Sean Dancer’s 18-women side beat France, Belarus and Wales to secure their place in next year’s competition that will be held in Spain and the Netherlands in July.

It will be the second World Cup appearance in a row for the Irish Women’s team after earning the silver medal in 2018’s instalment.

Anna O’Flanagan’s brace helped Ireland to edge the Welsh in the final and finish the qualifier in first, taking the sole World Cup spot on offer.

O’Flanagan fired home the winner with 11 minutes to go in Pisa and Sean Dancer’s ladies held out to progress, as they had done in the semi-final against Belarus.

Their defensive efforts proved the difference as the national side conceded only four goals in the qualifier, with high-scoring Belarus the only side to put two past goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran.

O’Flanagan finished joint-top of the pile on the scoring charts with four goals while rookie Niamh Carey scored two in Ireland’s first two games on their way to World Cup qualification.

“This was a defining moment for us,” captain Katie Mullan said after the match. “To make sure that it wasn’t just a one era team and to make sure that it was the future of hockey in Ireland, the future of the Green Army, and we’ve really backed that up by ensuring that we go to a World Cup next summer.

“The margins are so fine, but I’m just so proud of this group. It’s such an incredible group to be a part of, and yeah, we’re gonna go now and prepare and do as best [as] we can and work incredibly hard over the next year.”

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Number eight Vermeulen, nicknamed Thor, has signed a two-year contract with Ulster that will keep him in the province until 2023.

The 35-year-old brings with him experience gained in both Super Rugby and the Top 14, as well as internationals, and will join the United Rugby Championship in November once he has completed international duties during the Autumn Tests.

In 2019, Vermeulen was crowned Player of the Match as South Africa stormed their way to World Cup victory, lifting the Webb Ellis trophy.

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England and Croatia kick-off Group D of the 2020 UEFA European Championship on Sunday, 13^th June at 14:00.

England enters the competition as one of the favourites to win it.

They have a squad filled with players entering their prime.

However, they will be missing Trent Alexander-Arnold after his injury against Austria.

Brighton centre-back Ben White has replaced the Liverpool right-back in the squad.

Harry Maguire may miss the opener through injury, but White is a capable deputy.

In contrast, Croatia is stumbling into the competition after poor showings in the UEFA Nations League and recent international friendlies.

A muscle injury has sidelined Croatia’s Dejan Lovren since April, per Transfermarkt, and his possible absence may be a big one.

As a result, Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car is expected to line up in his place.

The midfield will be the most interesting matchup of the game.

The youthful trio of Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham will be involved in England’s midfield.

However, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson could also make an appearance.

Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic can start in the centre of the pitch for the Croatians.

The Croatian midfield will be where most of their attacks begin.

Whoever dominates the middle of the field may end up on top at the final whistle.

Manchester City wingers Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling will be available for selection after joining up with the squad following their UEFA Champions League final loss.

Andrej Kramaric could return to the Croatian starting lineup after being sidelined for Dinamo Zagreb’s Bruno Petkovic up top.

Predicted Lineups

England (4-3-3): Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, Ben White, John Stones, Luke Shaw; Declan Rice, Mason Mount, Jude Bellingham; Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane, Phil Foden.

Croatia (4-3-3): Dominik Livakovic; Sime Vrsaljko, Domagoj Vida, Duje Caleta-Car, Borna Barisic; Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic; Ante Rebic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic.

Betting

England 4/6

Draw 13/5

Croatia 9/2

Result Prediction

England 2-1 Croatia.

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The teams in Group D are Croatia, Czech Republic, England, and Scotland.

This is the only group in which none of the sides has previously won the European Championship.

A 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final rematch will take place and the England-Scotland rivalry will be renewed.

CROATIA

Croatia enters the Euros with their last major tournament appearance being a loss in the 2018 World Cup final.

13 of the players in that 23-man squad make up half of the Croatian’s squad for Euro 2020.

The side is once again raring to go with many of the chosen players in their prime or nearing it.

The midfield will be the most important part of the pitch for Zlatko Dalic’s side.

Marcelo Brozovic and Luka Modric are still ever-present in the side and Mateo Kovacic has become a regular.

However, the chequered ones have been poor in recent times with an abysmal Nations League campaign.

They are not as strong as they once were, but if they hit the ground running, they could go far.

If they do not, it could be one to forget for the Croatians.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic qualified second in their qualifying group, having snatched victory against England in Prague.

They come into this summer’s tournament boasting some talented players among their ranks.

18-year-old Adam Hlozek can show big clubs why they should sign him this summer after a superb season for Slavia Prague.

A hard-working midfield includes captain Vladimir Darida, Jakub Jankto and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek.

Soucek’s clubmate, Vladimir Coufal, will be a threat on the right side of the field.

The side pales in comparison to Croatia and England on paper though and will need a statement performance to help them through.

ENGLAND

England, on the other hand, needs to live up to statements made by the fans and the media if they want the European Championships to come home this summer.

Yeh our warm-up performances were a bit boring but it doesn’t matter because football is still 100% coming home pic.twitter.com/IJqq5SMdXE

— England Extra (@EnglandExtra) June 6, 2021

Gareth Southgate’s selection confused some as it appears that some positions are short on numbers and others involve players lacking fitness.

Another worry is the number of games many of their squad have played.

Burnout is possible this summer.

This will need to be a risk that pays off if the side wants to follow through on the aspirations of the many.

Declan Rice will offer support for the defensive line, whether it be two or three at the back, and Mason Mount will do similar for the forwards.

Harry Kane’s all-round qualities will be on display as England will look to make use of their pacy wingers and full-backs (possibly one of their centre-backs too).

The utility of certain players – Kyle Walker and Kieran Tripper for example – will be visible for all to see.

England will play all their group games at Wembley, giving them an advantage over their opposition before the game has begun.

If they avenge their World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia, they should have no trouble topping the group, but England has a history of creating trouble for themselves in major tournaments.

SCOTLAND

Scotland is the final member of Group D and is in their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.

Steve Clarke has turned the side’s fortunes around and they are enjoying their football now.

Premier League talents feature for the side while the strikers in the squad offer a range of attacking threats.

The use of two left-backs allows Scotland to play their two best players and it overloads the left flank.

Midfielders such as John McGinn can also offer a direct route of attack.

Leeds United’s Liam Cooper and Norwich’s Grant Hanley partner each other in defence but will have tough assignments against Kane, Hlozek and Croatia’s firepower.

Home advantage against Croatia and the Czech Republic is something Scotland could be thankful for.

Group D Fixtures:

England v Croatia Sunday, 13th June 14:00.

Scotland v Czech Republic Monday, 14th June 14:00.

Croatia v Czech Republic Friday, 18th June 17:00.

England v Scotland Friday, 18th June 20:00.

Croatia v Scotland Tuesday, 22nd June 20:00.

Czech Republic v England Tuesday, 22nd June 20:00.

Betting Group D Winner

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