OK, I’m going to wrap this liveblog up now. Thanks so much for all your emails and tweets: I do appreciate it. All the best.
Herdman is right: on another day, Canada could have done it. Two evenly matched teams, and not much in it at all: England defended a bit better, probably, and were perhaps a bit more organised. I thought Schmidt and Sinclair excelled for Canada, but England’s back four were really solid.
England’ll have to improve against Japan, but they’re hard to beat, and that’s their fourth straight 2-1 victory. They seem to know how to win when it’s tight!
And Canada coach John Herdman:
We just made mistakes. They caught us on a set play, but we’ve given everything tonight. We’ve given our best, and that’s all I could ask for. Sinclair was immense, I just want to thank everyone. We could have done this, and we’re sorry.
Here’s Mark Sampson:
We didn’t play much football today, and huge credit to Canada. But this team just won’t give it. I don’t know how deep they’ve dug, but they’ve got themselves through. I’m just really proud of our players.
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The second half was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest – especially after a riveting first 45. Canada never really got going, and didn’t really look like equalising. England dug in and protected their lead, and saw it out with relative ease. They play Japan on Wednesday, at 6pm ET (11pm BST).
Tim Burgess is back:
Congrats England. Exciting game and very close, but England deserved it….just!
I think that’s about right. Canada will feel hard done by, in that they played well, particularly in the first half. England, I suppose, took their chances, and then defended really expertly in that second period. Canada barely tested Siobhan Chamberlain.
England into World Cup semi-finals
Tears for Canada! England are joyous. They win 2-1 – and they’ll play Japan in the semi-finals. It’s their first ever World Cup semi-final. Congratulations!
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FULL-TIME: England 2-1 Canada
That’s it! England go through!
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90 min + 5: Chamberlain claims! England are second away …
90 min + 4: Canada can’t get going. Time for one last chance?
90 min + 3: Canada finishing with a whimper. Houghton’s free kick … over the bar. Ninety seconds!
90 min + 3: Free kick for England! Sesselmann held Carney, I think, as she looked to break – that’s completely killed the momentum. England change: Casey Stoney in for Carney.
90 min + 2: Free kick for Canada. Everybody goes forward. McLeod with it … headed clear. And that’s England’s throw after a mistake by Alysha Chapman. Three minutes!
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90 min + 1: Schmidt’s corner, and Sinclair was free! She just couldn’t direct her header, and it glanced wide. Five minutes of stoppage time.
90 min: Nicely worked from the back from Canada. Chance for a long throw! And now a corner! England couldn’t clear it! Everybody’s on their feet!
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89 min: Bronze shuts the door on Leon. It’s played back in – it wouldn’t drop for Buchanan or Schmidt – and now Belanger has a go! Saved by Chamberlain.
87 min: England look to play in the corner, and Jodie Taylor’s cross-shot is wide.
85 min: Sinclair and Buchanan combined well, and Leon looked for Matheson, but it just wouldn’t sit for the Canadians. England staying in their shape here. They’ve been alert to any danger and dealt with it well.
84 min: Canada keeping just Buchanan and Sesselmann back now. The full-backs have pushed right on. Leon has seen a fair bit of the ball … and she’s close to an equaliser! England scramble it clear. She just couldn’t get her shot off – and then a huge chance for Sophie Schmidt! Leon’s cross from the left, but Schmidt got too much on it and sent it high from eight yards.
81 min: Lovely turn from Sinclair, and she looks for Chapman out on the left. But it’s well defended by England again: they’ve looked really solid in this second half.
79 min: Canada just had a long throw from close to the byline, and England had 10 players back inside the penalty area. They’re happy to sit on their lead. Now Ellen White in for Fara Williams for England.
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77 min: Better from Canada, as Leon skitters away down the left. It falls to Sinclair, who has a hit with her left foot, but Houghton (maybe?) is in the way. Final change for Canada: Kaylyn Kyle in for Desiree Scott.
