England 2-1 South Africa: women’s international friendly – live | Friendlies

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FULL TIME: England 2-1 South Africa

England hold on for the victory. It wasn’t particularly convincing, though.

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90 min +5: South Africa clear it easily enough, and pour out in the hope of countering, but things fizzle out after a couple of loose touches and England look to have done enough.

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90 min +4: Stanway slaloms elegantly down the inside-left channel before being shoved into Ramalepe by Kgatlana from behind. A free kick for England out on the left. Everyone lines up on the edge of the South Africa box. Greenwood to take.

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90 min +2: Kgatlana, who decided against shooting on a couple of first-half occasions when one-on-one with Earps, goes for goal from the best part of 40 yards.

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90 min +1: Hemp drives at the visiting defence but can’t get a decent shot away. England have clearly decided that the best form of defence is attack. Given how they’ve defended this evening, you can’t really blame them.

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90 min: There will be five additional minutes.

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89 min: Le Tissier wins a garden-variety header against Ramalepe, only to concede a free kick for doing so, the left flank having just opened up invitingly. Le Tissier flings her arms open in disgust at the strange decision. This referee has let a lot of physical stuff go without punishment, only to pick up on bugger all at other times. Very strange.

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88 min: Ramalepe crosses deep from the right. Earps comes well off her line to claim with supreme confidence. This game is very open, and there could well be a late goal coming. At which end, who knows?

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86 min: Greenwood loops the ball in from the left. Hemp tries to steer a header goalwards but it’s always heading wide right. England have taken it up a notch. Better late than never.

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85 min: That was a fairly meaty challenge by Mbane, a rake down the achilles, and VAR is going to have a check for a red. But there’s nothing doing. And then the free kick leads to some pinball in the South Africa box, but nothing else.

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84 min: Russo turns on the jets to advance down the left, only to be cynically hauled back by Mbane, who goes into the book. Free kick just to the left of the South Africa box.

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83 min: Toone attempts to release Kirby with a sliderule pass down the middle, but Kirby’s attempt to trap, turn and advance from the edge of the box doesn’t come off. England have done very little in this second half, but the last couple of minutes have been an improvement.

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81 min: Bronze cushions a ball down the inside-right channel for Toone to run onto. Toone welts a first-time shot towards the top right, a proper full-throttle belt. Dlamini parries out for a corner, as good a save as the one made by Earps moments before. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece.

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79 min: Kgatlana goes tearing off down the left this time. She zips clear of Bright and opens her body, hoping to shape a shot around Earps and into the bottom right. But the keeper spreads herself while standing strong. Great stop, but England are all over the shop, Kgatlana causing all manner of bother with her positioning and super-speed.

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78 min: Holweni comes on for Motau.

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77 min: Biyana is booked for a front-on block of Kelly. There didn’t seem much in that, certainly not enough for the first yellow card of the evening. But there it is. Biyana looks nonplussed.

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76 min: Nothing comes of the corner, but England are hanging onto their lead by their fingertips.

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75 min: Ramalepe dinks a pass down the inside-right channel for the irrepressible Kgatlana, who pearls a low diagonal shot towards the bottom-left corner. Bronze again comes to the rescue, sticking out a leg and deflecting wide for a corner.

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74 min: England have been utterly shambolic in defence.

It’s not been great from England again this evening. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
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73 min: Two more changes for England, with Mead and the floundering Williamson hooked for Hemp and Bright. Then, seconds after the restart, Kgatlana is pinged clear down the middle by Magaia. She whistles a rising shot into the top-right corner, a stunning finish, but she was well offside and the flag pops up.

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71 min: Stanway’s loose control in the midfield looks to have allowed Kgatlana to embark on yet another dangerous right-wing raid … but Motau needlessly clatters her late, after the ball has long gone, and it’s a get-out-of-jail card for Stanway and England.

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69 min: Another mistake by Williamson, whose misjudgement under a high ball on the halfway line allows Kgatlana to power her way down the right. Kgatlana is within her rights to shoot, but opts to cross low for Magaia, free in the middle, 25 yards out. The pass isn’t all that, though, and Magaia is forced to check her run. She still gets a shot away, but Bronze has been able to get back and block bravely.

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68 min: Williamson comes haring out from the back to meet a loose ball in the centre circle and handles. For some reason there’s no free kick awarded, much to Motlhalo’s annoyance. It’s been a mixed evening for Williamson all right.

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66 min: A little space for Bronze down the right. Not so much time, though, and her low cross-cum-shot is deflected through to Dlamini.

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65 min: It looks like Ramalepe is heading towards the bench … but then she comes back on. The South Africa full back doesn’t look particularly comfortable, though.

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64 min: Le Tissier smacks into Ramalepe in the no-nonsense style. The South African needs a bit of treatment. She might not be able to continue.

