International Blues round-up: Part three
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Chelsea Women’s international exploits have drawn to a close and we take a look at the final round of fixtures, where several Blues went head-to-head with trophies and tight affairs among the headlines.
England successfully defended their Arnold Clark Cup crown with a 6-1 victory against Belgium at Ashton Gate in Bristol. This wasn’t the only trophy on display, either, as Lauren James received the Player of the Tournament award for her performances.
France won the Tournoi de France on home soil while Australia claimed the Cup of Nations title down under, as their preparations to host this summer’s World Cup continued in fine fashion. Meanwhile, the eighth edition of the SheBelieves Cup reached its conclusion, where three Blues were involved.
Let’s take a closer look at how our Blues fared ahead of their return to Cobham…
Tuesday
Three Blues went toe-to-toe as France and Norway met in the final round of fixtures at the Tournoi de France. Eve Perisset, Guro Reiten and Maren Mjelde started as the teams played out a goalless draw, which saw the French crowned winners, while Norway finished in third spot.
Our midfield duo of Erin Cuthbert and Sophie Ingle pitted their wits against each other as Scotland and Wales shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw in the final match at the Pinatar Cup in Spain. Wales finished in second place with five points, one point above Scotland in third position.
Germany and Sweden ended all square in a friendly encounter involving four of our Blues contingent. It was another goalless draw, in which Zecira Musovic and Magdalena Eriksson kept a clean sheet for Sweden, while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ann-Katrin Berger were among the respective substitutes.
Jelena Cankovic started for Serbia against Slovakia as the teams played out a 0-0 draw to complete a day of stalemates for our Blues overseas.
Wednesday
England recorded back-to-back Arnold Clark Cup titles with a ruthless 6-1 victory over Belgium at Ashton Gate in Bristol. Millie Bright and Lauren James started for the Lionesses, with the latter providing the assist for the opening goal of the night and deservedly claiming the Player of the Tournament award.
Sam Kerr started for Australia as the Matildas recorded a 3-0 victory over Jamaica to be crowned Cup of Nations winners. They overcame the Czech Republic and Spain before the win over Jamaica, scoring 10 goals and conceding just twice – fine preparations ahead of hosting this summer’s World Cup.
Canada ended their SheBelieves Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Japan, with the ever-present Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan featuring. Our exciting Japanese forward Maika Hamano, who joined the Blues in January before going on loan to Swedish side Hammarby, was among the substitutes.
We return to domestic action against Arsenal in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup fifth round at Kingsmeadow this Sunday 26 February, with kick-off at 2pm (UK time)
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