Aluko all out for England victory
Thursday, September 3, 2009
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Eniola Aluko has already achieved big things in the game but she is hoping that England's UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ quarter-final with hosts Finland on Thursday provides another great memory.
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She has a first-class law degree and once scored the only goal in a FA Women's Cup final but Eniola Aluko still gets excited when big things happen to her – and Thursday's quarter-final against Finland definitely comes into that category.
Warm memories
The teams faced each other in their opening fixture of the UEFA European Women's Championship that England hosted four years ago and Aluko still has warm memories of the occasion. She hopes the game in Turku will recapture the euphoria she felt when England edged a thrilling encounter with a last-minute winner.
'Ecstatic' feeling
"It's a great memory for me as there were 30,000 people in the stadium and it was a very tough game," Aluko recalled. "We went 2-0 up before Finland came back and then Karen Carney scored a great winning goal. I was ecstatic, as if I had scored the goal myself, and I hope to have the same feelings tomorrow. It's exciting to be in the quarter-final against the host nation and it's going to be a great occasion. I'm sure every player will give 100 per cent because it's one of the biggest games of our careers."
'Great confidence'
Aluko, who scored the equaliser against Russia in a Group C game that England went on to win 3-2, says her experience of playing in the United States for Saint Louis Athletica has helped her in this tournament. "I see myself as a girl from Birmingham who is fortunate to play in a great league and to play alongside someone like Marta gives me great confidence," she added. "I've scored some important goals through the season and it was a great honour to be voted into the Women's Professional Soccer All-Star XI.
'No fear'
"I've improved in every way and have become a stronger player. Every game there is a big occasion and playing in a tournament like this is no longer a fear for me." She scored the winner for Charlton Athletic WFC in the 2005 FA Women's Cup final against Everton LFC and naturally would like to add to her tally in another high-profile fixture. "Of course the object for every striker is to score goals but the main thing is that the team wins. If we win and I score then that's even better."