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63 min: Stanway ships possession cheaply and is fortunate Kgatlana dithers as she advances towards the England box, with the hosts light on defenders.

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62 min: England make a quadruple substitution. Naz, Park, Morgan and the excellent Clinton are replaced by Bronze, Russo, Kirby and Toone.

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60 min: England are looking ragged, and Kelly takes matters into her own hands by shifting the ball in from the right and firing a long-distance shot towards the top-right corner. The ball pings off the top of the bar and out. So close to a third for England, because Dlamini wasn’t getting there had it been on target.

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59 min: That’s South Africa’s first-ever goal against England. They’re in the mood for number two, as well, with Kgatlana scampering down the left in purposeful fashion. She can’t find anyone in the centre with a low cross, hesitation again her undoing; without it, she could easily be celebrating a hat-trick.

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57 min: That’s the least South Africa deserve for their attacking exploits this evening. It’s what England deserve, too; that wasn’t their first sloppy defensive mistake, and they’ve been punished for their carelessness. To repeat: there’s plenty for Sarina Wiegman to sort out.

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GOAL! England 2-1 South Africa (Kgatlana 55)

Another England mistake, and this time they pay. Williamson passes across the halfway line towards Stanway. Both players are snoozing, and Kgatlana nips in between, racing off down the middle. She enters the box, draws Earps, and slots across the keeper and into the bottom left.

Thembi Kgatlana pulls a goal back for South Africa! Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
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53 min: It’s all a bit scrappy right now. Not a great deal going on.

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51 min: Clinton is brushed off the ball by Makhubela. It looks innocuous, but a strong arm has tweaked her shoulder. She requires a bit of treatment before getting up, grimacing hard, taking a deep breath, and getting on with it. She’s been England’s star player so far; she won’t want this evening to end earlier than it has to.

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49 min: Clinton advances down the right and looks for Kelly just inside the South African box. Kelly attempts to twist her way past a couple of challenges but that doesn’t quite come off either.

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47 min: Park, who has been quiet so far, dribbles her way down the inside-left channel and nearly breaks through after one-twoing with Kelly. The return pass doesn’t stick.

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South Africa get the second half underway. They’ve made two changes. Swart can’t continue in goal and is replaced by the experienced Dlamini, while Sinoxolo Cesane makes way for Biyana.

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Half-time entertainment. It was a good evening for the Lionesses last night at the Ballon d’Or, with Lauren James 13th, Lucy Bronze 20th and Lauren Hemp 28th. You might have not heard any of that news, though, given the sheer volume of the tantrum thrown by Real Madrid’s man-child section. Here’s Rob Smyth’s take on that particular hot-faced nappy-filling meltdown.

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HALF TIME: England 2-0 South Africa

England, with Grace Clinton starring, have looked good in attack; they’ve not been so sure of themselves at the back. South Africa’s hesitation over the final pass/shot has cost the visitors at least one goal.

England lead at the break. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters
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45 min +3: Noxolo Cesane can’t quite get ahead of Morgan as she chases a long ball down the middle. Earps comes out to claim on the edge of her box. South Africa have caused England quite a few problems, even if they’ve not forced Earps into meaningful action.

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45 min +2: That’s the second time this evening that Kgatlana has found herself in exactly that position. She’s declined to shoot on both occasions. Somewhere in the multiverse, she’s backed herself and the scores are level.

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45 min: Mead slaps rather than smashes the free kick, and it’s an easy gather for Swart. South Africa immediately counter, Kgatlana getting in ahead of Wiliamson down the right. She should shoot, one on one with Earps, albeit from a tight angle, but hesitates and the chance is gone.

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44 min: Sinoxolo Cesane is bamboozled by Clinton, who spins on a sixpence 25 yards out. A late challenge, and it’s a free kick from a central position. Mead fancies the look of this.

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42 min: The Cesane sisters are very much in the thick of it right now. Stanway comes clattering into Noxolo and is very fortunate to avoid a booking, especially so when you factor in her earlier high-kicking antics.

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41 min: Noxolo’s twin, Sinoxolo Cesane, takes out two of her own team-mates in short order while chasing a loose ball in an overly eager style. Motau then Mbane go down in a hail of friendly fire; thankfully both are up again soon enough.

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39 min: Noxolo Cesane spins elegantly down the right touchline to leave Naz in the dust, and is brought down from behind for her trouble. Naz should really go into the book but the referee is in a very laissez-faire mood tonight.

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38 min: Swart, who was feeling her back, performs a few stretches and is fine to continue. “Fair enough, South Africa aren’t Germany,” begins Charles Antaki. “They’re giving England huge amount of space and are wasteful with their passes (also they also seem to be more prone to slipping on the turf and having trouble with their boots). But nevertheless it’s great to see the England players get some of their mojo back. Looking good. More please.”

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