The Guardian's Women's Football Weekly - Colombia set up quarter-final with England – Women’s Football Weekly

Episode Date: August 8, 2023

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Sophie Downey and Jonathan Liew as the round of 16 comes to a close

This is The Guardian. Without insurance, your assets are at risk from major financial losses, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Hello, I'm Faye Carruthers and welcome to the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. So the quarterfinal line-up is complete as Colombia make history reaching the last eight for the first time. The Reggae Girls depart the tournament though with their heads held high. And France turn on the style finally after a 4-0 win over Morocco. We'll discuss both these games, look ahead to the last eight, plus we'll take your questions.

And that's today's Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Women's Football Weekly is supported by Google Pixel, the only phone engineered by Google and proud partner of the England teams. Search Google Store to find out more. I mean, I know I say this every single time we record a pod, but dreamy panel, and this is a dreamy panel. Absolutely it is. Susie Rack is just lying down on her front, on her bed, relaxed, chilled, a much different vibe than the one that I got from you yesterday, Susie.

I thought you meant dreamy panel, as in literally dreaming, going to sleep, because that's what I feel like doing. Well, you're all out in Australia, actually. Johnny Lou, you've actually made it down under. How is the jet lag? Bearing in mind even our pod preamble, you said, I might go and see some AFL, maybe the Sydney Koalas, until you were politely corrected that they are the Swans. I'm assuming it's not going so great. This whole contribution is going to be sketchy AF, I'm afraid.

It's also really cold. I'm in Adelaide, I've just been at the France game, and I'm not saying it's freezing here, but at one point Morgan Freeman started doing a voiceover of me. So not in a great state, but let's try. I just need to let everybody know that Johnny did show us pretty much every single layer until he got down to the thing. We were like, I think you need to stop now.

We've seen all the layers. And then on comes Sophie Downie with even more layers on, having already upset goodness knows how many people by wearing a Collingwood hat. Yeah, I don't know what's going on. I'm like one of those ignorant British people wandering around Melbourne in a Collingwood hat, annoying people. So that seems to be the case. Yeah, that's not advisable, I would say, as a FIFA representative suggested to you. Right, listen, two of the most popular sides at this Women's World Cup faced off in the penultimate round of 16 game. And it's fair to say it wasn't the most entertaining of the tournament.

And I'm actually devastated about that because I was very excited about Colombia facing Jamaica, having covered them earlier on in the tournament. But the 45 minutes at the beginning was just a snooze fest. So let's just skip over that. But a lovely finish from Catalina Uzme means that Colombia are through to their first ever quarterfinal. Not that many highlights in this one, to be fair, Sophie. You were there for it in Melbourne, but the goal itself was lovely. It was. It was a beautiful finish.

And I think my highlight was just the crowd, because I have never heard an anthem that loud in a long time. The Colombian fans really, really brought it. It was spine tingling. They were booing all of the Jamaicans whenever they got the ball. They were cheering on their team. They were dancing. They were singing. It was just a proper like gung-ho, you fierce passionate uh support of their of their side and they got their their win in the end i'll tell you what that ball from anna guzman 18 year old making her first uh senior start was absolutely beautiful it was pinpoint from the left-hand side to usme at the back post jamaican defender just didn't see it coming at all. And the game needed the goal, Johnny, because the first half was a bit of a chore. But when we think about this kind of physical battling style that Colombia have,

this kind of swagger that we saw played out brilliantly against Germany, can it take them further than the quarterfinals? Yeah, I mean, it's interesting, like, you know, when people talk about this Colombian side, you know, they go on about the physicality, and obviously a lot of that stems from the friendly against Ireland and the fuss that all kicked up. But they have a lot of attacking options. That diagonal ball that, you know,

the sort of diagonal cross, the kind that was made, brought down. They were hitting that ball time and time again. And with England playing the system that they are at the moment, the 3-5-2 with the big spaces behind the full-backs, the space behind Lucy Bronze for Caicedo to run into, that's going to be one of the key battles, I think. Actually, that's kind of the identity of Colombian football in a way. You know, you fight for the centre and it's flight on the flanks.