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76 min: Dangerous position for England after Karen Carney was fouled. Steph Houghton with it … straight at McLeod.
74 min: Canada running out of time, but they haven’t really found their rhythm in this second half. England look reasonably comfortable.
Of Bardsley, Michael Huppe suggested a rubber pellet in the eye, but Scott Wedel says: “Looks as if goalkeeper got stung. She asked a teammate that appeared to flick something off of her face and it looked swollen.”
73 min: That’s a complete waste from Fara Williams. Catching practice for McLeod.
72 min: Adriana Leon in for Melissa Tancredi, who’s done well. Poor cross from Matheson from the corner, though! Chapman gives it away and England charge forward: that’s a foul by Desiree Scott on her namesake, Jill. Silly foul! And an opportunity for England, near the touchline on the right.
70 min: Twenty minutes to go. And it’s England’s free-kick: Williams looks long, but that’s a firm header from Sophie Schmidt, and an excellent catch from McLeod after Bronze returned it. Canada break, and Matheson forces a corner!
69 min: Matheson is free again on the right-hand side, but her low cross is disappointing. She’s been involved since coming on, though. And some lovely feet from Belanger, who’s moved back to right-back, but her pass is errant.
67 min: Throw-in for England near the byline, but nothing comes of it, and they didn’t send too many forward for it, actually. Houghton wins an important header as Canada look to break. It’s become scrappy.
65 min: … and it’s over the bar. A waste, really. But here come Canada again down the right, and Matheson tries to feed Tancredi, but eight white shirts are back there to clear. The England midfield is sitting deep now.
64 min: Yellow card for Jade Moore for a crude body check on Alysha Chapman. And this is in a dangerous area. Sinclair stands over it …
63 min: That was a chance for Tancredi! It fell to her on the edge of the box, but she dallied, and couldn’t get a shot away. And listen to the roar! Diana Matheson, the Canadian veteran playing in her fourth World Cup, is in for Wilkinson.
61 min: John Herdman is chewing his gum. Canada haven’t forced Chamberlain into a save yet. Carney, who’s been really bright so far, is penalised for handball.
58 min: Here’s Gabriel Piller:
From minute one of Canada v China, Sesselmann has looked like liability at centre back: trying to play overcomplicated passes when simple passes will do; she seems to have a lack of communication with Buchanan, etc. She reminds me a little of David Luiz, actually: a centre back who seems like she should be playing defensive midfield.
Well, she made two bad errors in the first half, and was punished for one of them, but did very well to stop Houghton just now.
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57 min: Nervy clearance from Chamblerlain there – she just belted it into touch under not much pressure. Canada pressing here!
56 min: Taylor cut in from the left, and curled one with her right foot: it was bending inside that far post, but McLeod stretched and tipped clear. Great save! And England cause trouble with the corner, but Sesselmann makes an important block on Houghton.
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55 min: Buchanan strides out from the back, straight-backed and elegant, and finds Sinclair, whose cross is dangerous – but it just wouldn’t sit for Lawrence! England scramble it clear.
Buchanan is only 19. What a fabulous defender. And that’s a magnificent save from McLeod!
52 min: No word on what Bardsley’s problem was, but she gestured to the bench almost immediately. Canada must want to test the new keeper, no? A few thwacks from range from Sinclair and Schmidt and Belanger?
51 min: Bardsley staggers off clutching her right eye. Is she going to be OK? So Siobhan Chamberlain comes in: she’s never played in the World Cup, despite having been to three tournaments. Drama!
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50 min: Bardsley is down: she’s got a problem with her eye. This isn’t good. And she’s going to have to be replaced!
49 min: Close from Karen Carney! She found half a yard of space, about 30 yards from goal, and just gave it a lash. Well struck, but a foot too high.
47 min: I think Belanger fancies taking on Claire Rafferty this half: she’s pulled right out to the flank. Despite all the talk of rough play, that first 45 was played in pretty decent spirit.
46 min: OK, let’s go. More of the same, please!
Second half moments away!
