The Whole 115 Yards

First-half:
It took only 5 minutes for Chelsea to settle into the game and the first goal found the back of the net through Erin Cuthbert. The Scottish international let her shot fly from the edge of the box after the rebounded ball fell to her feet from a spectacular parry by Brosnan.

Moments later, Livia Peng unfortunately made it 1-1 with an unfortunate own goal after she miscontrolled a back pass and the ball rolled over the line for the equaliser.
The game then continued end-to-end but it was Katja Snoeijs who gave Everton the lead just before the break. The Dutch international picked up on a lovely flick over the top from Kramžar which put her the right side of Ellie Carpenter to slot home for 1-2.

Second-half:
Both sides had now confidently settled into the rhythm of the tournament as within a minute of the restart, Aggie Beever-Jones had made it 2-2. The young striker picked up the loose ball from Emily Ramsey spilling Nüsken’s strike to bring Chelsea back level.

In the blink of an eye, Nüsken finally got her name on the scoresheet as she made it 3-2 with just over 20 minutes on the clock. Despite pressure from Kramžar in front of goal, she was able to strike her shot into the roof of the net to regain the lead for Chelsea.

In the final moments, Everton took the game to 3-3 after Kitagawa tapped in a superb cross from Snoeijs.
Minutes later, Ramsey was alert and pulled off two huge saves to deny both Charles and James from winning the game.

First-Half:
After a rollercoaster these last couple of weeks, Leicester City proved they weren’t just here to make up numbers as they came out with a fire and confidence that was refreshing to see and it allowed them to take the lead through Nelly Las just after the five minute mark.
The Foxes were able to attack on the counter after a lovely ball in from Ayane as she slid the ball through to Las out on her left. Despite the impressive tackle from Goldie, the ball continued on its trajectory and London City keeper Orman just couldn’t get there quick enough for 0-1.

As the first-half whistle blew, you could see Leicester City had found their rhythm again. The physicality of their play contributing to their initial dominance and asking questions London City Lionesses couldn’t answer.

Second-Half:
The first chance after the restart came for London City Lionesses but unfortunately for them it was a tame effort from Godfrey.
The Lionesses seem to still be hesitant to commit to this more fluid style of play, with only Alanna Kennedy making quick, progressive passes in front of goal and demanding the ball from the teammates around her.
Within just under 10 minutes to go, Sarah Mayling came incredibly close to doubling the Foxes’ lead but it was Rosella Ayane moments later who got it over the line. From a short throw in, she was able to take it round the defender and into the back of the net for 0-2.
Nelly Las was close to getting a brace but Lete (who was now in goal) got a firm foot in front of the strike to deny the shot.

In the final minute, Kennedy, for all her efforts, managed to get a goal back after a lovely flick on from Izzy Goodwin for 1-2. The Australian defender then had a chance for a brace and an equaliser but she unselfishly left it for Partido whose connection went wide.

First-Half:
As confidence grew within the teams, the goals started to flow and this game actually finished Day 1 as the joint highest scoring game of the tournament (also see Spurs vs Villa) with 5 goals being scored in the opening 10 minutes.

First up, Melvine Malard opened the scoring for United with a powerful strike which deflected in off the underside of the crossbar. A minute later, Terland then tapped in a fantastic cross from Awujo for 2-0.

The game continued end-to-end as in one moment, Phallon Tullis-Joyce saved a good West Ham attempt then the next United were soon back on the break with Mallard quickly 1-v-1 with the keeper. After rounding Szemik, she soon made it 3-0.

United were relentless and Terland was back in her rightful place in front of goal, Szemik did well to block her powerful strike. Devastatingly, the parry forced the ball up and behind the keeper and into her own net for 4-0.
However, West Ham weren’t without their chances in this opening half and finally got one back through an unmarked Ffion Morgan at the back post for 4-1.
As the clock wound down for the half, Terland created yet another opportunity from a lovely back-heel and scored her third in the 12th minute to make it 5-1.

United using all of their previous World Sevens experience to play exactly the creative, flowing football this tournament needs, setting a high bar in this first half.

