To lean on a tired clich?: sometimes it is better to be lucky, than good. No would accuse England of having been good against France but that defeat and the subsequent win over the Netherlands mean that barring an utter disaster against the Welsh on Sunday the Lionesses will come out of Group D in second. Why is this lucky? Well it would certainly be advantageous to be on the opposite side of the draw to Spain, the team who have looked a class apart so far during the tournament, if your goal is to reach the final. But can that luck stretch further?
Knockout qualification is not on the line for Sweden or Germany after both teams earned the maximum six points from their opening two fixtures, but the prize of finishing top of Group C is. The winners of Group C will play the second-place team in Group D in the quarter-final, do you see where I am going with this? While perfectly illustrating the wonderful simplicity that is a 16-team international tournament, tonight?s meeting at the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich is a real pick your poision, with a defeat meaning you will face France and a win bringing on England.
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