The players are back out. Gary Naylor makes a perceptive point: despite all the good play, all three goals came from mistakes.
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A word from Joe Pearson:
For all the mind games, it’s been England “digging in” against Canada. BTW, who is wearing the TIGHT white shirt better?
You decide!
England still look OK, though, and Taylor has come up big: she took that first chance with absolute assuredness. Carney’s shown some nice touches, particularly down the left, and England’s set pieces are immaculate: they look dangerous every time the ball goes into the box.
Here’s Lisa Diedrich:
oh, oh… Sinclair has got game. Doesn't bode well for England. @georgina_turner @timmyhilleh #CANvsENG
— Lisa Diedrich (@lldiedrich) June 28, 2015
Yep! She’ll take the plaudits for the goal, naturally, but Sinclair’s cross-field pass for that early Tancredi chance was magnificent. What a player.
Just looking back at Sinclair’s goal: it was Lawrence’s cross, actually, not Tancredi’s, but Bardsley should have held it.
Ariane Hingst on the goal: “This is what we needed to keep this game interesting.” And now Canada have the momentum. It’s on!
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No time has ever advanced from the knockout stages when trailing by two goals. But why not Canada tonight?
This is a really great game. Tell your friends to turn on the TV if they can! England got those two early goals from nothing, and Canada looked dead and buried, but they rolled their sleeves up, attacked with width and precision and dynamism, and have a deserved goal. Well played, and it’s set up really nicely for the second half.
Here’s John Pitre on Kadeisha Buchanan:
Buchanan has been incredible in this tournament so far. Attacking her end has been like playing tennis with a brick wall. ‘Tis a tense Anglo-Canadian household here.
Half-time: England 2-1 Canada
That’s the whistle. What a match!
44 min: Canada are attacking with so much vim and gusto. Sinclair picked it up 30 yards from goal and looked ready to shoot, but her touch was a tad heavy and Houghton recovered. This has been such a good response from the hosts.
43 min: I said earlier Bardsley had been perfect, but she should have done better there. I don’t know if you could describe it as a howler, but it was spilled, and Sinclair pounced. Deserved for Canada, but a bad goal to give up from England’s perspective.
42 min: She’s been the best player on the pitch – and she’s got her side back in it. Lovely approach play from Canada, and Ashley Lawrence worked it to the left side, where Tancredi was in a ton of space. Bardsley couldn’t handle Tancredi’s cross, and Sinclair was there to pounce. Game on!
GOAL! England 2-1 Canada (Sinclair 41)
They’re back in it!
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40 min: Buchanan looks so smooth: that one mistake aside, she could be playing in an evening gown. She mops up from Carney, and sets Canada away. Schmidt looks for Tancredi on that diagonal, again, but it’s overhit. Shame.
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39 min: There’s a giant collective yelp every time Canada get into the box. Schmidt is penalised for a push on Williams, who was making a back.
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38 min: This is such a watchable game. Canada have shown some really nice touches, and attacked imaginatively, but England have been clinical. Here’s Michael Hood:
Wow this is a wild one! Being English but having lived in British Columbia I’m torn and will feel for whoever is the loser.
37 min: Canada have had 56% of the possession, and five shots to England’s three – and they’re 2-0 down. Go figure. Hers’s Belanger on the edge of the box, but she should have had a pop! Instead she tried to feed Wilkinson, and the chance was lost.
34 min: Punched clear under pressure by Bardsley, and then caught confidently by the keeper. Bardsley has been perfect so far. But Canada are still showing some spunk: they’re not out of this. Not by a long chalk.
34 min: Canada come again! Tossed in by Sesselmann, and Buchanan made a nuisance of herself, and Wilkinson won the second ball, and it’s a corner!
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33 min: England clear, and then Bardsley catches the second ball. Well defended.
32 min: Canada come again. Here’s IcesWing:
#caneng #Lionesses @timmyhilleh Canada a one woman team @sincy12.
