Spain 2-2 England

An improbable late comeback has kept England’s dreams of a World Cup play-off berth very much alive after they appeared to have been all but extinguished by a lively Spain side in Aranda de Duero.

Knowing anything other than a defeat would maintain England’s all-important Group 5 head-to-head record against the Spanish, the Three Lions were outplayed in the first half and went in at the break 1-0 down after Adriana Martin smashed home the game’s opening goal on 16 minutes.

However, England enjoyed a piece of good fortune when Rachel Unitt over-hit a left-wing cross and saw it deceive Ainhoa Tirapu and loop into the far corner of the net. All of a sudden, England were back in the qualifying mix and skipper Faye White made absolutely sure when she prodded home an 88th-minute equaliser

Though England improved, worse was to come in the second half when Sonia Bermudez broke into the box and sent her left-foot shot beyond Rachel Brown and into the top corner. That second goal catapulted Spain above England on (head-to-head) goals scored, as Powell’s side could only manage a 1-0 win at The Den in April. And in this game a comeback did not appear likely.

England now need only one more victory from their remaining two qualifiers, against Turkey and Austria, to book their place in the play-offs and leave them just two games away from a spot at next summer’s World Cup Finals in Germany.

Source: TheFA.com