International Recap: Angelina, Marozsán and Fishlock Deliver on International Duty
Australia vs. Brazil
Australia and Brazil met for the second time this FIFA window at 2:05 a.m. PT. OL Reign midfielder Angelina started the match and played all 90 minutes. On Saturday, Brazil lost 3-1 to Australia but this morning pulled off a 2-2 draw.
Australia started the game on the front foot, having the better chances in the first few minutes of the match. However, their control of the game slipped away as time ticked on and Brazil began to have their own offensive opportunities. Both teams fought for the opening goal until the 10th minute when Clare Polkinghorne scored for Australia. Brazil struggled to clear a corner and Kyra Cooney-Cross played the ball into Polkinghorne who made no mistakes with her close-range finish.
Though Australia had the lead, Brazil pushed on, mounting attack after attack at the Australian defense. There were a few close calls, but at the halftime whistle, Australia held on to the 1-0 lead.
Following halftime, Australia doubled their lead in the 53rd minute. Ellie Carpenter received the ball outside and combined with Kyah Simon. Carpenter then played a ball through to Sam Kerr who turned and shot.
Brazil began their comeback immediately following the goal. The team was relentless in attacking the Australian defense. They found a breakthrough goal in the 64th minute. Erika used her height to head home a set piece and refuel her team.
Less than 10 minutes later, Brazil found their second goal to equalize. Australian goalkeeper Lydia Williams made a diving save on a Brazilian cross, but Debinha was on the end of it to convert the follow up with her head.
The teams both searched desperately for the game winning goal, but neither team managed to score again, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Germany vs. Israel
Germany came away with a dominate 7-0 against Israel, having scraped by with a 1-0 win in their previous meeting. OL Reign midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán subbed onto the field in the 62nd minute for Germany.
Germany dominated the game in every way, earning 70% of possession and taking 35 shots compared to Israel’s one. Germany opened the scoring in the 20th minute of the match. Lina Magull won the ball and gave it to Sara Däbritz who found Jule Brand in the middle to make it 1-0.
Just six minutes later, Germany found a second. Laura Freigang broke free in the middle of the field and found Däbritz, who doubled the Germany lead with a deflected effort. Germany continued to push for a third goal, but struggled with their shooting accuracy
The Germans did find their third goal eventually, in the 42nd minute. Leonie Maier used the right side of the field to move up the field and ball a ball into Freigang, who fired in from close range. Just before halftime, Germany struck again. Melanie Leupolz played a ball back to Brand, who took a shot and earned her second goal of the match. Germany went into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
After halftime, substitute Tabea Waßmuth spotted Magull open in the box, and she finished easily from twelve yards out. In the 71st minute, Waßmuth found a goal of her own after a passing sequence involving Marozsán and Linda Dallmann.
The final goal of the match was scored in the 77th minute, by Felicitas Rauch. After finishing out the game strong, Germany came away with a big 7-0 win against Israel and remain at the top of UEFA World Cup Qualifying Group H.
Wales vs. Estonia
Wales put on a strong performance in front of a record-breaking crowd of 5,445 fans, coming away with a 4-0 win over Estonia at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock started the match and played all 90 minutes.
From the whistle, Wales was relentless in their attacks on Estonia. The Estonian defense endured attacks for nearly half an hour before Wales found their first goal. It was Angharad James who found the back of the net in the 27th minute after Sophie Ingle played her a through ball. Though Wales continued to dominate throughout the half, they were unable to find another goal before the break.
Wales found similar success in the second half, earning 80% of possession throughout the match. Their second goal came in the 48th minute, thanks to Helen Ward. Ward got on the end of a phenomenal pass from Rhiannon Roberts to double Wales’s lead.
Natasha Harding was next to find the back of the net and increase the score to 3-0 in Wales’s favor. Ceri Holland put a cross into the box, where she found Harding’s run. Harding’s connected with the ball, but that shot was saved by Karina Kork in goal for Estonia. However, Harding was there to follow up and netted the rebound.
As the game came to an end, Wales was searching for one final goal, and they found it in stoppage time. On the last kick of the game, Ingle took full advantage of a ball ricocheted off a defender and struck the ball into the goal to secure the 4-0 win for Wales.
With this win, Wales is undefeated in World Cup qualifying play. The team is in second place in Group I, two points behind France.