It was much joy for the winners at the stadiums hosting the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the winners. Spain overthrew favourites Sweden in a match that saw three goals in the last ten minutes of normal time, and England produced an effective performance against the cohosts at their home ground to book their place with the Spanish at Stadium Australia on August 20. Both teams have been largely scintillating to watch in the tournament so far and will surely be serving up a match for the ages in Sydney. Ella Toone became the first English player to score in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final of a major tournament as she netted against the Australians in the thirty-sixth minute. Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo then rounded up the win after elite striker Sam Kerr had equalized with a stunning strike in the sixty-third minute. The Lionesses were the better team throughout the encounter, although they endured some nervy moments where Sam Kerr should have finis...

 Semifinal matches are usually such big highlights, as it gives hope to the two winning teams while taking away the hope of winning a trophy from the other two losers. This does not take away the fact that only one team can win the trophy, signifying that one team is merely delaying its disappointment by one match. However, beating an opponent fair and square in a football encounter is always a satisfying prospect, and Sweden and cohost Australia will be looking to achieve some form of respectability by winning the third-place match in the almost-concluded FIFA Women’s World Cup and comfort their runs to the semifinal with a third-place finish.  Sweden, who were named favourites for their matchup against Sweden, failed to display the form of attacking, disciplined football we have come to see them play in the competition, hitting five shots and putting three on target with just one goal. This result also gives the team a bad record; they have played in four of five FIFA W...

 The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been an interesting watch so far and is set to get even more interesting with the current fixtures. While Sweden will be hashing it out with Spain at Eden Park in New Zealand, England will be slugging it with cohost Australia at Stadium Australia/Accor Stadium in Sydney. It is interesting to note that all the teams currently vying for a spot in the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup have never won the trophy. Australia also became the only host nation after the United States to qualify for the World Cup semifinals. England ousted Nigeria in a penalty shootout in their Round of 16 clash, although credit to them for making it happen with a sending-off for Lauren James for a stamp on Nigerian midfielder Michelle Alozie. However, it must be said that the Nigerians struggled to create and bury their chances throughout the contest. Nevertheless, England triumphed in the penalty shootout and set up a date with the high-flying Colombians led ...

  Spain vs. Sweden Match Preview  The final of the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup is just a match away for each of the teams left in the tournament, as four teams are set to battle it out to book a place in either the final or the third-place match. Among all the semifinalists, only Sweden and England have been at this stage of the tournament before. Sweden placed second in the 2003 edition and third in the 1991, 2011, and 2019 editions, while England have played in the last three semifinals without a win, placing third in 2015. This makes Sweden the top favourites for the title at this time, and beating Japan, who looked to be set for the trophy after offering top-notch football and solid performances right from the group stage, has cemented this belief in the hearts of fans, bookies, and enthusiasts alike. Sweden will be looking to continue with their superb performances right from the group stage, having picked up maximum points and topped Group G. Knocking out the United S...

 Five years ago, I embarked on a transformative journey that culminated in the launch of my blog, roselineadewuyi.com. This profound decision was born from a moment of clarity during my participation in the MCW leadership program in the USA. The program ignited a passion within me to make a meaningful impact on the world around me. Since then, I have published over 300 articles on my blog Fueled by unwavering determination and fervor, I set out to establish a dynamic platform aimed at addressing the pressing challenges faced by young girls and women. Employing a blend of succinct narratives, well-grounded opinion pieces, and spotlight features on exemplary women, my intent was to curate and disseminate empowering stories that would inspire young girls and women to shatter the glass ceilings that hem them in and challenge the prevailing norms. Reflecting on the incredible journey I have embarked upon, I am filled with gratitude for the pivotal moments that have become indel...

  Australia vs. France Match Preview Cohost Australia have leveraged home advantage by qualifying for their fourth World Cup quarterfinal in  how many tries and will be meeting France in a match that is sure to test the capabilities of both teams. The match will be played on August 12 just hours after the England vs. Colombia match on home soil at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Both teams have offered solid, if not spectacular, runs to the quarterfinal, and will be looking to go all the way and claim bragging rights alongside. Australia started their World Cup campaign solidly with a not-so-solid one-nil win against debutants Ireland, scoring through a penalty. Nevertheless, it was a surprise to have suffered a setback by losing to Nigeria 3-2 in a tense match. They however bounced back with a shock four-nil win over Olympic champions Canada to claim top spot and set up a meeting with Denmark in the knockout rounds. A comfortable two-nil win over the Danes has now given the ...

 All eyes will be on the match between the Lionesses of England and  Las Cafeteras  of Colombia as they battle it out on the lush green of the Stadium Australia for a semifinal spot in the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup. England are now the top favourites to win the trophy after the elimination of defending champions United States and Germany and will be looking to earn that respect on August 12. However, Colombia have been the darling of the tournament so far, having attracted a good number of fans due to their daring style of play, a mix of youth and experience, and a wonder story in Linda Caicedo. There is surely more to the Colombians than their 18-year-old cancer survivor, but she fits the bill of the poster girl of the team, espousing female grit so well that fans and enthusiasts alike cannot want but love them for who they are. Few predicted Colombia getting into the knockout rounds, much less the quarterfinal stage. Having topped a group that favourites Germany co...

  The second match of the quarterfinal stage in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is happening at the Eden Park in Australia. Coming off the back of a superb win against big fish Norway, Japan will be looking to continue their fine form with a win over the third-best team in the world in this category. Japan have, so far, been the most excellent team in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and, having won one World Cup, will be looking to capture their second trophy amid all odds in the ongoing tournament. A fact that increases the allure of this match is that both teams have played each other in this tournament competitively before now and will be continuing the rivalry at Eden Park on August 11. Japan have played so well in the World Cup so far and confounded their critics with every consistently-solid performance. This is in no small part to their 14-goal haul which is the highest in the tournament so far, and the display of attacking midfielder Hinata Miyazawa – who was not even guara...

