Eniola Aluko set to crown ‘memorable year’

Winners’ medals in the Women’s Super League and FA Cup, a bronze medal in the Women’s World Cup and a solicitor’s certificate of admission. Eniola Aluko has gained an impressive haul in 2015, but there is still one landmark to aim for.

On Thursday in Duisburg England play Germany, the European champions in eight of the past nine tournaments, including the most recent. It will be their first meeting since the summer’s World Cup third-place match in which, at the 21st attempt, England won. That was a surprise. If they can win in Germany it would shock the sport while setting England up for their final game of the year, a Euro 2017 qualifier at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina at Bristol City next Sunday.

The difficulty of the task was underlined last week when Aluko was part of a Chelsea team packed with England internationals which lost 2-0 to Wolfsburg in Germany, completing a 4-1 Women’s Champions League aggregate defeat.

“It was a disappointing result but we learned a lot from the experience,” said Aluko. “This was our first year in Europe while they are very experienced, so we are not too downhearted. Now we know what we need to do to be a top team like Wolfsburg, how clinical you need to be. We had chances to win both games.”

If Chelsea were a little rusty in front of goal they had an excuse. While the Frauen Bundesliga is in full flow, the English domestic season finished seven weeks ago. Their manager, Emma Hayes, made the point afterwards that, if English clubs were to have a chance in Europe, the Football Association would have to reconsider the season’s scheduling. Aluko agreed, adding: “We hadn’t played for four weeks going into the biggest game of the season, which is not ideal.”

It is a problem England will also face on Thursday against a team who have won all four games since the World Cup, scoring 22 goals to nil.

“It will be a tough game,” said Aluko. “They will be very motivated after the World Cup match so it will be even harder to play them than usual, but we need to play these type of games. It is difficult to play matches that you win eight, nine, 10 nil, then play in a major tournament, so we need experience against the top nations. We’ve played China and Australia recently, won one and lost one, and now Germany.”

Aluko did not start in that World Cup match in Canada, but came on to good effect as England won in extra -time. Pleasing as a medal was, it was insufficient compensation for a bit-part role in England’s success.

“I didn’t play in the knockout matches, which was disappointing, because I was in great form coming into the finals,” said Aluko. “When I came on in that game I really wanted to have an impact, and I think I did.

“When I came back from Canada I wanted to show I could perform in big matches under pressure, such as the FA Cup final, the closing league matches. You have disappointments in life, it is what you do afterwards that matters, and it was great for me to have success after the disappointment.”

Prior to the World Cup Aluko completed the process of becoming a sports and entertainment lawyer when she collected her certificate of admission at a solicitor’s qualification ceremony.

“It has been a memorable year,” she said. “When you put a lot of work in it is nice to get rewards. I was really happy to win the league. The FA Cup was special as it was the first final at Wembley, but I had never won the league before and it was special after what happened last year [when Chelsea lost the title on the final day of the season]. It will be nice to sit down at Christmas and reflect. It feels like two seasons rolled into one, there’s been so much happening.”

Germany v England is on Thursday, kick-off 5pm, BBC TV red button