You could feel the anxiety enveloping Stamford Bridge, and the collective slipping back to that night in Sweden 706 days ago when Chelsea had conceded their first goal inside 120 seconds. Dark Winds Season 2: Release Date, Plot, and Cast Updates, Here What We Know About Lele Pons Parents And Family, Stephanie Izard Husband Gary Valentine Is A Craft Beer Consultant, 'Jesus Revolution' Movie Based On The Love Story Of Greg Laurie And His Wife Cathe Laurie, Sonia Boyce and Husband David A Bailey Got Married in 1992. Fran Kirby is not married. Kirby received the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year and Football Writers' Women's Footballer of the year awards in April 2018. Web21 minutos de lectura. I used to go around to my teammates that 'we don't lose, we're not losing, that's not going to happen.' Maren Mjelde forz la tanda de penaltis al transformar su lanzamiento en el tiempo extra. We want to do it all for real this time. 04 Jun 21. In the latter part of the season, when the team finished second in the German Cup and League competitions, she participated in every match for the team. "I remember telling Emma, 'I'm going to come back and be the best that you've ever seen me. That was quite scary, because obviously it kind of came out of nowhere. Men i ett sdant lge mste man anpassa frvntningarna det fick jag lra mig snabbt. Because for both sides, you see injuries mounting and thats what starts to happen when youve got back-to-back games. The 29-year-old footballer allegedly dated Norwegian defender and midfielder Maren Mjelde, who is 32 years old. Maren Mjelde Stats, Goals, Records, Assists, Cups and more Datos y estadsticas del Chelsea - Barcelona | UEFA Women's Fran Kirby City responded well and two minutes later, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw showed superb strength and balance to burst into the box, but her effort was blocked out for a corner, which was well defended by Chelsea. The season's halfway done, but Kirby doesn't want to look ahead. The back three should all be very proud of themselves. Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City: Blues secure first win of WSL season And yeah, I actually collapsed. Magdalena Eriksson (DF) Maren Mjelde (DF) Fran Kirby (FW) - option for a further 12 months. But when they arrived, I'd sit with my back to them, doing a puzzle. Perhaps that was why Hayes seemed to admit here to a handful of small regrets; the kind of sliding doors moments on which Champions League semi-finals can spin. Fran Kirby was also ranked seventh in The Guardian's list of the top 100 female footballers worldwide for 2021. It is rare that there is much riding on the second game of the season, but with both Chelsea and City having endured shock defeats on the first weekend, against the newly promoted Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively, suddenly this result mattered more. Chelsea are at the top of the WSL and have a 2-0 lead over Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League. We had a deliberate plan to go forward, and I dont think we did that very well, Hayes said. WebMaren Nvdal Mjelde (born 6 November 1989) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Women's Super League club Chelsea and captains In November 2019, Kirby became ill, and as a result, she almost retired from the sport. The goal for Chelsea, when it came, was beautiful. Fran Kirby strike helps Chelsea defeat Atltico Madrid despite What if Chelsea had started more aggressively, and been first to the pass from which Caroline Graham Hansen sent the ball looping inexorably beyond the reach of the Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger for the ties only goal? Today was like the season opener - it looked like two teams that haven't got any momentum and sometimes that takes time. At what point did Barcelona realise that? Emma Hayes made three changes to the side that were beaten on the opening weekend away at Liverpool, with Berger making a welcome return in goal following her recent cancer treatment. The attacking partnership of Kerr and Kirby was a huge factor in being crowned champions of the WSL for a second consecutive season, with the Blues forwards netting a combined total of 37 goals. In the absence of Harder, Going a goal behind failed to rattle City who dominated possession for the rest of the half but were unable to break through a resilient Chelsea back line. Having a public figure like Fran to talk about these things is inspirational.". "Maren caught her -- it happened so fast," England says. Goals from Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde condemned Gareth Taylor's side to a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League. Fran Kirby has a brother named Jamie Kirby with whom she spent her childhood playing football. I remember on Christmas Day, I phoned Francisco [the Chelsea doctor]. I worked on them you know, I have always been able to complete a 90-minute game, or being able to sprint, recover and all that, but endurance was one of my weaknesses," Kirby says. Hayes on Harder prognosis, Mjelde and Kirby latest and player The University of Winchester awarded Kirby an honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) You lose that touch on the ball, you know '". "I was still saying to people 'oh come round, it'll be great to see you!' "I also spoke to Georgie [Hodge, Kirby's agent]. Are Chelsea done with me?'". "I didn't want people asking me all the time how I was, how I was feeling. It was a tale of two halves as City began brightly in London, creating numerous chances and dominating the ball, but it was Chelsea who got the opening goal