— IcesWing (@spreeth) June 28, 2015
Ooh, I don’t know about that! Belanger and Schmidt have impressed so far! And that’s a key header from Jill Scott to prevent Buchanan getting on the end of Schmidt’s ball. Her delivery is magisterial. Canada’s first corner!
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31 min: Now it’s Canada’s turn to attack: Wilkinson went down the right, and her ball in was cleared, but Belanger scampered clear again, and again England couldn’t stop the cross … but Sinclair’s header was just off target. Belanger showed some serious skill there: well played!
28 min: That probably should be a yellow for Kadeisha Buchanan: she miscontrolled, and Taylor nipped in, and Buchanan just pulled her back on the halfway line. No card, but it is a free kick, and Williams will sling it in again: England look so dangerous from set pieces. And that’s off the bar! Another looping header – this time from Steph Houghton. McLeod was beaten!
26 min: Ashley Lawrence’s cross is claimed by Karen Bardsley. And Fara Williams is back on for England.
24 min: Williams is down for England, and she’s shaking her head, wincing. The doctor is on: time for a breather.
23 min: Another mistake by Sesselmann, and it’s an England corner. Williams takes, but Desiree Scott does well, and Canada clear.
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21 min: Well, Canada need to do what they haven’t done so far in this tournament: score two in a game. They’ve also lost all five World Cup games in which they’ve been two-nil down. Eek!
Chris Pollock, are you being a Brit abroad?!
Sitting in a bar in Boston watching the game. Suffice to say they are nonplussed with my exuberant celebrations of the goals so far. Suffice to say I couldn’t give two hoots. Come on England!!!!
20 min: Shout of hands against Rafferty: nothing doing. Wilkinson has impressed down that right flank – and here’s Sinclair from 15 yards. Wide, but this is much better from Canada. An excellent response. They don’t deserve to be two down.
19 min: Another chance! Fabulous ball in by Sophie Schmidt, and Tancredi’s header is just over! A bit unlucky there, Tancredi, but that was an opportunity: she was free in the box.
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18 min: That was very nicely worked between Schmidt and Wilkinson down the right side, but Wilkinson’s cross was too long. But that’s a foul on Tancredi on the left flank, and a chance for Canada to respond.
17 min: Amazing. England hadn’t been in the game at all, really, but one mistake, and one piece of slack defending, and now they’re in the thick stuff. BC Place is quiet.
15 min: This was too easy! England just lumped it into the box from the free-kick, and Bronze just got up higher! Her header from eight yards or so looped up, and McLeod looked like she had it covered, but it dipped just underneath the bar. Great header, terrible defending, and McLeod will be pissed she didn’t keep it out.
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GOAL! England 2-0 Canada (Bronze 14)
It’s two! Lucy Bronze! Unbelievable!
12 min: Oh boy, what a mistake from Lauren Sesselmann. She was the last defender, and she slipped – think Gerrard against Chelsea in 2014. Taylor broke clear, checked inside, and her finish was unerring: that was a really well taken goal. England lead with their first chance!
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GOAL! England 1-0 Canada (Taylor 11)
Jodie Taylor!
11 min: No real look at goal for England so far. But they’ve been reasonably compact in defence.
10 min: Bronze penalised for a trip, and it’s a free kick in a dangerous position, but Sophie Schmidt’s crossed is headed clear. Good defending from England.
8 min: Oh, what a chance for Melissa Tancredi! Christine Sinclair did so well down the right, and her diagonal ball to the left flank was inch-perfect. Tancredi checked inside Bronze, riding the tackle, but her shot from the edge was just over! I think Tancredi had more time than she realised, there – but a clear opening!
7 min: Rafferty looks long for Jodie Taylor, but it’s overhit, and it’s through to McLeod. It’s keenly contested so far, but neither team look as accomplished as Japan in possession.
5 min: Bardsley came, and punched well, and England clear.
4 min: Erin McLeod’s penalty box is bathed in sunlight, yet the rest of the pitch is in shadow. England haven’t got going yet, and that’s a trip by Bronze on Tancredi. Canada to sling it into the box?
