The England Schoolgirls scored late to beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 and put them on top of the standings with one game to play.
A fast start from the England girls saw them go close early as captain, Chloe Giddings turned inside box and fired a shot that was well saved by the Irish keeper. Sophia Burton and Zoe Ciccardini were causing problems down each wing for the hosts and after Burton narrowly failed to connect with a volley on the edge of the box, she soon had England ahead. Cutting in from the left, she unleashed a tremendous shot into the far corner for a 1-0 lead – although that lead was soon wiped out.
A quick break from the hosts left space for the forward to run onto and slot past the advancing Weeks to make it 1-1. Macie Halsall saw a long range effort fly just over the bar and Burton was a constant thorn for the hosts as the half ended level.
The second half saw the Irish on the front foot but without creating too many clear chances. Halsall almost took advantage of a rebound after a Burton shot was parried into her path, but somehow the home keeper recovered to block the shot.
With time ticking away it seemed that another penalty shoot-out would be needed to divide the teams, until a long through-ball set Burton free in injury time to slot past the advancing keeper and secure a 2-1 win for England.
This puts the girls in a strong position going into their final game against Scotland on Thursday but their opponents, 2-1 winners over Northern Ireland earlier in the day, can keep their hopes alive with a win of their own which should make for a fascinating last day in Athlone.
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The National Governing Body for Schools’ Football in England.
