Page 4 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.1 2022-23
P. 4

England are to return to the scene of two of their most memorable UEFA EURO 2022 victories
       when they welcome Czech Republic to Brighton on Tuesday 11th October.
            The south coast venue was where the Lionesses were 8-0 winners against Norway in a
       group stage fixture, before a dramatic 2-1 quarter-final defeat of Spain after extra time.
            The  Czechs  are  an  emerging  force,  having  drawn  twice  with  the  Netherlands  in  their
       qualifying group for the World Cup. They also earned a goalless draw away to the United States
       in last February’s SheBelieves Cup.
            England last faced Czech Republic in November 2019 when Bethany England, Beth Mead
       and Leah Williamson were all on the scoresheet in a 3-2 victory away from home.
            The  Brighton  game  will  follow  England’s  Friday  7th  October  meeting  with  the  United
       States at Wembley Stadium connected by EE with both fixtures seen as vital to the squad’s 2023
       FIFA World Cup preparations.
            Sarina  Wiegman  said:  “The  World  Cup  has  our  full  focus.  It  is  great  we  will  have
       challenging matches against two opponents who have very different styles of play, as we start the
       road to Australia and New Zealand. We have achieved so much this year, but we need to be
       thinking about where we want to be as a squad next summer on the biggest stage of all.
            “I am also very happy we get a chance to go back to Brighton and say thank you to the fans
       who played such a big part in our EURO experience.”
            Tickets  will  go  on-sale  to  My  England  Football  members  at  12pm  on  Wednesday  7th
       September for an exclusive 24 hour window. General sale will start from 12pm on Thursday 8th
       September.


       Manchester  City  Football  Club  is  delighted  to  announce  the
       signing  of  Japanese  international  midfielder  Yui  Hasegawa
       from West Ham United on a three-year deal.
            The  25-year-old  makes  the  switch  to  the  Academy
       Stadium  having  impressed  during  a  year-long  spell  with  the
       Hammers in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
            Also a seasoned international with her homeland, she has
       made 58 appearances for her country since her debut in 2017
       and  has  represented  them  at  the  FIFA  Women’s  World  Cup,
       AFC Women’s Asian Cup, Olympic Games and SheBelieves Cup.
            Born in Toda, Japan, in January 1997, Hasegawa joined
       Nippon TV Beleza in her homeland aged 12 and rose through
       their youth ranks before moving into their senior set-up in 2013. Going on to make over a century
       of appearances for the club over an eight-year spell and helping them to win the Japanese league
       title for five consecutive seasons, the creative midfielder earned herself a move to Europe in early
       2021  with  AC  Milan.  After  just  seven  months  in  Italy  however  –  scoring  three  goals  in  nine
       outings – the playmaker put pen to paper on a two-year deal with West Ham United last August.
            Turning out for the East London outfit on 17 occasions and finding the back of the net twice
       in 2021-22 – including an effort in a 2-0 victory over City last October - Hasegawa has swapped
       the capital for Manchester ahead of the start of the new campaign.
            Speaking about her move, she said: “It has been a big dream of mine to come to Manchester
       City to play football, so I am very happy to be here.
            “When I played against City last season, I really liked the team’s playing style, so when I got
       this opportunity, I immediately wanted to join the club.
            “People see me as an attacking player, but I also want to be known for my defending and
       unpredictability. I may be small, but I am strong, and I want to show that.
            “I’d like to create as many goals and assists as possible for the team this season to help us
       to hopefully enjoy a lot of success.”
                                            news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk
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