It's pace and it's wingers who are also strikers and strikers who are also wingers. And Uzume is actually, I mean, she's one of those players that it's hard not to root for, really, because she's kind of been there for the whole journey. She's played in the Olympics and those kind of three runners-up in the Copa America. She's been there for the whole journey. She's had offers to go to Europe. She's played her entire career in Colombia. She's had cruciate injuries.

And, yeah, she's one of the veterans of this team. It was an amazing moment for her to score the winning goal in her last 16 World Cup game. Yeah, it was her second goal of the veterans of this team and it was a really it was an amazing moment for her to score the winning goal in her last 16 World Cup game. Yeah it was her second goal of the tournament we perhaps didn't see as much of Linda Caicedo Susie as as we have done in previous games but I think that's because the Jamaicans had their had their eye on her and every time she did manage to get in they smothered the threat but you know exactly as uh as Johnny says I mean they still are a physical team believe me I watched that 90 minutes against Germany and they harried them and bullied them off the ball the entire game.

And that is part of their game, but also part of their game is technical brilliance. And the likes of Usme Santos as well and Linda Caicedo are going to be a real threat for England, Susie. Yeah, in terms of the physical game those um the image of uh Uzma she's like sort of almost like dancing waving her arms up against uh one of the Jamaican players whilst they're waiting for a corner or free kick to come in and just being pushed away and pushed away and pushed away and it was like made into a gif within about 30 seconds of it taking place because it was so amusing just really winding them up right really sort of irritating

them in a pretty like innocent way you know they weren't doing anything wrong she was just sort of like leaning against it ever so slightly um so innocuously yeah it's it's the Caserdovi bronze battle that is the most exciting of the tie for me against England. What I thought was really interesting was, you know, Guzman, obviously another 18-year-old, supremely talented, did fantastically, but she was only on in place of Manuela Vanegas, who was suspended. And Vanegas scored the winner in the game against Germany. So now they've got a decision to make going into the England game that is actually quite a nice place to be in where you've got two players that have performed really well in that position potentially uh you know vying for a place and and causing a good problem

which is nice to see when we've seen you know generally speaking you know managers kind of having to make difficult decisions in this tournament but I think you know when you look at Jamaica the the fact that they this is the first goal they've conceded in the tournament so far speaks to the fact that it was going to be a tight game and that, you know, the margin was likely going to be pretty narrow in the first place. And, yeah, just very exciting to see what this Colombian side can do up against England to, you know, play a style that potentially could leave the door a little bit open for them.

Yeah, we'll look at that from an England point of view in a second. But obviously you were there for the game, Sophie. Jamaica had a couple of chances. Drew Spence should have done better with a header. They had a shot cleared off the line as well. But ultimately, Susie mentioned they hadn't conceded a goal up until this point but they'd also only scored one goal so ultimately it felt like that was a bit of their their undoing really yeah I think when they started to come out to play like actually fully attack Colombia, Colombia did struggle a little bit with the you know

Bunny Shaw was doing good good things up front. She was trying her hardest to get themselves, pull her players back into the game around her. And Colombia did look less confident when they were up against a team that were pushing forward. I think it was all too easy maybe in that first half, well, up until the goal really, where Jamaica were quite happy to try and kind of sit back a bit. They weren't really pushing forward. I think there was one point in the first half when Bunny Shaw was, she was running up the field, pressing the defence, looked behind her and there was this massive gap between her and her midfield.

