The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016 dominated women’s football in the month of November. A champion will shortly be crowned in the South Pacific, but eyes have also been on Europe and Rotterdam, where the draw for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 took place.
International football *Final set in stone, no place for the holders* Just two teams remain at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with Korea DPR and France bidding to become the new world champions on 3 December. The semi-finals could hardly have been more dramatic, with both matches being decided in extra time. Korea DPR edged a 2-1 victory against USA, while France defeated Japan by the same scoreline. For defending champions Germany, however, the campaign was over at the quarter-final stage. Maren Meinert’s charges exited after a 1-0 defeat to a French side inspired by midfielder and matchwinner Delphine Cascarino.
Olympic champions end year in stalemate Germany ended 2016 – their ‘golden year’ following victory at the Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016 – with a 1-1 draw against Norway in Chemnitz. Ada Hegerberg, recently crowned UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe, put the Norwegians in front, before Josephine Henning restored parity for Steffi Jones’ side. On top of a somewhat disappointing result, the hosts also lost skipper Dzsenifer Marozsan to an ankle injury that is set to keep her out of action for two weeks. Germany’s form in the fixture now reads: won 19, drawn seven, lost 14.
Familiar foes meet in EURO group stages The balls have been drawn and the groups for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 are now known, with Olympic and reigning European champions Germany taking on Sweden, Italy and Russia in Group B. Meetings against the Swedes are becoming something of a regular occurrence for Jones’ charges. They met in the final of Rio 2016 and also in the semi-finals of the last UEFA Women’s EUROs in 2013, narrowly winning 1-0. This year’s host nation, the Netherlands, are in Group A alongside Norway, Denmark and tournament debutants Belgium, while France, Iceland, Switzerland and Austria – the latter two of whom are also first-time competitors – will face off in Group C. “We’re happy to have the opportunity to be there. It will be a great experience for us,” said Austria coach Dominik Thalhammer after the draw was made. “France are an absolutely world-class team, we can give the other teams in the group a really good game and we’ll try to produce the best performances we can. The friendly we played against Germany recently, and a few other matches we’ve had, have given us the belief that we merit our place at the EUROs.” Group D has something of a derby flavour, with England, Scotland, Spain and Portugal up against one another. The tournament, expanded to now include 16 teams, takes place between 16 July and 6 August.
Lionesses beat EURO hosts, France edge Spain England ended the calendar year on a high by beating EURO 2017 hosts the Netherlands 1-0, with Jodie Taylor netting the winner on her first appearance for her country since March. Mark Sampson’s team are now unbeaten in their last ten matches. Meanwhile, Eugenie Le Sommer’s goal earned France a 1-0 win against Spain, while Denmark beat Belgium 3-1. Four days previously, the Belgians had defeated neighbours the Netherlands 3-2.
Club football *Champions League final repeat in quarter-finals *Rather like at the EUROs, two teams highly familiar with one another will meet in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in March 2017. VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyon know each other almost inside out: on 26 May, Lyon were crowned European champions after a 4-3 triumph on penalties, gaining revenge for a 1-0 defeat to the Wolves in the 2013 final at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Paris St-Germain will play German champions FC Bayern, while Swedish outfit FC Rosengard take on FC Barcelona, who finished as runners-up in their domestic league last season. Danish club Fortuna Hjorring versus Manchester City, themselves into the quarter-finals in their debut season in the competition, completes the line-up, with the final to be played on 1 June in Cardiff.
A boost for women’s football Felicite Rwemarika, who visited the Home of FIFA in Zurich in November, is one of the leading figures in women’s football. Until recently, football as a sport for girls was not socially accepted in Rwanda, a state of affairs that she sought to change. Rwemarika has since made a key contribution in creating an environment in the east African nation in which young women can feel at home playing football. “It became clear to me that football for women in Rwanda was forbidden. It was only a sport for men,” she said. “But I think we should also have a right to play. This was was shortly after the genocide, which affected both men and women extremely deeply. So I wanted to do something that would unite the women in Rwanda. I wanted a new focus and a change of mentality to open up new possibilities for women in the country.” Progress has not been rapid, but Rwemarika has nevertheless been able to see some remarkable signs of change appearing, not least through the Live Your Goals initiative. The project started in Rwanda in 2015 and has developed enormously well this year.
The stat 18 – That Korea DPR are into the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is no coincidence when one considers their attacking numbers so far. With 18 goals scored from 97 shots, the Asians have been the most prolific scorers in Papua New Guinea. By contrast, France, their opponents in the final, have scored just seven times.
The quote “I personally have never been a victim of violence, but many of my friends have. It’s a big problem here and that’s why this programme is so important. It’s a fantastic experience. I’ve learned so much at this tournament. Before this I was at home doing not much in particular except looking for a job. This experience has given me a lot of confidence for the future. Now I’d like to go to university and become a doctor.” Yori Auma, volunteer helper at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, on the #ENDviolence campaign of the tournament’s Volunteer Programme.