Riem Hussein awards a penalty for handball. VAR will sort that out.
79 min: Lauren Hemp breaks upfield on a lightning fast England counter-attack but is unable to pick out Beth Mead who is the only player up in support.
76 min: Another scoring opportunity for England as Georgia Stanway shuffles across the edge of the USA box to create room for a shot, only to steer her effort high and wide.
75 min: Excellent defending from the USA’s Naomi Girma, who holds off Hemp and hooks the ball out of her path as the England goalscorer tried to beat her in a foot-race.
73 min: Rapinoe wins the ball halfway inside her own half and tries to play Sophia Smith in behind the England defence with a weighted pass from deep. Her intentions were good but there wasn’t quite enough heft on her pass and England intercept.
70 min: Played in behind the England defence, Trinty Rodman rides a challenge from Rachel Daly but stays on her feet before drifting left and wide. If she’d gone to ground she might have won a penalty although VAR might have decided Daly’s tackle was a good one.
69 min: Rapinoe robs Stanway deep in the USA half and the visitors set off upfield again. England win the ball back.
68 min: England substitution: Ella Toone on for Fran Kirby.
66 min: A goal down but in the ascendency as the game enters its final 20 minutes, USA are plugging away in search of an equaliser. Emma Lavelle is fouled by Chloe Kelly and the USA have a free-kick wide on the right in a good position. Rapinoe’s delivery to the far post breaks to Rodman, who cuts inside and shoots horribly wide.
65 min: Another corner for the States. Millie Bright clears for England.
63 min: USA double-substitution: Crystal Dunn and Sam Coffey on for Sofia Huerta and Andi Sullivan.
60 min: Trinity Rodman swings a cross into the England box from the inside right but it’s more in hope than expectaion. There’s nobody there to get on the end of it. Moments later, Megan Rapinoe has a shot put out for a corner. She raises her right arm and sends the ball to the far post from the quadrant but England clear.
56 min: England attack on the counter with the impressive Hemp driving forward. Her cross picks out Lucy Bronze, who rifles the ball into the side-netting from distance. A sizeable proportion of the Wembley crowd thought she’d scored.
55 min: Rachel Daly plays a back-pass to her goalkeeper Mary Earps from inside the USA half. Earps wasn’t expecting it and was well out of her penalty area but a moment of brief collective Wembley panic is alleviated when she gets back to retrieve the ball before it trundles anywhere near the goal she is defending.
53 min: England go forward again. Chloe Kelly cuts inside on to her right foot and tries to curl the ball inside the far upright. It’s well wide.
52 min: Beth Mead is penalised for a tactical foul on USA substitute Hailie Mace in the middle of the pitch as England go forward again. Another promising England attack draws to a close.
50 min: Fran Kirby plays the ball wide to CHloe Kelly on the left flank. Her cross is far too close to Alyssa Naeher in the USA goal. Danger averted.
50 min: Lauren Hemp runs at the USA defence after winning the ball in midfield and tries to play Beth Mead in behind. Offside.
49 min: Trinity Rodman is booked for an injudicious lunge on Rachel Daly in the England left-back position.
48 min: Sophia Smith, USA’s player of the match so far, finds herself in front of goal with the ball at her feet but sends her low diagonal effort rolling wide of the far post.
47 min: England try to play the ball out from the back again but their efforts go awry when goalkeeper Mary Earps hoofs the ball out of play over the touchline.
Second half: England 2-1 USA
46 min: England get the ball rolling for the second half with no changes in personnel on either side thus far. Both managers are allowed six substitutions each, to be made in three different windows from this point on.
Apologies: After the USA’s second goal was ruled out for one of the most ludicrousoffside decisions I’ve ever seen, the flowery and descriptive passage I typed describing that particular turn of pedantic events seems to have disappeared into the ether. I have no idea how or why.
Half-time: England 2-1 USA
England lead: England are ahead at half-time after an intriguing first half. Lauren Hemp, playing up front for the hosts, opened the scoring only for the Americans to equalise through Sophia Smith. Georgia Stanway restored England’s lead from the penalty spot and Trinity Rodman had what looked like a perfectly good second equaliser for the USA ruled out for offside. Was it offside? Computer said yes but I’m not so sure.
45+2 min: USA win a free-kick wide on the left and Megan Rapinoe stands over it. Her delivery is headed over the bar by Lindsey Horan.
England 2-1 USA
I’m not sure I made it clear earlier but the USA’s second equaliser was ruled out for offside after a VAR consultation. I’m not so sure it was offside but England look to have got away with one after the intervention of the fourth official.
43 min: Chloe Kelly is unable to chase down a pass towards the corner flag. Goal kick for the States.
41 min: Sofia Huerta puts the ball out for an England corner with the USA back defending in numbers in the face of an England onslaught. Beth Mead sends the ball into the mixer, where American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s attempted punched clearance is poor. USA eventually get the ball away but without anything resembling finesse or assurance.
39 min: Another backheel from Rapinoe deep inside her own half allows Lindsey Horan to welly the ball forward from deep for the USA. England clear.
GOAL! England 2-2 USA (Rodman 37)
It’s level again! The USA carve England open with an attack down the right flank. Smith takes on Bright and nutmegs her with a cross that finds it’s way to the unmarked Trintiy Rodman courtesy of a dummied backheel from Rapinoe. With only Earps in the England goal to beat from 10 yards, she makes no mistake with her low shot. VAR to the rescue for England – it’s been ruled out for offside!!!
35 min: Bronze and Mead combine down the right flank for England but Hailie Mace gets across to intercept the ball and avert the danger for the USA. Good defending.
