Jodie Taylor's fifth European Championship goal was enough to send England into the European Championship semi-final against host nation Netherlands. England beat France 1-0 (0-0) in a tight quarter-final match in Deventer.
The first half of the match was a controlled but high-level affair between two teams that, thanks to several recent meetings, know each other well.
England had a little more possession of the ball in the attacking half, but except for a few free kicks, did not create any chances.
France also did not threaten Karen Bardsley against England, and the statistics did not record any shots on goal in the first 45 minutes.
The match was decided after an hour of play, when England launched an attack from midfield after obtaining the ball from France. Lucy Bronze led the way on the attacking half and found Jodie Taylor with a free pass.
Taylor advanced wide on the right flank, but was able to fire a shot past Sarah Bouhdi. The goal was actually Taylor's fifth in the tournament.
England played with discipline and managed their lead well. France had some half-good chances, but was unable to break the deadlock, and thus played its part in the European Championship qualifiers.
The English European Union continues its confrontation in the quarter-finals on Thursday against the host country, the Netherlands.
European Football Championship, quarter-finals
England – France 1-0 (0-0)
60 minutes 1-0 Jodi Taylor
Semi-finals
- Netherlands – England
- Denmark – Austria
Both semi-finals will be played on Thursday, August 3 (dates will be announced on Monday) and the final will be scheduled for August 6. Yle shows all three remaining EC matches.
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