Old rivals breathing new life into England

Germany are favourites but, with Chapman in the side, the hosts are hopeful

It hasn't been the brightest of weeks for the Fatherland's footballers, what with defeat in Wales followed by Bayer Leverkusen feeling the sharp end of Zinedine Zidane's genius in the Champions' League final. However, normality is due for restoration when Germany's women tackle England in a World Cup qualifier at Selhurst Park this afternoon.

This last game in Group Four is not relevant to the qualifying process, the all-conquering Teutons already being assured of a place in the China finals next year and England having clinched the runner-up spot which puts them into the play-offs, but there is no such thing as a ho-hum occasion when these two nations face off.

England's girls have lost all 12 games to the champions of Europe, who sailed through qualifying, scoring 29 goals and conceding one. That lone goal came (from Rachel Yankey, of Fulham) when England opened their World Cup bid with a 3-1 defeat in Kassel last September, all the German goals scored in the opening 10 minutes.

November proved the nadir, with a goalless home draw against Holland, the only point collected so far by the Dutch, and a 1-1 result in Portugal, at which England's coach, Hope Powell, a lady you feel could match Sir Alex Ferguson when riled, had a thing or two to say. "Since those two games the girls have had a good look at themselves, realised what they needed to do and risen to the challenge," was how she explained the rollicking.

Portugal were seen off 3-0 at Fratton Park and a 4-1 victory in Holland just before Easter settled both nerves and qualification. "If someone had asked me at the start what we were realistically capable of, I would have told them the play-offs," said Powell. "So we are delighted. If we go on to get into the World Cup itself we will have done magnificently. If we perform the way we have done in the last two games, we can do it."

The road, however, is steeply uphill. Only one place is on offer for a European play-off nation to join the four group winners, so in the autumn England must win a home-and-away series with Russia, Spain or Italy and then another pair of games in the play-off final, probably with Denmark.

So the Germany clash will provide a useful measure of progress. "We can beat the Germans," insists Katie Chapman, the Fulham midfielder who, though still a month short of her 20th birthday, will collect her 22nd cap today. "We believe we can match them, we just have to go out with heart and passion and fight for it."

This ability to battle will not be alien to Chapman, born and raised in Bermondsey, a girl whose playground kick-abouts with the boys at St James' School were impressive enough to see her recruited by Millwall Lionesses at the age of 10. "Germany are strong as a team, very physical," she said. "They are hard to break down, with some big girls and some youngsters. But when we played them in Kassel, other than those early goals, we matched 'em. We have improved a lot. We are winning games, scoring and performing as well."

Chapman, who joined Fulham, England's only professional women's club, after completing a sports science course at Southwark College, netted one of the two goals which defeated Doncaster Belles in the recent cup final and, though she is deployed as a central defender by England, also scored against Holland.

Powell is hoping Katie might come up with another one today. "If our players are on their game, we have a chance. A lot of it is about confidence. We have always believed in them, now they are starting to believe in themselves. We would be even better if we could have them every day for six months, but international football isn't like that.

"To get close to top European sides like Germany and Norway we have had to do a lot over the last 10 years and we are still playing catch-up. Our levels of fitness aren't what the rest of the world's are. But we are getting a bit closer, though we recognise the strides Germany have made."

Powell feels the pending introduction of wider professionalism in the English league can only be of benefit. Nodding towards the England captain, Karen Walker of Doncaster, after a training session in Beckenham, Powell said, "Karen has a full-time job and is expected to train twice a week while knackered. That's a tall order when you have to come and play for England and captain the side.

"If we don't get to the World Cup, does it mean women's football is going to stop progressing? I don't think so. Does it help if we qualify? Of course it does. But when England's men didn't qualify in 1994, they turned it round and have rebuilt. Certainly, I have been doing that for the last four years. We qualified for the European championships, a massive achievement." A result against Germany this afternoon would be equally massive.