In this episode, Santiago and Hal recap England beating Australia in the semifinal, and advances to the final to face Spain.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Hal Phillips – @mandarinhal
England defeats Australia 3-1 to reach FIFA World Cup Final
The Lionesses advance to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time. Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were enough to overcome a lightning-bolt strike from Australian star Sam Kerr midway through the second half.
England jumped on the board first with a goal from Ella Toone late in the first half, which held up until Sam Kerr broke through to knot the score in the 63rd minute of play. Unfortunately for the Matildas, it was not to be though, as England scored the go-ahead goal just eight minutes later as Lauren Hemp drove a shot into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead. The Lionesses would add one more in the waning stages of the match to give them the 3-1 margin.
England reach the Women’s World Cup final for the first time with a thrilling 3-1 win over Australia! The European champions are closing in on another major tournament success after ending the Matildas’ World Cup dream! We looked set for extra-time when Kerr’s stunning strike cancelled out Toone’s first-half opener, but the Lionesses quickly retook control, with Hemp steering in a second before Russo struck a fine third on the break! England will face Spain for the trophy on Sunday!
Goals
ENG – Toone 36’
AUS – Kerr 63’
ENG – HEMP 71
ENG – Russo 86
Top Stats
BALL POSSESION: AUS – 42%, ENG – 58%
TOTAL SHOTS: AUS – 12, ENG – 15
Spain defeats Sweden 2-1
Spain are through to the final of the Women’s World Cup after beating Sweden 2-1! For the most part, it was a cagey game, with both sides struggling to create much of note, though Sweden did force Coll into a couple of good saves. The match came to life in the 81st minute though, as Paralluelo came off the bench and scored with Spain’s first shot on target, squeezing it in under pressure. Sweden pulled themselves level in the 88th minute when Blomqvist thumped a header in, but 93 seconds later, Swedish hearts were broken as Carmona rifled in the winner off the bottom of the crossbar
Spain will play for its first Women’s World Cup championship after Olga Carmona’s goal in the 89th minute lifted La Roja to a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the Tuesday semifinal.
Spain, which overcame last year’s near mutiny by its players against coach Jorge Vilda, will play the winner of tournament co-host Australia and England on Sunday in the final in Sydney.
GOALS
ESP: Paralluelo 81’
SWE: Blomqvist 88’
ESP: Olga 90’
TOP STATS
Ball Possession: ESP 63%, SWE 37%
Total Shots: ESP – 13, SWE – 6
Inter Miami 4 Philadelphia 1
Six games, nine goals, one finals appearance. Lionel Messi continued to amaze Tuesday night in Inter Miami CF’s 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union in the semifinals of the Leagues Cup at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
First-half goals from Messi, Josef Martínez and Jordi Alba staked the visiting team to an insurmountable lead as Miami marched into the inaugural Leagues Cup final, winning every one of its games since the Argentina World Cup champion joined the club in July.
Gerardo Martino’s team will face Nashville SC, a 2-0 winner over Liga MX club Monterrey in the late semifinal Tuesday night. They’ll play in the final Saturday night in Nashville.
GOALS
Inter Miami: Martinez 3’, Messi 20’, Alba 45+3’, Ruiz 84’
Union: Bedoya 73’
TOP STATS
Ball Posession: Philly 47%, Miami 53%
Total Shots: Philly 16, Miami 5
Harry Kane joins Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have added formidable strength to their forward line by landing the world-renowned England star Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur on a four-year deal.
Signed a contract with the Bundesliga giants until the summer of 2027 and arrives in a deal that could ultimately net Spurs more than $110 million.
Premier League Week 1 Scores
BUR 0 MCI 3
ARS 2 NFO 1
BOU 1 WHU 1
BHV 4 LUT 1
EVE 0 FUL 1
SHEFF 0 CYP 1
NEW 5 AV 1
BRE 2 TOT 2 (GOALS by Romero and Royal; MBEUNO, Wissa))
CHE 1 LFC 1
MAN U 1 WOL 0
PREDICTIONS
Spain vs England
HP: England 3-1
Man United at Tottenham
HP: Draw
Newcastle at Man City
HP: Man City 4-1
Chelsea at West Ham
HP: West Ham
MIami vs Nashville
HP: Nashville 2-1
Poll Question
Favorite type of #joke? #TellAJokeDay
Observational – 33%, Anecdotal – 33%, Situanal – 33%, Character – 0
HP: Observational
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.
