All 'White' On The Night - England's Lionesses March On!

England booked their ticket into the quarter-finals of the 2011 Women's World Cup tonight, with an impressive 2-0 victory over Japan, in the Impuls Arena, Augsburg to claim top spot in Group B.

England now face a quarter-final in Leverkusen on Saturday, against France who lost tonight 4-2 to hosts Germany.

England manager Hope Powell made four changes to the line-up that started against New Zealand in their last match.

Captain Faye White and midfielder Fara Williams were both rested while Jess Clarke and Karen Carney, both substitutes against New Zealand, were preferred to Yankey and Eni Aluko by the England manager.

England were forced to hold off some intense early pressure from the Japanese, before taking the lead in the 15th minute in quite spectacular fashion.

Karen Carney delivering a perfectly weighted ball from inside her own half for Ellen White to chase.
Running in between the Japanese centre-backs, the Arsenal striker did not break stride before lifting the ball sublimely over goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the edge of the penalty box, to score arguably the goal of the tournament so far.

England striker Ellen White celebrates after scoring a 'wonder goal' in the Women's World Cup tonight

Not long after her goal striker White who was a constant threat, saw another stunning effort, an acrobatic hooked volley fabulously tipped onto the crossbar by Kaihori.

Japan's potent attack, which put four goals past Mexico in its last game, was unusually quiet and their best chance came when Kozue Ando had her shot blocked and cleared near the goal line by England defender Sophie Bradley midway through the opening half.

The second goal eventually came after 66 minutes from half-time substitute Rachel Yankey. England's most experienced player took down Rachel Unitt’s cross before cleverly chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from a tight angle.

The Japanese, who were already guaranteed a last-eight berth, impressed with their neat approach play and movement, but they could not find an end product to match.

England played the rest of the game out in relative calm, with few scares, while New Zealand produced a terrific fightback in Sinsheim, scoring twice in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Mexico in tonight's other Group B fixture.

England, despite a disappointing opening draw against Mexico followed by a narrow 2-1 win against New Zealand, will go into Saturday's game against France full of confidence after this solid performance against a talented Japanese side.
England look to have a strong squad with strength and depth in all areas, and most importantly they seem to be peaking at the right time.

In Tuesday's other match in Group A, Nigeria beat Canada 1-0 in Dresden, a third successive defeat for the Canadians.

"We were very, very good today. You've got to respect Japan and the way they play, but we had a gameplan and we implemented it. The ambition was to get out of the group and top the group and we've done that. We're in the quarters and we'll have to do our best" - England manager Hope Powell's post match comments.

"It's almost indescribable, scoring in a World Cup, it's the pinnacle of your career. You've got to beat the best to be the best, so bring them on in the quarter-finals" - England scorer Ellen White's post match comments.

Match Highlights - England v Japan, Women's World Cup 5th July 2011

England Ladies:(4-4-1-1): Bardsley; A Scott, Bradley, Stoney, Unitt; Carney, J Scott, Asante, Clarke (Yankey 46); K Smith (Aluko 62); E White (Bassett 90).

Subs not used: F White, F Williams, Brown (g), Houghton, Susi, Rafferty, Chamberlain (g).

Goals: E White (15), Hankey (66)

Read more: England Women's Football Team/Facebook

Some Seriously Smokin' Sizzling Sexy Sirens Of Sport !

Top Centre:
Natalie Anne Gulbis, born 7th January 1983 in Sacramento, California is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S-based LPGA Tour. She played in her first LPGA tour event as an amateur at the age of 14 and turned professional at 18. Gulbis finished sixth on the LPGA money list in 2005 with over $1 million (U.S.)in earnings, and played on the winning United States Solheim Cup team. Gulbis' first professional win came in 2007 at the Evian Masters where she defeated Jeong Jang in a playoff to claim the winner's share of the $3,000,000 purse.
She is considered to be a golfing sex symbol by the LPGA. Gulbis posed for the November 2004 issue of the magazine FHM. She released a 2005 calendar, which featured her not only playing golf, but also in striking poses in swimwear. Gulbis has said that she likes the attention she gets, even if it is for her appearance.
In November 2005, a reality television show, The Natalie Gulbis Show, made its debut on The Golf Channel. Gulbis has also appeared on the 2007 version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour by EA Sports.

Middle Left:
Rachel Unitt, born 5th June 1982 in Walsall, England is an English football player. She currently plays as a left-back for England Women and Everton Ladies.
She signed for Everton Ladies in 2000/01 season, before moving on to Fulham L.F.C. the following season. After a spell at Fulham, she returned to Everton in 2004. Her achievements to date include winning the domestic treble with Fulham in the 2002/03 season and being named the Nationwide International Player of the Year at the 2004 FA Women's Football Awards. She was awarded the England Women's Player of the Year 2006, voted for by the fans on the FA website.
Unitt first played for England in 2000, and now has 69 International caps to her name, scoring 4 goals.

Middle Right:
Victoria Pendleton MBE, born 24th September 1980 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England, is a British Olympic and World Champion track cyclist.
Pendleton won one bronze and three silver medals in the British National Track Championships in 2001, while still a student. In 2002, she qualified for the England Commonwealth Games team. At the 2005 World Championships, Pendleton won her first major medal with gold in the women's sprint. She became only the third British woman to become a cycling world champion in 40 years.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she won silver in the 500m time trial and gold in the sprint. At the 2007 UCI Track World Championships, she won the team sprint with Shanaze Reade, the individual gold in the women's sprint, and a third gold in the women's Keirin. She crowned the year by being named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2007, becoming the first cyclist to win the award in its 20-year history. Pendleton was also voted Sports Journalists' Association of Great Britain's Sportswoman of the Year for 2007.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Pendleton won the gold medal in the Women's Individual Sprint Event.
Pendleton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

Bottom Left:
Allison Stokke, born 22nd March 1989 in Norwalk, California is an American pole vaulter. She vaulted to stardom thanks mainly to her looks, rather than her natural pole vaulting ability. However in 2004 Stokke did win a California State Championship, and broke several national records in her age division. As a senior at Newport Harbor High School, she set the second best mark in the nation for that calender year with a 13' 7" vault. In the CIF State Championship Finals she finished fourth.
Stokke's rose to 'Internet Fame' when a picture of her aged 17 at a track meet was posted on the internet. Soon more pictures would surface, millions of new fans emerged, and this future California Bear Field Star, would find unexpected, and unwanted fame as one of the few internet stars to have kept their clothes on.
Stokke now vaults for the University of California at Berkeley.

Bottom Right:
Daniela Hantuchová, born 23rd April 1983 in Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) is a Slovak professional tennis player.
She turned professional in 1999, and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first WTA singles tournament, the Pacific Life Open, and ended the year in the World's Top Ten. She has won two other WTA singles tournaments and been runner-up in a further seven tournaments so far in her career. She is currently ranked Number 24 in the world.
Hantuchová's biggest successes have so far come in mixed doubles. In this event, she won the 2001 Wimbledon Championships with Leoš Friedl, the 2002 Australian Open with Kevin Ullyett, the 2005 French Open with Fabrice Santoro, and 2005 US Open with Mahesh Bhupathi.
Hantuchová's other achievements include winning eight women's doubles titles, as well as reaching the final of the Australian Open in 2002 with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and the French Open Final in 2006 with Ai Sugiyama,
Hantuchová speaks six languages and was trained as a classical pianist. She qualified for university in Slovakia but deferred it to pursue tennis.