England Lionesses Begin Arnold Clark Cup Defence
The England Lionesses start their Arnold Clark Cup title defence tonight against tournament debutants South Korea. England beat Germany in the inaugural tournament last year. The two other teams competing this year are Belgium and Italy. The England women’s team are unbeaten under manager Sarina Wiegman and qualified for this year’s World Cup with a 100% record.
In 2022, England claimed their first-ever Euros title, making history in the women’s international football scene. They also won the first Arnold Clark Cup, beating a highly-fancied Germany in the cup.
This year, they are preparing to host the Arnold Clark Cup for the second time, which will serve as valuable preparation for the upcoming 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The Arnold Clark Cup is a four-team, round-robin international tournament, with each team playing against the other once. After three matches, the team that finishes at the top of the table is crowned the champions.
This cup is one of several mini-tournaments in the women’s international football calendar, with England now hosting their own competition rather than participating in the annual SheBelieves Cup hosted by the United States, which England won in 2019.
The 2022 edition featured Germany, Canada, England, and Spain, ranked third, sixth, eighth, and ninth in the FIFA world rankings.
The Lionesses will face 15th-ranked South Korea, world number 17 Italy, and 20th-ranked Belgium this year.
Despite the seemingly lower quality of England’s opponents this time, manager Sarina Wiegman insists that the variety of opposition will be beneficial for her team in getting ready for the summer.
“Everything we do now is about being ready for the World Cup,” she said. “It’s great to have the opportunity to defend this title in front of our fans,” said Wiegman.
Last Year’s Historic Arnold Clark Win Over Germany
In a historic match, England women’s football team achieved their first-ever win against Germany on home soil, beating the visitors 3-1 to lift the Arnold Clark Cup. The triumph, which saw Fran Kirby and Millie Bright score in the final 10 minutes of the match, ended Germany’s unbeaten run of 26 games on English soil.
England dominated early on, with Ellen White slotting in a goal after 15 minutes from a Kirby pass. However, Germany equalised before half-time when Lina Magull scored a stunning free-kick.
The second half was a close affair, but the Lionesses ranked sixth in the world, held their nerve to secure the win in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 13,000 at Molineux Stadium.
This was a crucial victory for England, as they extended their unbeaten run under manager Sarina Wiegman to nine games, having won six and drawn three. Moreover, the team’s solid performance in the tournament was ideal preparation for last summer’s home European Championship, as they faced top teams like Olympic champions Canada, Euros favourites Spain and two-time world champions Germany.
The win highlighted England’s progress in recent months under the guidance of Wiegman, who had previously led the Netherlands to the Women’s Euro 2017 title. The victory also saw England move above Spain to the top of the four-team table, having scored two extra goals in total.
The triumph was all the more remarkable for the Lionesses, given that they had not won a game against opposition ranked inside the world’s top 10 since 2019. However, the team had to work hard for the win, and Leah Williamson’s crucial last-ditch tackle in the second half was just one example of the squad’s resilience.
After the match, Wiegman was delighted with the result, stating, “We’ve shown we can win against any opponent. I think as a team, we have grown really fast.”
England defender Millie Bright was also thrilled, saying, “It keeps our momentum going. Ultimately coming into this tournament, it was about developing and about people getting minutes and exposure against top teams. We have taken our game to another level and shown that we can win.”
Many believe last year’s Arnold Clark Cup victory was the springboard for them to win the Euros, especially as they faced Germany in that final and won it 2-1 in extra time. They hope this will be the same for the Women’s football World Cup this time around.
What is the Format for this Year’s Tournament?
All fixtures will be double-headers in a bid to boost crowds by offering two matches for ticket-holders.
Despite women’s football enduring a surge in popularity, last year’s tournament was a bit of a disappointment in terms of attendance, with low crowds for games not involving England.
This year, the opening match between Italy and Belgium will be played at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, followed by England’s game against South Korea at the same venue.
The second round of matches will be played at Coventry’s CBS Arena, with England facing Italy and Belgium taking on South Korea.
Finally, the last round of matches will be played at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate, with South Korea facing Italy, and England taking on Belgium.
In last year’s tournament, there were low scores throughout the competition, with only one team scoring more than one goal in a match. Lionesses centre-back Millie Bright shared the top-scorer prize with Spain’s Ballon d’Or holder Alexia Putellas, with each scoring two goals.
Arnold Clark Cup – Full Schedule
The games come thick and fast in the Arnold Clark Cup, with Bristol, Coventry and Milton Keynes hosting the games. Six games are played between today (Thursday) and the final round of matches next Wednesday.
Thursday, 16 February – Italy v Belgium, Stadium MK, 16:45, England v South Korea, Stadium MK, 19:45.
Sunday, 19 February – England v Italy, Coventry Building Society Arena, 15:15, Belgium v South Korea, Coventry Building Society Arena, 18:15.
Wednesday, 22 February – South Korea v Italy, Ashton Gate, 16:45, England v Belgium, Ashton Gate, 19:45.
All games in the Arnold Clark Cup will be shown on ITV. Today’s games featuring Italy v Belgium (4:45) and England v South Korea (7:45) are on ITV 4.