And she just threw her arms up in the air and was like, what can I do? So they were sitting so deep in that kind of that block. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting how that reflects on England. But I do think that was a kind of point that stood out for me was that when Jamaica went for it, they looked a little less sure of themselves than they had done before. Yeah. A word on Jamaica's tournament, Johnny, because they have been brilliant. The first Caribbean nation to play in the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup, male or female, since Cuba back in 1938. They conceded 12 goals in three matches in their Women's World Cup debut in 2019,

which just shows how far they've come, really. Yeah, I mean, if you go back to that tournament, I think every team they played, somebody scored a hat-trick against them, like Australia and Italy. I think Sam Kerr got four against them. And yeah, that does show the progress because it's not like a radically different team. I think they've got 11 survivors from that tournament. The defence is pretty much the same as it

was four years ago, which I think just shows individual improvement, collective improvement and experience and, I guess you know footballing education and obviously they made a trade-off

in this tournament they were incredibly solid at the back and potentially you know there's an interesting kind of debate on Jamaica Twitter

about whether Bonnie Shaw didn't get the right kind of service didn't get enough service or whether she tried to do too much herself

you know I think that's a kind of interesting debate but i think those are the sorts i'm loathe to be too critical of them because those are the sorts of trade-offs you kind of have to make if you're kind of a poorly resourced nation um playing at this level for the if they've they've come this far in four years i think it's it's really it's so it's gonna be so interesting and exciting to see how this team develops because there clearly is a lot of talent there. And now they have the experience of getting to the last 16.

And I think if they can sort out the structural problems that are clearly enduring, then there is a lot of potential in this squad. Yeah, I was going to jump in on that part. Obviously, fantastic performance at this World Cup, but the kind of ridiculous situation with the federation, lack of funding,

lack of support from the team, them having to crowdfund their way to this tournament. I mean, I think there's a real, you know, now Nigeria out as well, you know, another federation team with a high profile battle with their federation over pay and conditions and things I think there really needs to be a bit of a conscious effort to make sure that those those um fights don't get sort of lost now they're out

of the tournament that they're not sort of left to sort of fight their own fight in the background of you know sort of domestic football kicking off again and the World Cup being over and things like that. I think it's really important that people really get behind those players and back them in these fights against their federations, obviously particularly back in their own countries, but just internationally. I think there needs to be a lot of international pressure.

I thought it was great to see FIFPro put out a statement saying they were working with the Nigerian Federation. I hope they do something similar with the Jamaican players and say, look, we are going to help you in this fight kind of thing. Because I think there needs to be a little bit more of a, it's happening in too many World Cups in a row that players are being treated this way. And it seems to just be in the run-up to every World Cup, it's all these players haven't been paid for months

or haven't been paid for their last World Cup or whatever it is. And then it dies down and it comes up again at the next World Cup there needs to be a little bit more of a consistent battle in between as well it can't just be left to sort of you know skulk into the background

Yeah really important and as we said in the preview pod success really helps with that doesn't it because you know it gives you gives a reason to the federation as to why not that you should have to give them a reason. I wouldn't say. As I said, though, the result means Colombia face England in the quarterfinals. No Lauren James for England, of course, after that sending off in the game against Nigeria. Lauren James herself has tweeted an apology to Michelle Olozi,

the player that she fouled. She says, all my love and respect to you. I'm sorry for what happened. Also for our England fans and my teammates, playing with you and for you is my greatest honour. And I promise to learn from my experience. The Lionesses official account has also tweeted,

Lauren is really sorry for her actions, which led to the red cards and is full of rem full of remorse it's wholly out of character for her we'll be supporting Lauren throughout and we'll be putting forward representation on her behalf we fully respect FIFA's disciplinary process and will not be making any further comment until after any decision has been made Susie you wrote a piece on this calling for more compassion. Yeah, I mean, what's interesting is I think I've seen a few narratives, a few different people say that the women's game is growing, Lauren James should be treated exactly the same as Beckham was in 98 and Rooney was in 2006. And, you know, I just I saw that and I thought, hang on a minute. No, they shouldn't have been treated like that. And, you know, society has moved forward, hopefully to a point where that kind of situation wouldn't happen to that extent again.

You know, we've seen Lauren James talk previously about her racist abuses she's received in her career sort of quite early on. It can be really damaging. And we've got to remember that they're people too. Obviously, she made a mistake. She's going to be punished for it it was really stupid it will be a defining moment of her career it could potentially actually be something quite good for her career in terms of like a real sort of grounding point and turning point in it but yeah the idea that you know we are literally weeks out from everyone watching. Obviously, it's very, very different, completely different scenario. I'm not comparing their stories in any way.

