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The England women’s blind team have been in action at the IBSA World Championship in India this month.
It was the Para Lionesses’ first major tournament since 2023, and they should return home with a huge sense of achievement.
Her Football Hub have been keeping up to date with their progress. If you’ve missed the action, here’s everything you need to know.
What is the IBSA World Championship?
The IBSA Women’s Blind Football World Championship is a prestigious global tournament under the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), showcasing the best of blind football talent from around the world. This year, the tournament has been held in India, a historic moment for the country.
England were joined by hosts India, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Poland and Turkey.
The England women’s blind team
Blind Football is an adapted version of futsal. It consists of four outfield players who are blind (severely sight impaired) and a sighted goalkeeper.
Find out more about the rules of the game and how it works here.
Head coach Tony Larkin selected a 10-player squad for the tournament:
Alicia Grimmond, Katie Christopher, Amelie Ford, Alice Hopkins, Lucja Wyrwantowicz, Natasha Mead, Selina Prieto, Samantha Gough, Megan Smithson-Booth and Maria Slade.
Match one: A triumphant win over Poland
The team kicked off their IBSA World Championship campaign with a triumphant 2-0 victory over Poland.
The first half proved to be a tight one. However, England came out for the second half with renewed vigour and they opened the scoring midway through the half from Megan Smithson-Booth, after collecting the ball from an indirect free-kick on the edge of the area before firing home. She doubled the advantage soon after.
Match Two: a tight draw with Brazil
The Para Lionesses played out a 1-1 draw with Brazil in their second game.
England struck late in the first half through Smithson-Booth. However, Brazil levelled early in the second half, with the match finishing all square.
Match three: A thrilling victory over the hosts
England finished match three topping their group stage, with a brace from Smithson-Booth seeing them into the semi-final.
England took the lead with four minutes to go of the first half.
India found a leveller with nine minutes left on the clock when Shefali Rawat cut inside from the right and saw her shot deflected past goalkeeper Alicia Grimmond.
With both teams pushing for a win, the momentum was building. The Para Lionesses found a late winner with just one minute left on the clock, sealing the victory.
Match four: England reach the final
The Para Lionesses saw out a 0-0 draw with Japan. In typical England fashion, they earned their win on penalties — a story that might sound familiar to Lionesses fans.
In the shootout, first up was captain Samantha Gough who missed her spot-kick. England goalkeeper Alicia Grimmond produced a stop to deny Japan before England’s opponents struck the upright with their next penalty.
England’s Alice Hopkins was unable to convert, meaning the shootout went to sudden death. Japan also missed their next effort before Lucja Wyrwantowicz’s penalty was kept out by a diving save from the Japanese keeper.
Grimmond saved again from Japan before Selina Prieto’s strike was stopped by Japan. Then, Japan’s next kick was straight at Grimmond.
It was all now down to the Para Lionesses. Captain Samantha Gough stepped up again to take her second penalty, one that secured England their spot in the final.
Embed from Getty Images
Match five: Heartache against Argentina in the final
The Lionesses showed their true fight throughout the final, making it a tight and tense game. However, they fell at the final hurdle against champions Argentina. The South Americans claimed victory in the last 10 minutes.
The first goal came with just over eight minutes left on the clock, when Argentina’s Gracia Sosa turned well from out wide before finding a pass for Yohana Aguilar. She then fired an unstoppable shot past England goalkeeper Grimmond into the top left corner.
The Argentinians doubled their lead with six minutes to go. Sosa dribbled into the box before shooting low into the far corner, making them victorious.
While they didn’t win the title, England can return home with so much pride. It was their only defeat in the tournament, having topped their group and made it to the final.