against the run of play through Fran Kirby's composed finish three minutes before the break with their first shot on target. Maren Mjelde forz la tanda de penaltis al transformar su lanzamiento en el tiempo extra. Fran Kirby That was the lone blot on Chelseas defensive copybook, and the womens game will see few better individual displays in that position this season than the likes of Maren Mjelde and Magdalena Eriksson offered here. Flemings fancy footwork deceived Houghton and fashioned some space in the box, with Reiten remaining composed to square perfectly into the path of Kirby to steer in with a cushioned first-time finish from close range. Nothing she or her depleted Chelsea squad did would have changed the scoreline. The team as a whole defended as well as they could, Hayes said. "No one can do that for you. All rights reserved. Sam Kerr was an obvious out ball for Chelsea in those moments when Rolfo moved centrally but Barcelona were unprepared for her effectiveness at linking up with Reiten. Her recovery proved to be a daunting, frustrating experience. The Norwegian swiftly found Sam Kerr in the centre but the striker couldnt adjust herself to trouble Ellie Roebuck in the City goal. At the sharp end, it was the usual suspects of Lauren Hemp, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Chloe Kelly. "In the course of my 25-year career, I've never seen a player transform their life as much as I've seen her from a place of difficulty, disruption, despair to joy, to gratitude, to application," Hayes tells ESPN. A lengthy stoppage as Maria Thorisdottir was carried off with an ankle injury showed no signs of slowing play as City began to knock on the Chelsea door, Georgia Stanway forcing a fingertip save from Lindahl. Try a week on us. Kirby has scored six goals and set up six more in 13 Women's Super League appearances for Chelsea in the 2021-22 campaign after a staggering 16-goal and 11-assist haul in their title-winning 2020-21 season. You just have to ride the waves. Unfortunately, at the moment weve had a couple of defeats which is really difficult to take but there are positives to take forward., Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City: Womens Super League as it happened, Finnigan leads Everton to WSL win over Liverpool in front of record crowd, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. In front of almost 4,500 fans at our Kingston base, goals from Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde settled an entertaining contest in favour of Emma Hayess side, who admittedly did not have things all their own way.. Read more, Choose your website language, or follow us on social media in your language. MX23RW : Monday, May 1 12:07:00| >> :120:64717:64717: ID:483462:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2177: Click here for more stories about Fran Kirby, Click here for more stories about Chelsea Women. Even she was starting to doubt herself. Emma Hayes post-match press conference was one of mixed emotions, her face a mask of the steely, tight-lipped caution that often characterises the way she talks about these kinds of games. I promise you.' She participated in Norway's second-round loss to England and scored against Germany in a 1-1 tie during the group stage. She probably doesn't see that as inspirational, but the outside looking in you think, wow, she's gone through this and she's at the top of her game. Fran Kirby. She was 15 Frans current relationship status is unknown but she was previously rumoured to be in a relationship with her Chelsea teammate Maren Mjelde. "The illness, the injuries it was all a huge wake up for Fran about what mattered, about who mattered and about what she wanted from her career if she could get to back to the level that she saw for herself. Chelsea were missing Ji So-yun, who is in Jordan with South Korea for the Asia Cup, and Ramona Bachmann was ruled out late on, leaving them with just four on the bench, but they showed no signs of being fazed by the rearranged starting XI as 19-year-old Erin Cuthbert stepped in and provided the assist for Kirbys second. Kirby went on holiday before the coronavirus lockdown; the trip gave her some momentary relief, but it prompted another false dawn in her recovery. Fran Kirby The Chelsea footballer was a member of the England under-23 team early in her career. "If you look at the video from it, I was laughing around you wouldn't have known I was going to be severely ill hours later.". I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack.". She felt better. Informative, passionate, entertaining. Later, she represented the United Kingdom at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Position: Defender #18. Emily Osman (GK) - option for a further 12 months. The silver lining for Chelsea amid the ignominy of the 2021 Champions League final was that Hayes could have no real regrets. de lecture. We were lucky in the first half, we were a little bit tentative. Watch more, Watch every second of our Barclays Women's Super League clash with Chelsea on Sunday. Defending champions Chelsea got their first points on board in the Womens Super League following a victory over rivals Manchester City, whose poor start continues. "I had to prove myself again," she says. Prior to picking up a knee injury in the Continental League cup final which ruled her out for the remainder of the season, Mjelde was a consistent standout performer for the Blues. Chelsea Women's squad: Best player, manager and WSL record She was eating dinner with her closest friends and teammates, Beth England and Maren Mjelde, at home, and suddenly felt awful. "She's been used to a life of