But Dele Alli's very moving story of his, you know, sort of lifetime of trauma and the impact of the scrutiny in addition to that and things like that that basically prompted a lot of people to think about the way they viewed footballers and sort of remove this idea of them almost as sort of robots rather than humans that are there just to perform for us like you know circus animals it really you know kind of I think had quite an impact on a lot of people and yet there's a tendency to forget that very very quickly when it comes to another player who you know is basically being piled on online to the extent they've got a sable comments on their Instagram and I mean you know below the line in some articles and some really quite nasty stuff or even you know as a mixed race player being accused of racism and things too I mean that it's just not nice and it shouldn't happen and um you know I don't think there's any defending what she did

there's no excuses um you know she's a grown woman but at the same time everyone makes mistakes and I just think there's a place for compassion and like support and teaching of like how you control your emotions in those moments that should be taking place rather than this like vilification of her and any abuse to be honest like the process will happen analysis needs to take place but abuse is unnecessary yeah well i 100 agree with that analysis does have to take place i cannot bear the in inverted commas pylons because i half the time i do wonder who's actually sending this kind of abuse out and i just think i don't even want to really you know their opinion is not important to me in it or should be to a lot of people i think because sometimes it's just

they're just people who want are angry and you know, they don't really know what they're angry about, but they direct it in a certain way. However, I do think, you know, it's important within women's football sometimes. And this is where I struggle, because as a human, my immediate thing is, oh, my God, poor girl, she's going to need a lot of help with this. And then I weigh that up with me as a journalist who has to analyze it as it was the stupidest thing to do ridiculous you know what was she thinking in that moment and it's really important that we have to have the same kind of analysis of of any player no matter what gender and I think that and my main reason for thinking that is because what actually is the biggest problem as far as as I'm concerned, is the people that use it as a stick to beat women's football with is that you treat them differently, though. It's too softly, softly. And so there's such a fine balance to make.

Does that make sense? Can you jump in on that, Sophie? Yeah, I was going to say the same. It's about finding that that line between the criticism and abuse i think lauren james in doing what in that action that she'd made deserves criticism and deserves analysis and journalists and people can talk about it as long as it doesn't bend into the the abuse side of things um i get and that's not being like i agree with all the compassionate thing but i think we do need to talk about it um and we as you said, for years we've been asking for more criticism or more critical thinking in the women's game. And when it comes along, we sort of sometimes put up some walls about it.

So I do think it's just about finding that balance, isn't it? And we all know what's right and what's wrong and how to analyse things and what you should and shouldn't say really you should know that um and knowing what classifies as abuse or not so i i think we can't shut down any like any talk at all about the the incident or what happened because we have to as as football people we have to one of the things that we really like about women's football is that it is culturally and tonally it is it is different to men's football it is it is it is a slightly more pleasant space uh it's more supportive or you know in theory it should be and i think this is one of those occasions you know there are a lot of things that that because worry me about

the the development of women's football and the way it's become closer to men's football in a lot of ways tribalism is one you know wealth distribution is another I think this is one of those occasions when we can try and we can almost show that we're better than the like really rancid toxicity that that characterizes a lot of men's football discourse. You know, we think this is a nicer, safer space. You know, this is a chance for us to act like it. Yeah, that's a really good point as well. Right, that's it for part one. In part two, we'll look at the final round of 16 game

between France and Morocco and do a quick preview of the quarterfinals. Do you have business insurance? If not, how would you pay to recover from a cyber attack, fire damage, theft, or a lawsuit? No business or profession is risk-free. Without insurance, your assets are at risk from major financial losses, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. So the last game in the round of 16 was a little bit of a walkover, wasn't it, in the end?