  The 2023 FIFA World Cup being held in Australia and New Zealand is slowly but surely petering into its final stages. More than half of the teams that started in the competition have been eliminated, with two major favourites (the United States and Germany) on their way home after being throttled by less-favored teams. The tournament is currently at the quarterfinal stage with eight teams who have surely proved their mettle, and the first quarterfinal matchup, Spain versus the Netherlands, is, without a doubt, the biggest clash of the round. Spain will be playing the Netherlands at the Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, and both teams will be looking to target a deeper run in the competition.  La Roja  have lost just one match in the competition, against Japan, and will surely have learnt a lot from that loss having won all others by a margin of at least three goals. They are, after all the second-highest goal scorers in the competition, just behind,...

Anyone who watched the Men’s World Cup in Qatar last year will surely be hoping for the Moroccan women’s team to go one better and probably get their hands on the trophy. It is a women’s world after all, and many people will attest to the fact that women do things better than men. It gets even more plausible with the fact that both teams are playing their first World Cups, and the performance of the men’s team last year has surely set a standard for what could be. The women’s team are no slouches either, as they are showing the same level of tenacity and grit we saw on display in the men’s team last December. Morocco is sure to see a consequent rise in men's and women's football rankings by the time the next rankings, and it promises to be a hot topic for footballers and enthusiasts alike. France will be playing Morocco at the Hindmarsh Stadium, and there is sure to be a sense of dejavu in the African nation and the world at large as this same fixture played out at th...

  Rowena looked in disgust at the messy kitchen, the pile of dishes loaded to the top. She wondered how two teenage boys could create such chaos. The foul smell of rotten food filtered through her nose, making her pinch her nose in displeasure. “Dreyson! Pierce!” she yelled, her voice stern. Two begrudging boys strolled into the kitchen, frowning. “Why are you yelling, Aunt Rowena?” Pierce asked, closing his ears in mock annoyance. Rowena chuckled and shook her head. “As long as you are stuck with me this summer, you will definitely learn some manners.” “Sorry, Aunt, good morning,” they chorused half-heartedly. “What is good about the morning?” she quizzed, gesturing at the pile of dirty dishes and the messy counter. “But that is not our job,” Dreyson shrugged. “Abigail will…” Rowena arched her brow, cutting him off. “Abby had a sleepover at Suzzie’s house, and what has she got to do with this?” “We are not good with kitchen stuff, so mom makes Abby…” Pierce trailed off. “Well, I a...

  Any match featuring the United States is sure to make for an interesting watch, especially when it is on the grand World Cup stage, as they have won the tournament a record four times and are on track to win their third consecutive title and fifth overall. However, as the top female team in the world, they will be playing against Sweden, who are the third-best team in the world at the moment. Nevertheless, both teams will be looking to bring the trophy home, although they will need to win this match first. While both teams comfortably qualified for the knockout stages (Sweden were more comfortable) both teams have had rather contrasting starts to the tournament. Sweden started a bit weakly, leaving it late to win against South Africa on the first matchday, after conceding minutes after halftime. This spurred them on, and they made light work of Italy in a routine 5-nil win to qualify for the knockout round with a game to spare. Head coach Peter Gerhardsson decided to make nine ch...

  Football fans will surely switch on their watching devices to witness who trumps who when the Netherlands meet South Africa in what is billed to be an interesting spectacle at the Sydney Football Stadium on the sixth of August. Both teams have had different stories to get to this juncture of the tournament and will be looking to add more colour and intrigue to their respective stories. While this is the first competitive fixture between both international sides, having meant each other in only friendly matches previously, Netherlands will be looking to translate their superb friendly match H2H record to a competitive match where it is sure to matter more to help them continue their quest for the trophy. Despite this being just their second appearance at the Women’s World Cup, South Africa have shown that they are a force to reckon with on the pitch. All these factors make for an interesting spectacle, where each team will be looking to come out top and advance in the competition....

  Football fans are surely still reeling from the effects of the shock results of the group stage matches where Germany (second seeds) and Brazil were sent packing from the competition they had previously been touted favorites for. Debutants Morocco seem to be looking to emulate their male counterparts after the latter’s exploits at the men’s edition late last year saw them break multiple records on their way to the semifinal, where they lost to eventual runners-up France. For the first time, there are three African nations in the knockout rounds, a stat that is sure to be broken in years to come, judging by the wonderful performance each of them has displayed so far. This tournament surely has more surprises up its sleeves, and we are here to revel in every bit of it. The first match in the knockout rounds sees Group A toppers Switzerland take on possession-hungry Spain at Eden Park, the same venue that hosted the first match of the tournament. Playing in just their second World C...

  The mental calculations that precede the final group stage matches of every tournament can be very gripping and exciting, and Group H is set to be an example in this regard. Germany, Morocco, Colombia, and South Korea all have a chance to qualify for the knockout stages, and both matches will surely prove to be as interesting as ever. With South Korea picking up zero points so far, the jury will be on them to see how they fare against second-place holders Germany after disappointing performances in their first matches. South Korea will surely need to bring on their A-game to get something out of this promising match. South Korea will be expecting a miracle and beat Germany to win their first match in six games in the World Cup as their last win was a thrilling encounter against Spain at the 2015 edition. They have, however, been largely unlucky in this 2023 edition. Their first match against Morocco was highly disappointing, as they conceded two easy goals to Colombia. While some...