Second-Half:
West Ham knew they needed a strong start to this half and that’s exactly what Ffion Morgan did within two minutes of the restart. The Welsh international took her chance on the edge of the box as the ball sailed past Tullis-Joyce into the bottom corner for 5-2.

The goal-rate slowed down after the frenzy of the opening 20 minutes. However, West Ham were quick to spot an opening at the back post once again, as Riko Ueki turned in a powerful header for 5-3 with five minutes remaining on the clock.

The Irons were finally getting into a rhythm that challenged United’s dominance and a long ball over the top from keeper Szemik ended in just one goal separating the sides.
Playing out from the back worked in West Ham’s favour for this one as Eva Nyström took the ball down from Szemik and slipped past Jess Park to make it 5-4.

Both teams continued fighting for more goals until the final whistle but ultimately Manchester United’s supersonic start helped to get the win over the line but it shows that a 4 goal lead in this tournament, unlike the league, doesn’t necessarily mean a win.

First-Half:
Entering into the second games of Group 1 on Thursday evening, both sides were still looking for their first win of the tournament.
Everton continued their strong form from earlier that afternoon with Ruby Mace breaking the deadlock with only 6 minutes on the clock. The impress strike nestling into the bottom corner for 0-1.
On the counter, Lotta Lindström looked incredibly dangerous for London City as Linari’s high looping ball found her out wide but unfortunately, her header just went wide of the mark.

The rest of the half continued without any real chances for either side and the score remained 0-1 at the break.
Worryingly, London City Lionesses still seem to be struggling to really click with the tournament’s format and they’ll be hoping for a much stronger second half.

Second-Half:
With only a one goal lead, it was clear Everton were striving for another but it was London City’s Imuran that had the first clear-cut chance after the restart: her strike from outside of the box sailing mere inches over the crossbar.
After that, both keepers were called into action (Brosnan and a rare appearance from Sophia Poor) to make crucial blocks to deny the scoreline changing any further.
However, after some lovely build-up play starting with first-half goalscorer Ruby Mace, Zara Kramžar thundered a curling ball into the top corner 0-2 in the 27th minute. A very well-deserved second goal in such a dominant performance against London City Lionesses.
The London club, however, didn’t let the final whistle blow without a fight as they eventually got a goal back in the final minute of regular time.
The cross came in to Lucia Corrales at the back post and as Brosnan came to punch away, Corrales’ head just got a touch to the ball first and sent it looping over the keeper and into the net for a final score of 1-2 to Everton.

First-Half:
It took only 40 seconds for Chelsea to take the lead in the final game of Day 1. On the attack, Aggie Beever-Jones delivered a fantastic back-heeled chip to Erin Cuthbert who tapped home for 1-0.

However, it wasn’t long before Noemie Mouchon scored the leveller as her cross-cum-shot looped Becky Spencer and landed in the back of the net for 1-1.

As the battle for possession continued, it was great to see youngsters Chloe Sarwie and Denny Draper getting a chance to showcase their quality going up against one another on the right-hand side.

It wasn’t long, despite pressure from Leicester City, that Chelsea made it 2-1: this time from Kaptein’s shot just outside of the box.

Leicester continued to look positive on the ball, confidence from their win earlier still powering them on as both Ale and Mayling tried their luck on goal, the latter coming the closest as her strike hit the crossbar.

Second-Half:
Both teams returned to the pitch ready for a battle with Cuthbert, Beever-Jones and Ayane all having their chances blocked within the first two minutes.

Nearing the 20th minute and Hannah Cain had a great chance for Leicester to bring things level again but the Foxes’ chances continued to lack that clinical final touch.

Moments after Heather Payne had made a superb tackle to deny Chelsea their third, Sandy Baltimore took matters into her own hands and made it 3-1.
After a driving run from midfield, the French international passed the ball off to Aggie Beever-Jones on the left who delivered the ball into the box for Baltimore to continue her run, take a touch and put the ball just out of reach for Leitzig and into the back of the net.

The last moments of the match held only a few half-chances for either side with only Lauren James’s shot forcing Leitzig into a save moments before the whistle finally blew at 3-1.

Despite the loss, Leicester City can take great pride in the way they’ve fought in the tournament today after an emotional couple of weeks and they can look forward to one more group stage game tomorrow.