France booked their place in the quarterfinals with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Morocco. You were there covering the game for the Guardian, Johnny. France 3-0 up inside 25 minutes. It kind of felt like a bridge too far for Morocco, really. You know, it definitely did. I mean, there have been so many shocks at this World Cup that, you know, you feel wary about trying to over-predict, you know, what's going to happen.

But it was pretty clear. They scored three goals in eight minutes, 15 to 23 minutes. They were 3-0 up. And I think Morocco, they looked like the last two games against South Korea and Colombia had really taken a lot out of them. France were superior in pretty much every aspect. They were both kind of 4-4-2s and I think that match-up really helped France because obviously they have the greater individual quality, they were winning most of the one-weave-on. And the way they, the speed and the precision with which they moved the ball,

with which they overloaded the flanks, Morocco couldn't really deal with them. There is credit there, I think. Once you go 3-0 down after 23 minutes, there is always the Germany game, when they lost 6-0 at the back of their mind. And I think they did really well. They kind of shored things up at the start of the second half. And, you know, it's not a disgrace for them by any means. No, it really isn't.

But in my true Max Rushton style, can I imitate Max Rushton the best way I can? France were very good, Sophie, in my Max Rushton-esque voice. Are they emerging as potential World Cup winners? They were very good, Sophie, in my Max Rushton-esque voice. Are they emerging as potential World Cup winners? They were very good going forward, but that Morocco defending at times was absolutely appalling. Yanni was unmarked for her goal. Le Sommet, I think it was Le Sommet where they passed the ball straight into her path.

It was all a bit disastrous at the back. So, well, France were very good in terms of their build-up and attacking play. And I think Ken Zidali has been one of the best players for France so far this World Cup. We've seen it in what she can do with Aston Villa in the WSL. And she's brought that form over to the World Cup and really made a place for herself. But, yeah, there was some really terrible, terrible defending. So if you're a lover of the art of defending like I am, that was not the game for you, I think.

Johnny Liu, are you a lover of the art of defending? Can we give a little bit of love for Morocco for what they've brought to this tournament, regardless of the way they've gone out? Oh yeah, I mean, I don't think, certainly after the first game, but in advance of the tournament as well, I don't think anybody expected them to get out of that group.

And, you know, there's been a lot of talk about these three African teams making it through to the last 16. And if, I guess, if South Africa and Nigeria have shown how, you know, a group of players can almost rise above the adversity and kind of the dysfunction of their federation.

Morocco have shown actually quite a different way, you know, that their investment in men's and women's football over the last few years has really been the key to this. You know, they have the Centre of Excellence in Salé. They have all these kind of regional centres of excellence. They have a proper system and a structure in place to find talent and develop it. And, you know, that's proving, you know, it's proving its worth.

You saw it in the Men's World Cup in Qatar. That's, I think, a model for a lot of developing nations to follow. You know, it takes structure, it takes foresight, and it takes, you know, it takes money. It takes investment in young talent. That is the real lesson for them. It's not the end of the road for them. Obviously, they'll be disappointed they kind of gave it away tonight,

but it's really just the beginning for them. Yeah, I really enjoyed watching them in this tournament and I'm excited for what their future holds. In terms of France's future, the new era post-Corinne Diacra, they're going to be facing Australia on Saturday. That's in UK time, an 8am kick-off. Massive, massive game. So the question is, can Australia stop the French?

Or are the co-hosts going out at the quarter-final stage, Susie? I mean, based on this tournament, your guess is as good as mine. I don't think it is, based on this tournament or our previous predictions. I mean, my heart sort of says Australia based on the sort of journey they've been on through this tournament. Everything feels to be clicking at the right time just before Sam Kerr comes back and then she slots into the fold um but I just think that the Australian defense against the likes of LaSumma, Diani, Kenza, Darley is really going to struggle um I completely agree

with Sophie that uh for me you know like Diani and LaSumma are going to steal the headlines from that game but Darley's journey has just been incredible to see her performing so incredibly well on a world stage is really really nice I interviewed her a while back about her mum's battle of cancer when she was quite young and she's a wonderful human being and she was you know in the squad for the 2015 World Cup but then didn't make the 2019 World Cup and it sort of almost looked like she was sort of slipping away the 2019 World Cup and it sort of almost looked like she was sort of slipping away

from things so to see her sort of back in the fold like that is great and I think she could do some real damage against Australia so whilst my heart

is sort of saying it's still Australia's my head is leaning France's direction increasingly Dali is surreally good. It's going to be fascinating to see that. It's a Saturday.

