International Round-Up: 100 percent record for Guyatt & Potter – News – Crystal Palace F.C.
Shauna Guyatt captained England Under-19s to important wins in UEFA U19 Championship qualifying on Tuesday and Friday, with Lexi Potter netting in the latter game.
The Young Lionesses played three games across seven days in south Wales as part of round one of qualifying for next summer’s U19 Euros in Lithuania, advancing to round two by winning all three.
A hard-fought 2-0 win against Greece at the Cardiff International Sports Campus kick-started the qualification campaign as Guyatt – wearing the armband – and teammate Potter both played the full 90 minutes in the centre of the park.
Indeed, both players came close to breaking the deadlock as Potter saw a second-half effort whistle just wide and Guyatt rattled the woodwork, but in the end, late goals from Liverpool’s Mia Endersby and Sunderland’s Katy Watson proved enough to secure victory.
Next up, Guyatt played the first-half – again wearing the armband – and Potter the second, in a resounding 6-1 win over Wales at Dragon Park, the Wales National Football Centre.
After falling behind early on, England stormed into a 3-1 half-time lead prior to Potter’s entrance – and the midfielder soon after made it 4-1 after collecting a pass from Poppy Pritchard and dispatching a shot over the ‘keeper and in off the underside of the bar.
And in their final group-stage game, against Czechia, Potter played the full 90 minutes – with Guyatt an unused substitute – as Amy Merricks’ England team continued their 100 percent record with a 1-0 win in Cardiff, duly topping their group.
In round two, which will take place in early 2024, further mini-tournaments will decide which nations reach the eight-team Finals.
In senior international action elsewhere, Elise Hughes won her 18th cap for Wales as The Dragons slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Denmark in Viborg on Tuesday evening.
The Palace forward – who has scored eight times in eight games for Palace this season – entered the fray as a 76th-minute substitute, minutes after her team had halved their deficit, and helped her side press high as they sought an equaliser.
Although Wales sadly could not find it, ultimately suffering a fourth straight UEFA Women’s Nations League loss, Hughes’ brief display was praised by former goalkeeper Jo Price, who said on BBC Radio Wales Extra: “I’ve watched Elise Hughes come through as a youngster and she has always been such a physical presence. Even at a young age she’s always been brilliant in the air and held the ball up really well, she can offer a lot to this side.”
Palace teammate Anna Filbey was also called up for the pair of Nations League matches. The Dragons had suffered difficult defeats in their opening two Group A3 games last month, and were defeated 5-1 by Germany in Silsheim on Friday afternoon, with Filbey and Hughes both unused substitutes on that occasion.
The results of the competition will be used to determine the leagues for the Euro 2025 qualifiers, with the top two teams also qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
And in Group B1 of the same competition, Hayley Nolan was an unused substitute as the Republic of Ireland – who had won their opening two games comfortably – defeated Albania both home (5-1) and away (1-0) to win their group and achieve promotion to League A.
You can see a full summary of Palace players’ international breaks below!
Following the international break, Palace Women travel to Watford in the Women’s Championship on Sunday, 5th November (14:00 GMT kick-off), before hosting Lewes at the VBS Community Stadium on Sunday, 12th November (14:00).
They then return to Selhurst Park when they host Southampton on Sunday, 19th November (14:00) – and you can get tickets to back the Eagles now!
Wales – Filbey & Hughes
Fri, 27th October: Germany 5-1 Wales (Both Filbey and Hughes were unused substitutes)
Tue, 31st October: Denmark 2-1 Wales (Hughes was a 76th-minute substitute and impressed during her brief display)
Republic of Ireland – Nolan
Fri, 27th October: Republic of Ireland 5-1 Albania (Nolan was an unused substitute in Ireland’s dominant win)
Tue, 31st October: Albania 0-1 Republic of Ireland (On the bench, Nolan did not add to her three senior caps)
England U19s – Guyatt & Potter
Tue, 24th October: Greece 0-2 England (Guyatt wore the captain’s armband, and both she and Potter played the full 90 minutes of an important victory)
Fri, 27th October: England 6-1 Wales (Guyatt wore the armband and played the first-half, before Potter came on for the second and scored)
Mon, 30th October: England 1-0 Czechia (Potter played the full 90 minutes of a narrow win; Guyatt was an unused substitute)