3 min: Not much pattern so far. Cat Whitehill says on commentary: “England tend to look for the vertical ball first.” Get it in the mixer!
Here’s Dave Hunter:
Sitting by the campfire on the shores of Lake Shawanaga in northern Ontario, Canada. Following the match via The Guardian, though cell service is intermittent. C’mon you reds...er, Canada!
You lucky duck!
1 min: And we’re under way in Vancouver! England in white, Canada in red, and an early throw for Canada. “Our ball!” yells Sampson. Ref says: it wasn’t.
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Sampson and Herdman look tanned and well-dressed on the bench. Who’s gonna prevail?!
Claudia Umpierrez, 32, from Uruguay, is tonight’s ref. England make two changes from Norway; Canada are unchanged.
This is more like it, Tim Burgess!
GO CANADA GO!!!!!!
Anthems are done: God Save the Queen and O Canada. Nicely rendered. It’s noisy in the stadium!
We’ve just been treated to some crowd shots of pale, slightly overweight, male England supporters, wearing slightly faded and ill-fitting St George T-shirts they’ve probably taken from the holiday drawer. Makes me so proud!
Tim Burgess replied! But I still think he’s prevaricating!
I have already had the fight with my sister (still in England) about who I should be supporting. I am slightly favouring Canada; it means so much here and they are the (slight) underdogs – although they’ll have all the support in the stadium!
To be honest, I think it could go either way.
I’m sure he’s a red-blooded Canuck really.
Teams walking out. Stadium’s packed!
Kelly Smith, Heather Mitts and Ariane Hingst predict a win for England; Alexi Lalas goes for Canada.
My hot prediction: 2-1 England.
Here’s Mark Sampson, sounding so much like Michael Owen: “England need a big performance today but the players are ready for it. We’re looking forward to it.”
John Herdman: “We’ve done our country proud – it’s just about taking it to the next level. We’ve got a country behind us, and these girls are just looking forward now. It’s just about: can we win this match.”
Some pictures from BC Place:
Some tactical analysis, courtesy of Smith and Heather Mitts. England are going to play a 4-4-2, and Bronze is going to get forward from right-back. Jodie Taylor has the paceto run in behind, and Karen Carney will try to come and play in between the lines.
Canada go 4-3-3: expect Erin McLeod in goal to have a big game. Canada’s full-backs like to attack, too, but will be mindful of leaving gaps for Carney to exploit, and Belanger will drift out to the right flank to worry England’s defence..
Fellow Tim Tim Burgess has emailed!
“Watching in Toronto, following with the Guardian … with my dual UK/Canadian citizenship.”
Yes, but who are you supporting, Tim?! Let us know!
On Fox, former England star Kelly Smith is praising right-back Lucy Bronze. “She’s a team player, she really wants to do well, and she’s just a really nice person. A winning mentality, too.”
Bronze, by the way, is only 23, and she’s already had four knee surgeries. What a champion.
Donovan Bailey is ready:
Good luck to the Canadian Women's Soccer Team today @canadasoccerEN #CanadaRED #canWNT pic.twitter.com/yG43NyaOLH
— Donovan Bailey (@donovanbailey) June 27, 2015
As an aside, Bailey’s Twitter bio is very funny: “Hall of Famer, Olympic Champion, World Champion, father, commentator/analyst, entrepreneur and philanthropist.” Brent-tinged.
Here’s Gary Naylor:
@timmyhilleh What have the Canadians been playing? Ice hockey?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) June 27, 2015
Honk! Funnily enough, Canada has been called for 47 fouls and five yellow cards in four matches compared to the 55 fouls and four yellows awarded to the opposition. But Sampson told my esteemed colleague Louise Taylor:
We’ve got a qualified referee on our staff and, looking back at the games, he says at least quadruple the number of fouls they’ve actually been penalised for could have been awarded against them. I hope the match referee realises there’s 22 players and two teams on the pitch.