You've missed his hilarious joke. No further comments. I totally, oh no. It's because I can't hear him. I just can't hear him very well. What did you say? Have I moppeted it? Surreally good, Dali.

Oh, God. Oh, wow. Listen, you're talking to a woman who on what are we on day 20 are we on day 20 talking to a woman who's had very little sleep johnny lou you're jet lagged so the fact that you've even come up with a joke like that in the first place kudos but you're giving it to the wrong person here to be fair melting clocks feel very accurate I don't get that either oh no listen listen I'm just a girl I'm just a girl from Luton I don't ever profess to be an art aficionado slash lover and here you are throwing these kind of puns at me that I'm just not getting you're just you're just revealing my uh lack of culturalism no lack of culture lack of culture I need to take you to Barcelona Faye we'll go on a a cultural Dali focused trip I look for I look forward to it I need it darling oh god right okay should we just

should we just before I embarrass myself further with my my lack of art knowledge should we carry on and uh and look ahead to the quarterfinal lineup Spain Netherlands I mean let's face it maybe if I do get up for this I've got I've got a little bit more of an excuse for why I'm being a bit dopey but Spain against the Netherlands Friday 2am UK time even our hardiest UK listeners are surely going to be tested by the start time of this one can you convince them to set their alarms uh Sophie how excited are you for this game I'm very excited um it's going to be a really interesting matchup because the Dutch have been doing really well but i'm still not utterly convinced by them and i guess the same could be said of the spanish in terms of that they've won games solidly but they also lost four nil to japan so there's been

questions that have been raised about both teams i think um throughout the group's ages and even the knockout rounds i mean the, the Dutch against South Africa, Daphne van Donstelo was the player of the match, wasn't she? Because of the saves that she made in that game. So, yeah, it's going to be a really intriguing matchup. And wasn't it meant to be the U.S.? Was it meant to be the U.S.? I think that's why it's at that time in the morning,

because if the USA had topped the group, that would have been their path. So the poor European teams and their nations having to wake up at god knows what hours for that for that game um yeah as a as a pin well that that's the law I mean especially after what Salon Andy Hickman was saying yesterday about the USA that's the USA having the last laugh at us in a way maybe not I think they'd probably rather be there to be fair Japan Sweden Friday 8 30 UK time slightly more palatable Japan the obvious favourites for this game although you know Sweden have been good but they weren't very good against the USA but Japan have just looked like champions all the way through this tournament. Yeah, I mean, I am really intrigued by this because Sweden have been pretty good defensively

and are a very well-organised side and Japan are a beautifully organised club-like team playing very attractive football, slightly vulnerable to, as we discussed yesterday, to set pieces. Sweden very good at set pieces some really tall players in there that you know steven black sinius for example you know really really good in the air i i actually think it's no i was going to say it's my pick of the tie i don't think

it can really beat australia france can it but uh it it was my pick of the time before that game was completed and that time was drawn is that the way to put it no that's stretched too far what's happening to all of us today they're all brilliant um no it's i think it's gonna be great um and japan obvious favorites for the tournament on the basis of their performances so far they've been relentless they've barely put a foot wrong sweden obviously were made to work very very very hard by the US were quite lucky in many senses you need some luck in a tournament sometimes and maybe they'll get a bit lucky again yeah we shall see I'm really looking forward to that game we've

already mentioned Australia France Saturday eight o'clock UK time word, Johnny, who's winning it for you? It's interesting. I mean, it's interesting to talk to some of the French journalists here because they don't really do hope in France. They don't do blind hope. They don't BS themselves. They have a pretty good idea of when they're on it, when they're good, and when they're a basket case.

