On the 13th of October, England women’s national football team defeated Greece 5-0 in the second leg of their World Cup Qualifying Playoff tie against the nation, winning 8-1 on aggregate at an electric atmosphere at the King Power Stadium. The Lionesses will now face Ukraine over two legs in November and December for a place at the World Cup in Brazil next year.
The Lionesses outclassed and dominated Greece on Tuesday night, with most of the work being done in the first half, where 4 of the goals were scored. From kick-off, the Lionesses had all the momentum, with the first goal coming in the 3rd minute, in which Lauren James cleverly played through Alessia Russo.
James, alongside Lauren Hemp, both saw much of the ball on the left-hand side in the first half, with Hemp assisting twice and James assisting once and scoring twice. James’ first goal was a powerful strike in the 16th minute, with her second being a tap in after being picked out by Hemp in the 34th minute.
Also getting on the scoresheet in the first half was Georgia Stanway, heading in the ball in the 30th minute from a delivery from Hemp. England nearly got a 5th at the end of the first half after debutante Lexi Potter had a goal disallowed due to a Greek player being fouled by Stanway in the buildup to the goal.
Stanway would also have another goal disallowed in the second half, this time for offside, despite being able to finish exceptionally after receiving a high ball with a brilliant first touch. However, England eventually got their 5th goal after Keira Walsh found Russo, with Russo rounding the keeper to tap home her second goal of the night in the 75th minute. Amidst chants of “we want 6”, substitute Freya Godfrey, also making her debut, nearly scored as well, but her shot was saved by the Greek goalkeeper Styliani Katergiannaki.
The result confirms England’s status as heavy favourites to progress from the play-offs and they meet Ukraine in round two, who they beat twice in the league phase.
Players who had standout/notable performances:
Lauren James (Right Wing)– despite being positioned on the right wing on the team sheet, in reality James played more of a free attacking role where she dropped into the midfield and was able to attack from all around the box, playing in creative balls into Hemp or Russo. James was able to link up well with Hemp, overloading and slicing through the left-hand. Brilliant individual performance marked by 2 goals and 1 assist.
Alessia Russo (Striker)– despite having a tough start to the season at Arsenal, Russo looked back to her usual self on Tuesday night, with a performance marked by good positioning, runs in behind, link up play with the wingers and clinical finishing. Whilst being played more as an attacking midfielder at Arsenal, Tuesday night’s performance clearly showed that Russo is truly at her best at striker.
Lauren Hemp (Left Wing)– had a productive night on the left wing, effortlessly getting past the defence and sending in several dangerous crosses into the box.
Maya Le Tissier (Right Back)– pushing up high from right back, Le Tissier covered the width on the right-hand side of the pitch whilst James roamed the midfield. Just like Hemp on the left, Le Tissier also sent in threatening crosses from the right. This attacking fullback role seems tailor made for regular starting right back Lucy Bronze.
Georgia Stanway (Box to Box Midfielder)– with her amazing work rate, Stanway was all over the pitch and contributed to all areas, with her contributions in the attack being the most notable aspect of her performance on Tuesday night due to the highly offensive nature of England’s performance. Stanway offered great support in England’s attacks, sending in and receiving crosses into the box.
Lexi Potter (Central Midfield)– solid performance from the 20-year-old on her debut, marked with good passing and composure. In the double pivot with Chelsea teammate Kiera Walsh, the partnership seen domestically at Chelsea was continued against Greece, with Walsh acting as the ‘creator’ (sending in creative passes to start English attacks) and Potter as the ‘anchor’ (retaining possession through short, quick passes to her teammates, keeping the Greek players of the ball and out of the game).