A save. A roar. A half fist-pump/half full-body pump. Mary Earps likely did not expect to release something so cathartic on a Tuesday night in Coventry against South Africa — a team ranked 48 places below England by FIFA.
But after two one-on-ones (one disallowed for offside) left her splayed on the ground, the net rippling, Earps looked to have finally had enough.
The save was significant, for England and also for the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper. A comfortable 2-0 lead suddenly looked at risk of vanishing entirely, the visitors fuelled by the hosts’ flimsy defence and Chrestinah Kgatlana’s sublimely taken second-half goal, the result of a poorly hit pass from captain Leah Williamson.
An equaliser felt capable of crumbling whatever bastion remained. A save would reinforce it.
Seeing Earps at the centre of it all was far from surprising. This is where the 31-year-old tends to thrive — under aching piles of pressure. But the peculiarities of the scenario still felt strange. A second-string starting XI against South Africa in Coventry was notable for its youth and experimentation — manager Sarina Wiegman made eight changes from the side that lost 3-4 to Germany at Wembley on Friday — as much as it was for Earps’ inclusion.
Tuesday night’s match conjured more…
