JAPAN 2-1 ENGLAND: LAURA BASSETT'S LATE OWN GOAL BREAKS LIONESSES HEARTS AFTER AYA MIYAMA AND FARA WILLIAMS SCORE DUBIOUS PENALTIES
England's
wait for a World Cup final appearance will extend beyond half a century
after their Lionesses suffered the heart-break of an injury-time
own-goal in their semi-final against Japan.
Centre
back Laura Bassett had been a rock throughout for Mark Sampson’s side
but it was she who turned into her own net with the tie having looked
destined for extra-time after a gripping 90 minutes which included two
controversial spot-kicks.
It
was the defending champions who seized a barely-deserved lead when
Claire Rafferty was punished for a foul clearly outside of the area and
captain Aya Miyama converted.
But England were soon on level terms when Fara Williams netted from the spot after Steph Houghton had taken a questionable flop.
A crestfallen Laura Bassett is
comforted by team-mates after her freak own goal ended England's World
Cup in heartbreaking fashion
Bassett stretched to divert Rumi Utsugi's dangerous cross to safety, but the ball ricocheted off the crossbar and over the line
Jo Potter gives Bassett a shoulder to cry on after the curtain comes down on England's World Cup in gut-wrenching circumstances
Bassett, who had been arguably the player of the game, cannot hold back the tears following her bitterly unfortunate own goal
England manager Mark Sampson also comforts Bassett after a freak end to their magical run in Canada
Mixed emotions are on show as holders Japan celebrate while England's hearts are broken in dramatic style
The England bench can't believe their eyes after their World Cup run was ended in the cruelest fashion
Sampson summarises the nation's mood after the agonising end, while Japan counterpart Norio Sasaki raises his arms in delight
Fara Williams celebrates after
restoring parity from 12 yards with her second spot kick of the
tournament after netting against Colombia
Williams' cleanly-struck penalty beat
the despairing dive of Japan keeper Ayumi Kaihori to level for England
just before the break
Steph Houghton, Toni Duggan, Claire Rafferty, Williams and Jodie Taylor lead the cheers after England pull level
Yuki Ogimi was adjudged to have fouled England skipper Houghton in the box to the dismay of the Japanese team
Nine Japan players are packed in the box as Duggan leads the appeals ahead of referee Anna-Marie Keighley awarding the penalty
Rafferty's
challenge on Saori Ariyoshi was punished with the award of a penalty, a
contentious decision as the foul was outside the box
Rafferty and Ariyoshi collide outside
the box, but a penalty was given nevertheless, with Japan taking the
lead through Aya Miyama
Miyama raised eyebrows with a curious,
stuttering run-up which appeared to take an age, but there was no
mistake with her crisp finish
Bronze runs purposefully out of the area as Japan celebrate in a huddle following the opening goal
Sustitute Ellen White looks rueful
after seeing her shot saved magnificently by Kaihori during a decent
second-half spell for England
Jill Scott nodded Williams' superb corner wide of the post after catching the Japan defence flat-footed
England,
though, could well have won it and become the first senior side since
1966 to make it to the final of a major tournament.
They
enjoyed a string of chances in the second half but all passed by
without score. But it could have been so different after an enterprising
start by England in the heat of Edmonton.
There
were just 33 seconds on the clock when livewire Jodie Taylor came
within inches of electrifying the contest, flicking the ball over her
minder’s head before smashing a 20-yard volley narrowly wide.
Taylor
– scorer of the opening goal in the quarter-final victory over Canada –
looked England’s best bet for a breakthrough and she was clearly
unsettling a backline which had only conceded twice en route to the last
four.
Her
strike partner Toni Duggan was the sole change to Sampson’s side and,
after a subdued start, the Manchester City forward lashed over from 16
yards when Lucy Bronze’s long throw-in dropped invitingly on 22 minutes.
Japan,
meanwhile, were found wanting for composure in the final third, a
string of crosses being snaffled with ease by goalkeeper Karen Bardsley,
who had beaten an eye infection to start.
At
the other end, Jill Scott showed the Japanese how to deliver and her
right-wing centre located the unmarked boot of Duggan lurking on the
penalty spot. She, however, failed to find the finish to match and
looped a first-time volley harmlessly over the crossbar.
And
so it was against the run of play that Japan took the lead just after
the half-hour mark. Saori Ariyoshi stole a yard on the shoulder of
Rafferty and, in a desperate bid to recover the situation, the England
full-back sent her opponent toppling on the fringe of the area. The
referee ruled that the infringement had taken place inside the box and
that allowed Miyama to step up and slot home from 12 yards.
Bardsley has to be alert to avert the danger as Ogimi steals ahead of Rafferty during a Japanese attack
Bardsley hangs from the crossbar after watching a shot sail over during a tense semi-final between the two sides
Bassett battles to win the ball from Ogimi as the England centre back shows typical commitment to England's cause
Jill Scott races down the wing under the watchful eye of the Japanese defence in front of a large crowd in Edmonton
Toni Duggan nods a high ball as England attempt to force the issue against World Cup-holders Japan
Bronze is pulled back by Aya Miyama during a keenly-contested semi-final between the two sides
But
perhaps sensing that the officials might be willing to make amends for
that injustice, skipper Houghton took a chance with a tumble under
minimal contact inside the penalty area and was rewarded with a
spot-kick three minutes before the break.
Williams
– as she had done in the crucial group-stage victory over Colombia –
refused to allow any nerves to enter her thinking and England’s
most-capped player laced into the bottom corner with authority.
The
second half began with Japan in control and England hearts were in
mouths when Yuki Ogimi looked to have escaped in the area only for
Bardsley to slide and smother at her feet amid fears of another penalty
concession.
Rafferty
– booked when she gave away the earlier penalty – then thundered
through the back of Ariyoshi, winning the ball but lucky to escape a
second caution given the nature of the challenge.
But
England sought to make the most of that good fortune and Duggan rattled
the crossbar when she twisted her body to dispatch a volley beyond the
beaten Ayumi Kaihori on 62 minutes.
Substitute Ellen White then drew a fine, flying save from the Japan netminder when she sized a curler from 20 yards soon after.
But
it was the towering Scott who thought she’d given her side the lead
when she strode unopposed onto Williams’ corner only to plant her header
a matter of millimetres the wrong side of the upright.
There
was still the odd scary moment as Japan countered and Bayern Munich’s
Mana Iwabuchi smashed a low drill into the side-netting on 70 minutes.
Ogimi then nodded wide as the game entered its final throes.
England
might have nicked it in bizarre fashion when Rafferty’s hoisted centre
came down on the crossbar with Kaihori unaware of its trajectory.
But
it was the unfortunate Bassett, attempting to intercept a low cross in
the 92nd minute, who turned the ball over Bardsley and in via the
underside of the crossbar.
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