England Women 0-1 New Zealand Women: Lionesses suffer shock defeat on the eve of the World Cup

England Women 0-1 New Zealand Women: Lionesses suffer shock defeat on the eve of the World Cup
England Women were given a World Cup wake-up call as their final warm-up match ended in a shock 1-0 defeat to New Zealand in Brighton.Phil Neville’s Lionesses fly to France on Tuesday with ambitions of bringing home the trophy for the first time in history.But the team ranked third in the world were left with plenty to ponder after failing to capitalise on prolonged spells of pressure and being sucker-punched by Sarah Gregorius’ strike early in the second period.getty4

Sarah Gregorius celebrates her strike in the second half

Head coach Neville said on Friday that he had trust in each member of his 23-player squad.The former Manchester United defender has now given all of them ample opportunity to impress and made 10 changes from last weekend’s 2-0 win over Denmark for the final fixture of the ‘Road to France Series’.Forward Nikita Parris, who opened the scoring against the Danes, was the only player retained, while captain Steph Houghton, Champions League-winning Lyon defender Lucy Bronze and Barcelona forward Toni Duggan were among those brought in.The next time the Lionesses take to the field will be on June 9 for the Group D opener against neighbours Scotland in Nice.getty4

The New Zealand Women’s team celebrate at the Amex

getty4

Steph Houghton of England Women and Rosie White of New Zealand Women battle for the ball

At a sun-drenched Amex Stadium, which has been selected as a venue for Euro 2021, the hosts began brighter and dominated for most of the afternoon.Jodie Taylor was denied a ninth-minute penalty after replays suggested she may have been brought down by Erin Nayler as she tried to get a shot away following poor distribution from the New Zealand goalkeeper.Reign FC forward Taylor was causing plenty of problems for the visitors’ shaky rearguard.After racing on to Alex Greenwood’s forward pass, she rounded Nayler but had no team-mate available to cut the ball back to, before seizing on a risky back pass from Katie Bowen only to see her dinked attempt smothered.getty4

Phil Neville knows he has work to do with his squad

New Zealand, who begin their own World Cup campaign on June 11 against the Netherlands in Le Havre, have a further warm-up game, on Tuesday against Wales in Cardiff.They were struggling to cope with the one-way traffic. However, with defender Houghton down in the area having been struck by the ball, Lionesses keeper Carly Telford was forced to tip over from Betsy Hassett just before the interval.The away side then stunned England by opening the scoring against the run of play five minutes after the restart.Telford failed to hold a drive from Rosie White and forward Gregorius was on hand to tap home the rebound from close range. The 22-degree heat provided far from ideal footballing conditions, yet it is likely to be considerably warmer during the Lionesses’ opener at the Allianz Riviera.England almost an immediate response but Lucy Staniforth’s free-kick from wide on the left whistled narrowly over.With things not going to plan, Neville turned to the old guard, introducing experienced duo Jill Scott and Karen Carney from the bench.After winger Carney tested Nayler at the end of a flowing team move, the pair – who are set to feature in their fourth World Cups – combined for midfielder Scott to nod narrowly wide.In front of a crowd of 20,076, Tom Sermanni’s New Zealand appeared to tire in the closing stages.But they resolutely dug in for an unlikely win which dents England’s momentum at a crucial stage and leaves Neville with a lot to think about ahead of the big kick-off.

---

Chess.doc Chess History Lewis Chessmen (or Uig Chessmen, named after their find-site) are a group of 78 chess pieces from the 12th century most of which are carved in walrus ivory
Newcastle United v Aston Villa match preview | NUFC Blog.

---

More protests could happen if Charlton owner stays, claim supporters' trust Liverpool fans laugh at England supporters for 'pathetic' booing of Van Dijk Roland Duchatelet says Charlton
~ West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta says he's supporting

---

'I must have been depressed' - Discarded footballer warns of mental health epidemic among failed players Wednesday, 17 April 2019 ( 3 weeks ago ) Five years ago, George Humber was on the brink of breaking into the first-team and realising his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Liverpool set to name Sean O'Driscoll as new Assistant

---

Jurgen Klopp accepted he would be judged on trophies despite insisting he will never forget Liverpool's "brilliant season". Liverpool have a chance to win their first piece of silverware
Jurgen Klopp Accepts Liverpool Will Be Judged On Trophies

---

On Wednesday 4 April, THST Board Member and catering lead, Rachel Martin, met with David Peskett and Antonio Sellecchia from Compass (Levy Restaurants) and Jonathan Waite, Head of Supporter Services at THFC, for a scheduled update on the general admission catering offering in the new stadium.
PDF The Interkey Group

---

Liverpool have been boosted by the news Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita are both available for Sunday's Premier League meeting with Fulham. The midfield pair have been sidelined for a number of
Liverpool team news: Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita passed

---

Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur confirmed teams: Son starts on the bench as Klopp names Milner and Henderson TEAM NEWS The mouth-watering Premier League clash at Anfield kicks off at 4.30pm
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur confirmed teams: Son starts on

---

Liverpool news: Without James Milner, it wouldn't work, says Jurgen Klopp Jurgen Klopp insists it would not work for him at Liverpool without James Milner. The manager has transformed the Reds into a force in the Premier League and talkSPORT 1 week ago Also reported by •The Sport Review: Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp responds to
Jurgen Klopp hails James Milner as key factor behind

---

Premier League players with 500 appearances ranked: Where does James Milner fit in with Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Ryan Giggs? of Ryan Giggs for Premier League games played and Barry
Premier League players with 500 appearances ranked: Where
footballnote.com/premier-league-players-with-500-appearances-ranked-where-does-james-milner-fit-in-with-rio-ferdinand-steven-gerrard-and-ryan-giggs/
Premier League players with 500 appearances ranked: Where does James Milner fit in with Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Ryan Giggs? Liverpool's James Milner is now part of a very exclusive Premier League club.
Premier League Player Stats - Appearances

---

Mauricio Pochettino: Tottenham boss charged by Football

---

If you're new, Subscribe! →

---

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been tipped for the Manchester United job full-time. Former United defender and team-mate of the Norwegian, David May, says the interim boss at Old Trafford should be
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gives up on two Man Utd transfer targets

---

SAINTS STAR In-form midfielder has been called into the squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro James Ward-Prowse deserves a place in the England squad thanks to his 'outstanding' performances for Southampton, says St Mary's legend Matt Le Tissier.
19-year-old Joao Felix has three goals and an assist in just

---