After a prolonged period of fixtures being played behind closed doors, I am finally back at a game. The fixture is the Capital Women's Cup Final between local rivals Queens Park Rangers Women and Actonian Ladies. Following narrow wins in their semi-final fixtures both sides made the short trip to Bedfont Sports in hopes of lifting the trophy.
The first half began with Actonians taking an early lead in the 3rd minute of the game, thanks to a fantastic goal by shakes whose effort flew over the head of R’s keeper Lucy White. In what proved to be an end-to-end initial period, QPR women equalised only a short time later after Demi Edwards low driven finish went into the net. An evenly contested first half made chance creation difficult both teams. As the half drew to an end, shot opportunities were low, leaving the ball to be exchanged often in the middle of the pitch. In the final few moments of the period QPR Women started to grow into the game, putting pressure on the Actonian ladies defence and keeper.
Half time saw the teams go into the break-even leaving supporters from both sides entertained. Shortly after the interval the teams returned to the pitch, with Actonians ladies stamping their control on to the Capital Women’s Cup Senior Final early on. A constant flow of attacks from their forwards left young hoops shot stopper under pressure to keep the score level. The game saw a pause in play after a what looked to be a worrying injury to a Actonian player, which was dealt with quickly by the medical staff. Another incredible performance from Petit gave QPR fans hope of taking the lead in the eagerly awaited cup final. However, the R’s were not able to take the lead, allowing our opponents to go ahead once more in the 69th minute as a result of a finish that left all inside the Bedfont Sports ground speechless. Take a bow D’ Santos! With only five minutes to go QPR were handed a lifeline by the officials before Ellie Searle slotted away from the spot.
As normal time came to a finish the announcement that the game will be decided on penalties was put out to the capacity crowd, which left many feeling nervous, including myself. Excellent spot kicks and saves from both keepers followed. The fixture ended 4-3 to QPR at the end, handing the R’s the Capital Women’s Cup Senior Final win.
In conclusion the fixture proved to be a very enjoyable game. From the first minute to the last the fans were left entertained, so it was well worth the entry fee. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Actonian ladies for a well contested game and wish them all the best for the future. Congratulations to QPR women once again for the win.
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