Qualifications for the 2023 Women’s World Cup: the English crush Latvia … 20 to 0!

The England women’s football team inflicted a monumental defeat on Latvia by winning (20-0) in a qualifying match for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Four players scored a hat-trick, including Manchester City striker Ellen White, who in the process became the top scorer in the history of the English team (48 goals). Her club teammate Lauren Hemp also distinguished herself with a quadruple. In total, ten players have scored at least one goal. This result shatters the previous record of the Lionesses, a victory (13-0) against Hungary in 2005. The English thus record their sixth victory in as many qualifying matches, the first six meetings under the direction of their new coach Sarina Wiegman. Since the start of the playoffs, they have scored 53 goals and have not conceded any. They are ahead of Austria and Northern Ireland by 5 points, with four games remaining.

In addition, in Italy, Juventus, behind in the standings (7th) and targeted by a judicial investigation for questionable transfers, avoided worsening their situation by ensuring most against the red lantern, Salernitana (2-0 ), on the 15th intercalated day of Serie A. Paulo Dybala showed the way with a nice strike from the left and Alvaro Morata sheltered the Bianconeri from a clever deflection, four minutes after entering instead by Moïse Kean. The second goal of the Spaniard dispelled the doubts that appeared in the second half due to sterile domination and a big fear on a shot from Luca Ranieri, side of Salernitana, on the Turin post. This victory without glitter, punctuated by a penalty missed by Dybala in additional time, is enough for the happiness of Juve, who glue to Fiorentina (6th) one point behind Roma (5th). It allows Massimiliano Allegri’s players to get off on the right foot after the slap against Chelsea (4-0 defeat) in the Champions League and the loss at home against Atalanta Bergamo (1-0) last Saturday in the league. Above all, it allows the Old Lady to avoid adding a sporting crisis to the strong tension created by the opening of an investigation into recent transfers which could have given rise to the publication of false amounts in the club’s balance sheets. At the end of last week, the police raided its offices, and several leaders are in the crosshairs of justice, of which the president Andrea Agnelli. La Salernitana, which was still deprived of Franck Ribéry, still hampered by a knee, remains good last.

And if Juve is still struggling, Atalanta unfolded against Venice (4-0) thanks to a hat-trick from Mario Pasalic. The Napoli leader, whom the Dea will challenge on Saturday, is only four points away (but with a match in Sassuolo last night). At Fiorentina, attention is focused on the Serbian Dusan Vlahovic, still more best gunner in Serie A after his 12th goal against Sampdoria (3-1), ahead of Ciro Immobile (10 goals). The interest aroused by the young Serbian (21), in Italy as elsewhere in Europe, will grow even further after this smashed header which put Viola in the lead in a match where Sampdoria had opened the scoring. Roma played last night in Bologna (9th) to try to regain the margin on Juve and Fiorentina. With a workforce reduced by the Covid-19: after the cases of Bryan Cristante and Gonzalo Villar, the young Ghanaian hope Felix Afena-Gyan has also tested positive.

The Bundesliga behind closed doors?

The Covid-19, precisely, also strikes in Germany. Will the Bundesliga be the first major European championship to go into complete camera?

The threat looms, while RB Leipzig already played last Saturday without spectators and Bayern Munich will in turn have to close their stadium to the public. “We must assume that the Bundesliga will continue without spectators. It’s a fair decision, ”said Michael Kretschmer, the president of the executive of the Land of Saxony, on Tuesday. The Land of Baden-Württemberg (Freiburg and Stuttgart in the Bundesliga) is also in favor of closing the stadiums to fans.

Leaders of regional states and the German federal government, who failed to come to an agreement on the point at a meeting on Tuesday, are expected to finally deliver their decision today. And if some obviously still want to try to save what can be saved by limiting and controlling entry into the stadiums, the most radical have already spoken. « Football has an important role as an example, » said the popular head of the Bavarian regional government Markus Söder. « There are different approaches (…), but if we do not take the decision (to ban spectators) at the federal level, Bavaria will do it alone », he warned Tuesday, announcing de facto the return of the camera to Bayern Munich, without setting a date. « If we close the Christmas markets, it is not consistent to send 15,000 or 18,000 people to football, » pleaded Mr. Söder.

In Germany, each region is autonomous to decide on anti-coronavirus measures, and some clubs can play in a full or partially full stadium while others play behind closed doors. If these measures are aimed at all popular mass demonstrations, it is obviously football, which draws huge crowds every week, which is in the sights. Saturday, Dortmund, 2nd in the championship, receives Bayern, leader, in a Klassiker that makes Germany salivate football. No official decision has yet been announced, but it’s a safe bet that the dreaded Signal Iduna Park will ring hollow … if it isn’t downright empty.

Source: AFP