And they are really confident. They are bullish about this. They think they're a basket case. And they are really confident. They are bullish about this. They think they're going to beat Australia. And they kind of convinced me, certainly tonight, not so much on the pitch, but in the media room. They talked me into thinking France might just spoil the party. Renard has clearly, Herve Renard has clearly got them mentally fresh again. They feel like a new team.

And that's, I guess, kind of the skill of bringing a coach in who can bond and gel a team in a short space of time. So they are going through the gears, I think, just the right time. And Australia are too, of course. But I think it's France who play with less pressure and are probably slightly the better side. So I make them slight favourites. I've got a feeling this one's going to go down to extra time and penalties.

I don't know. I just feel like all the drama is surrounding it. Let's hope England-Colombia doesn't go down to that, because I don't think any of us could fully cope with it after the other day. Straight after that Australia-France game, 11.30 UK time on Saturday, England do face Colombia. We've obviously already mentioned this fixture quite heavily in part one, but let's get some score predictions that are quite clearly going to be wholly inaccurate. I'm going to start with you, Sozie. Sozie? Oh, it's another one of those chaotic pods. I'm so sorry.

Makes it sound like my name is a cross between Sozie and Dozie, which fits. I'll take Sozie. Oh, God. I'm very worried about Columbia. Yeah, I'm very worried about Columbia. I think they could edge it. What will it be? I think England will score. If I'm going to about Colombia. I think they could edge it. What will it be?

I think England will score. If I'm going to do a score prediction, let's go 2-1 Colombia. Sophie? The thing about me is I get very superstitious, and I don't like predicting scores. So this is a problem. I normally leave it to Rachel, that's why. I want to...

I have faith, and I think England will come through. Don't ask me what the score will be. Johnny, what's the score going to be? It's going to be 2-0 to England. And I think England is going to score. I've been banging this struggle tournament. It's going to be Bethany. It's going to be Bethany what does it.

Johnny's coming in with all the confidence of a French journalist there. I've been banging this struggle tournament. It's going to be Bethany. It's going to be Bethany what does it. Johnny's coming in with all the confidence of a French journalist there. I can't believe they got under your skin. I mean, if it's a shithousey game, I think England are pretty good at playing that sort of game. I know, you know, Colombia are very dangerous,

but England have, I think they know how to win these games Nigeria there's no guarantee that they're going to repeat that sort of performance it's going to be a completely different sort of game we've seen that all tournament that teams have swung from one extreme to the other

I think they've got this I think that Nigeria performance is going to have helped them play against a really physical side I think what happened to Lauren James is going to have helped them play against a really physical side. I think what happened to Lauren James is going to help them because they're going to have a lot of focus on how to keep your cool when you're being frustrated that maybe they wouldn't necessarily have focused on. I'm also going for an England win. And actually, I think across all the pods we've done since we first started over a year ago, I think I just edged Susie on predictions.

So I'm hoping here, bearing in mind she's the only one that's gone for a Columbia win. I've gone tactically. I've gone tactically knowing my form. Right. Okay. I like it. I like your thinking. Very intelligent. Unlike my artistic knowledge.

And I can't believe going back to that art conversation that you thought I had any kind of um artistic knowledge when I asked you to cut me a koala out of lino I did it I know you did because because you're wonderful uh Johnny Lou take care see you soon see you soon bye don't don't listen don't listen to those french journos just just you know forge your own path bye sosie i feel like i need to change my twitter handle i do yeah oh god you should do that definitely so take the hat off swap it with another one that's going to antagonize people especially if we end up getting australia in the semi-finals if we both get through. I'll plan my next one.

Brilliant stuff. Right, we'll be back on Saturday after England against Colombia. Women's Football Weekly is produced by Joel Grove. Music composition was by Laura Iredale. Our executive producer is Max Sanderson. Women's Football Weekly is supported by Google Pixel. With its incredible camera and AI-powered technology, Google Pixel is bringing fans closer to the game this summer. Search Google Store to find out more.

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