| ENGLAND | 1 | (0) | - | 0 | (0) | AZERBAIJAN |
| Rachel Walker 60 (F) |
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England played Azerbaijan for the first time in their history earlier today and won 1-0 in their fourth game of the Champions Challenge, putting them third in the table with a chance of reaching the final going into the last game on Friday.
Azerbaijan, cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, forced four corners in the fifth minute of the game testing the skills of ‘keeper Katy Roberts who performed well to keep the host side at bay. They won a fifth corner on 13 minutes and although no goal was scored, England suffered a fatal blow with key player Crista Cullen feeling the force of the ball which kept her from the field of play for 11 minutes.
England went on to dominate the latter part of the first half and on 29 minutes created a good move down to the base line to Alex Danson, but her cross was cut short and the move came to nothing.
England started the second half well and earned an early corner, but Crista Cullen’s drag flick was charged down by Azerbaijan.
England tried to play with patience but they struggled to create many opportunities.
There was a worrying time for England on the 56th minute when Katy Roberts sustained an injury, but she recovered to complete the game. A minute later, England found themselves down to 10 players when Canterbury’s Hayley Brown received a yellow card for a clumsy challenge.
Rachel Walker scored her 15th England goal, putting her side 1-0 up on the 60th minute when the ball was fed into the circle and she unleashed a great strike from the inside left which left the Azerbaijan goalkeeper rooted to the spot.
England then experienced a sloppy period of play giving away possession and giving Azerbaijan unnecessary opportunities. The home side grew in confidence and threw everything at their opponents, but England held on for the win.
England play their last round robin match of the Champions Challenge on Saturday at 0800 hrs BST against tournament seeds China who are currently sitting in the top spot. England could still make the final if they beat their rivals.
Current Table
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| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| China | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 9 |
| Korea | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| England | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| USA | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 3 |
| Azerbaijan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 0 |
ATA HOLDING WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE
England Team Selection
Y = Player started match,
SUB = Player was involved in the match but did not start
DNP = Player Did Not Play
| No | Name | Club | Age | vs New Zealand | vs Korea | vs USA | vs Azerbaijan | vs China | vs (TBC) |
| 1 | Katy Roberts (GK) | Chelmsford | 29 | DNP | Y | DNP | Y |
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| 3 | Lisa Wooding | Chelmsford | 27 | Y | DNP | DNP | DNP |
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| 5 | Crista Cullen | Leicester | 21 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
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| 6 | Mel Clewlow | Canterbury | 31 | Y | SUB | Y | Y |
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| 8 | Helen Richardson | Leicester | 25 | SUB | Y | Y | Y |
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| 9 | Jo Ellis | Ipswich | 25 | Y | Y | SUB | Y |
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| 11 | Kate Walsh | Slough | 27 | Y | Y | 2007-06-15 01. January
01. January
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