Some admin from earlier: Japan beat Australia 1-0 in Edmonton, thanks to a late winner from Mana Iwabuchi. It was hot, and the quality wasn’t great, but the champions did enough to win. They pass the ball beautifully, Japan: by far the easiest team on the eye at this tournament. Here’s Simon Evans’s report:
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Cathal Chu is on the money:
Nobody seems to have noticed that, by reaching the quarter finals of the Women’s World Cup, England have qualified for the 2016 Olympic Women’s Football tournament.
The Women’s World Cup doubles as UEFA’s Olympic qualifying tournament, whereby the top 3 European team make it to Rio 2016. The three teams from Europe in the Olympic football competition will therefore be France, Germany and England.
Except England won’t be there, because The FA have already said that England (or Great Britain, to be precise) will take part in no more Olympic tournaments. Why isn’t anyone kicking up a fuss about this?
As always, your emails and tweets are most welcome. If you’re staying up in England to watch, I have nothing but respect: it’s a 12.30am start there.
Team news
The lineups are in!
#ENG XI: Bardsley (GK), Rafferty, Williams, Houghton (C), Bassett, Scott, Carney, Moore, Bronze, Chapman, Taylor pic.twitter.com/2fTopavp4L
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) June 27, 2015
#CAN XI: McLeod, Buchanan, Wilkinson, Belanger, Sesselmann, Scott, Sinclair (C), Schmidt, Tancredi, Chapman, Lawrence pic.twitter.com/ilSp9svxrA
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) June 27, 2015
So Jodie Taylor makes her first World Cup start for England, and there’s no room for Eniola Aluko. Christine Sinclair captains Canada, and watch out for Josee Belanger up front.
An extra element introduced into tonight’s showdown in Vancouver is some added needle, courtesy of the two teams’ British coaches. Mark Sampson of England feels Canada have been kicking bollock and brain throughout this tournament, and has called on the refs to do their thing. It’s mind games over here!
Per Sampson: “Without a shadow of a doubt, we’re playing the most aggressive team in this tournament. Whether they’re overly aggressive is open to interpretation. We’re all aware of the big refereeing decisions that have gone their way. They’ve been given a very dubious penalty [in the opening game against China] and we can look at the fouls that have been awarded against them.”
Oh boy! John Herdman, the Canadian coach from County Durham in the north of England, replied tersely:
“We’re looking forward to getting out there and giving England hell. There’s one team that wants to prevent us from getting into the next round and a team here that’s been dreaming of that for the last three or four years, maybe their whole lives.
“We’ll be going out there as physical as we can and doing what Canadians do. The players will put their bodies on the line.”
Eesh. We can only hope that in amongst all the kicking and obstructing and body-checking, a football match breaks out.
Hi! A decidedly Commonwealth flavour here tonight, and an intriguing match-up: England play Canada for a place in the last four of the World Cup, in a packed BC Place going bananas for the hosts. Canada are gunning for their second World Cup semi-final – but England have a chance to reach the semis for the first time in their history. It’ll be tight, and defensive – neither team score that many goals: indeed, Canada’s four matches have been strictly binary – but it should be compelling. Can the hosts beat their friends from over the Atlantic? Find out from 7.30pm ET | 12.30am BST. It’s on!
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Louise Taylor’s preview:
A watershed was reached in hot, humid, Ottawa on Monday night when England finally won a knock-out match in a World Cup finals. Given the multimillion pound investment the Football Association has made in the women’s game during the past few years there would have been quite an inquest had Mark Sampson’s side failed to come from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in the round of 16.
Thanks to Lucy Bronze’s spectacular long-range winner the need for such an uncomfortable post mortem was avoided and the Lionesses can now look forward to Saturday’s intriguing quarter-final against Canada in Vancouver.
The fact the hosts are coached by John Herdman, a 39-year-old Newcastle United supporter from Consett in County Durham only adds to the fascination of a game Sampson hopes can “inspire the next generation” of female footballers in England.