being built up quite highly, but also knocked down really, really hard. Wholesale changes to the squad cannot be an excuse for long. The message here was Were in the tie, repeated like a catchphrase from a manager who regularly warns that teams cannot win a Champions League tie in the first leg but can easily make the kind of mistakes to lose one. Kellys left-sided corner was whipped in with pace to the near post and found the darting run of Aleixandri but the Spaniards clever flick whistled just wide. "There are still transitions happening with us too but maybe the collective leadership in my group is further ahead than City.. In a 12-team league and 22-game season every point is critical. It looked like two teams who havent got momentum in the season.. A more competitive Womens Super League they had no bona fide competition for the title the last time they played Barcelona has seen them find new solutions, and brought an edge they didnt always know they needed. Sign up to our weekly round-up of womens football now. Gareth Taylor selected Ellie Roebuck to start in goal, shielded by a back four of KerstinCasparij, skipper Steph Houghton, Alex Greenwood and Leila Ouahabi. Fran Kirby She's a special, special talent.". She was ranked 10th when she was named to the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2021. Karen Mjelde Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Fran Kirby, a professional footballer, allegedly dated partner Maren Mjelde. We continued to show attacking intent and pressed high up the pitch, forcing Berger to kick straight to City debutant Deyna Castellanos, who took an assured touch before powering a shot just off target from the right edge of the 18-yard box. Five Blues in Women's PFA Team of the Year | News | Official The rearranged WSL fixture was originally due to be played at Stamford Bridge but was postponed following the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Let's begin with some quick facts about Fran Kirby. ", "I knew I needed help, that something really bad was going on. Nick Cushings side will have to dust themselves off ahead of a visit from Sunderland before they host the Champions League holders, Lyon, at the Academy Stadium next weekend. Maren Mjelde: Chelsea Women defender ruled out of remainder 200,000. Chelsea Womens first home game of the season ended in victory as the Blues got their first points on the board in the Womens Super League at a sold-out Kingsmeadow. Kirby had collapsed. Shes really got a lot of big semi-final goals for this team. Maren Mjelde Niamh Charles. Perhaps the biggest indicator of their transformation is the fact that they actually attempted almost half the passes they did in the Champions League final: 252 compared to 480. Most of the time she kept it to herself as I think she felt she was going to be a burden, giving that info to everyone else.". City were dominant in the first half but found themselves behind three minutes before half-time when Kirby took advantage of some sloppy defending in front of England boss Sarina Wiegman, who was watching from the stands. This was a clash between first and third in last terms WSL, though the loss of several key City players in the summer, either to retirement or moves abroad, had reset expectations for the Sky Blues. Nike . Substitute Marta Torrejons late shot against the post and Asisat Oshoalas 11th-hour chance could have pushed the game beyond Chelsea. On March 3, she scored Chelsea's second against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal. And I've seen that damage and what it's done to her.". It was scary to see how well she was in herself during the day, to seeing her from a full, well, fit, healthy person -- to collapse. Drew Spence forced a save from Roebuck who spilled the ball before falling on it under pressure. Our best chance of the half came moments later when the high-pressing approach from the hosts reaped rewards as Steph Houghtons pass back to the keeper was short and pounced upon by Kerr. Everything started spinning, I felt like I needed to lie down so tried to get to the sofa. Kirby played against boys while attending Caversham Park Primary School and Chiltern Edge in Sonning Common. Am I going to have this pain? a bit like 'what's going on?' "She'd play in goal if I asked her to," Hayes says. Fran Kirby KIRBY HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL to Chelsea's success this season. These will be really good players and this will be a really good team, Taylor said. With three minutes to go until the interval, the hosts took the lead against the run of play with their first shot on target, as Kirby finished coolly from Guro Reiten's measured cutback. English International . ", Hayes doesn't want any credit for Kirby's return. Fran Kirby's postmatch routine stays largely the same. This time last year, she was contemplating retirement, unable to believe she could fully recover from pericarditis, a heart disease, and return to professional football for both club and country (she has 45 caps for England). "But it was all about positivity. Man Citys starting line-up featured Englands Euro 2022 match-winner Chloe Kelly, as well as former Blues midfielder Laura Coombs. but in a humorous sort of way." I used to compare myself to other players. Ann-Katrin Berger, Magda Eriksson, Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde have been named in the PFA Barclays FA Womens Super League Team of the Year. Maren formerly played for Kopparbergs/Goteborg Football Club of the Swedish Damallsvenskan, Turbine Potsdam of the Frauen-Bundesliga, and both Arna-Bjornar and Avaldsnes IL of the Norwegen Toppserien.