Internationals: Fox triumphs, Williamson returns

Emily Fox and the US Women's National Team won their seventh SheBelieves Cup on Tuesday evening, defeating Canada in a penalty shootout. 

Cloe Lacasse was a half-time substitute for the Canadians, who took the lead in the final through Adriana Leon. A brace from Sophia Smith reversed the United States' fortunes in the second half but Leon wasn't finished yet, equalising from the spot in the dying minutes of the match.

Even the resulting penalty shootout went to sudden death and not for the first time, keeper Alyssa Naeher pulled off some heroics between the posts to deny the US' neighbours. Fox stepped up for the decisive spot-kick and sent Kailen Sheridan the wrong way, clinching victory for the USWNT. 

Over in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifiers, several of our Lionesses went head-to-head with Katie McCabe's Ireland in Group A3.

After almost a year away, Leah Williamson made her return to the England side as captain and our centre-back played 90 minutes in the 2-0 win over the Girls in Green. A close-range strike from Lauren James and a penalty from Alex Greenwood was enough for the Lionesses at the Aviva Stadium, with Alessia Russo and Beth Mead also featuring.

Elsewhere in the group, Sweden and Stina Blackstenius were in a closely contested tie with France, only to be undone by a late goal from Wendie Renard.

Victoria Pelova played the full match in the Netherlands' 1-0 win over Norway in Group A1, with Lineth Beerensteyn's 6th-minute goal the only difference between the two sides. Frida Maanum did not join the Norwegian team for this window. 

After a narrow loss to Germany last time around, Manuela Zinsberger and Austria recorded their first win of the qualifiers with a 3-1 victory over Poland. Laura Wienroither was named on the bench but has yet to play since suffering an ACL injury last May. 

World Cup winners Spain continued their great form with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. Laia Codina was not involved after returning to Sobha Realty Training Centre earlier in the week with muscle discomfort. 

The Matildas were also in action stateside, playing Mexico in a friendly in Texas. Caitlin Foord assisted the opening goal for Australia with a brilliant run down the left flank and cutback to Hayley Raso. Our left winger got on the scoresheet herself in the second half, receiving a pass from Steph Catley, cutting inside and beautifully curling the ball around the Mexican keeper's outstretched gloves. 

The England U19s completed their U19 European Championship qualifiers in style with a brilliant 4-1 win over Italy. Captain Freya Godfrey bagged a brace in the win, with Maddy Earl playing the full 90 minutes and Michelle Agyemang coming on as a half-time sub.