Some Seagulls soaring during women’s international break
It has been a week of international football in the women’s game. One that has seen a huge amount of involvement from Brighton’s finest. So, here is a roundup of some of the Brighton related goings on.
The Seagulls’ top scorer this season, Elisabeth Terland – who was surprisingly left out of Norway’s World Cup squad – has since been recalled following her impressive start to the campaign.
She started for Norway in their 4-0 win over Portugal. Her strike partner, the once imperious Ada Hergerberg, showed everyone what she is still capable of by scoring a hat-trick.
Terland then played alongside one of the Albion’s other players of the season so far, Guro Bergsvand, in Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Austria. This was a repeat of the Euro 2022 group stage game between the two countries at the Amex.
Unfortunately, defeat meant Norway failed to secure a place in the Nations League semi-finals. Brighton centre back Maria Thorisdottir was an unused substitute.
After being dropped from the England senior side following the recent return of experienced internationals like Fran Kirby and Beth Mead from long-term injury, Katie Robinson took her Albion good form and transferred it to the Lionesses Under 23s alongside Brighton teammate Poppy Pattinson.
Robinson scored the only goal of the game in England’s 1-0 win over France. Both Robinson and Pattinson then started alongside the Albion’s Maisie Symonds in the subsequent 1-1 draw with Spain.
Charlize Rule made her debut for Australia but it was not entirely a night to remember. The Matilda’s went down 5-0 to Canada in a game which featured a hugely experimental line-up from the Australians.
Despite the result, Rule impressed Australia manager Tony Gustavsson. Speaking after the match, Gustavsson said: “I wanted to get some answers and the 30 minutes with Charlize Rule at centre-back play was most impressive.”
“She hasn’t played that before, she has a profile that we think is exciting if you want to play more with the ball and I think her last 30 minutes were very impressive.”
Defender Jorelyn Carabali started in Columbia’s 0-0 draw in their first of two matches against recent World Cup hosts New Zealand. She then came on as a second half substitute in Columbia’s 1-0 win in the repeat fixture three days later.
The Albion’s back up keeper Nicky Evrard of Belgium kept a clean sheet in their draw away to Scotland, a feat compensated by the subsequent 4-0 loss to Netherlands four days later. Those results see Belgium face a relegation playoff to avoid a drop into League B of the Nations League.
Full back Li Mengwen started twice for China in their consecutive friendly defeats to the USA, 3-0 and then 2-1. Li’s opponents were under the leadership of interim coach Twila Kilgore, as they await the arrival of Chelsea’s Emma Hayes in May next year.
Tatiana Pinto played twice for Portugal but they also lost both their remaining Nations League matches and were relegated to League B.
Veatriki Sarri started both games for Greece as they were defeated twice in the Nations League and subsequently relegated, in their case down to League C.
Julia Zigiotti Olme started and scored the opening goal of the game for Sweden in a goal fest of a match which ended in a 5-3 defeat to World Champions Spain.
It was Sweden’s third loss to the Spaniards this year and a score which means – having finished third at this year’s World Cup – they now face a relegation playoff to retain League A status in the Nations League.
So, a mixed bag of results and individual outcomes for Brighton’s internationals but with plenty of positive to take away. In particular, that this round of international fixtures featured so many Albion players across the globe in a wide range of sides.
This further serves to highlight both the club’s diverse and wide-ranging scouting and recruitment strategy, as well as the level of depth and quality among the squad at the moment.
Phil
