Lionesses storm to Women’s World Cup quarter-finals after controversial game – with accusations of racism, a horror elbow, VAR woes and spitting
ENGLAND survived their ordeal by fire and fury to reach the World Cup last eight – but nobody was talking about Phil Neville’s side.
Goals from skipper Steph Houghton, Ellen White – with her fourth of the tournament – and Alex Greenwood booked the Lionesses’ quarter-final date with Norway on Thursday.
Yet the story was about the astonishing, remarkable and totally bonkers behaviour of Cameroon, which broke Chinese referee Qin Liang.
A broiling afternoon in the Stade du Hainaut brought brutal elbows, a spitting rows, claims of racism, two crunch VAR decisions, another one that should have been given AND a truly stunning loss of discipline.
At one point there was a danger the African side might even walk off the pitch, as they lost any semblance of control.
It was beyond farcical, an embarrassing and at times humiliating sight for Fifa chiefs who have seen this tournament stagger from controversy to controversy.
Yet the end result was England’s biggest World Cup win, mission accomplished and maybe more to come.
It had started as a slightly odd game, when Houghton took advantage of an unusual situation to give her side the lead.
Fran Kirby played Ellen White in down the the right, and the low cross would have reached Toni Duggan had Augustine Ejangue not played back to her keeper, who simply caught it.
It was a clear back pass, although the call caused confusion, all the more so after the defender spat on Duggan’s arm.
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While Cameroon simply did not know where to stand before being ordered back to the line, England kept their heads, not rushing the moment.
Duggan’s touch gave Houghton the angle she needed to find the corner of the net – after a slight deflection – and England were ahead.
The Lionesses were staying calm amid some brutal defending, which saw Nikita Parris felled by an elbow from left-back Yvonne Leuko.
It looked like a red card offence but VAR was not deployed. The Cameroon player was lucky to only see yellow.
Duggan could have doubled the lead, failing to hit the target after smart attacking play by the busy and inventive Kirby.
Yet while the African side were committed and determined, England appeared in control, without creating enough or asking a sufficient number of questions – until the crucial goal came in stoppage time.
Lucy Bronze was given a second opportunity to tease through, White span to steer into the back of the net, only for the flag to go up.
But the VAR was clear-cut. While Parris was in an offside position, she was not active, while White was a yard onside.
What followed was remarkable. White celebrated but Cameroon refused to accept the decision, pointing at the giant screens.
Then, despite the demands of the Chinese referee, they would not take the restart, gathering in a huddle for nearly three minutes.
It was anarchy. According to the letter of the Laws the referee should have started booking the Cameroon players, whose heads had gone completely as they made tunnel accusations of racism at the break.
And when Cameroon had a goal chalked off right at the start of the second period, it looked as if they might walk off.
It was a tight call but Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene WAS offside as she retreated to pick up possession, before squaring for Ajara Nchout to slam home.
The VAR intervened again, England were relieved – and Cameroon were in tears, Nchout in particular utterly devastated and having to be consoled by her coach.
Initially it impacted the Lionesses more, Greenwood’s short back pass letting in substitute Alexandra Takounda, who fired at Karen Bardsley with what was her first touch.
But before the hour, it was over. Duggan played a left wing corner low and on the angle and Greenwood steamed in the slam home left-footed.
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There might have been more. White’s lob dropped the wrong side of the far post.
Then her replacement, Jodie Taylor, failed to force home after a goalkeeping fumble, fired well wide and had one cleared off the line, while the referee, desperate for the game to end, ignored advice to give a VAR penalty for a foul on Kirby.
Three was enough. Cameroon had disgraced themselves, to the very last minute when Takounda’s sickening stamp on Houghton saw a booking for the most nailed-on red card of the tournament.
England shown the maturity of a real team, in circumstances nobody could have envisioned.