MY ACCOUNT
England booked their place in the European Championship quarter-finals and laid down a marker by thrashing Norway 8-0 at the Amex Stadium.
Georgia Stanway started the scoring from the penalty spot after 12 minutes and that opened the floodgates for Sarina Wiegman’s side.
Braces from Ellen White and Beth Mead added to Lauren Hemp’s first goal of the tournament to put the hosts 6-0 up by half-time.
Unsurprisingly, the Lionesses took their foot off the gas in the second period.
But there was still time for Alessia Russo’s first tournament goal before Mead completed her hat-trick to round off the scoring.
LiveScore picks out five key talking points from a goal-laden night in Sussex.
History makers
France set a record by running in five goals before the interval against Italy on Sunday — but it did not last long.
England quickly bettered that tally with six of the best against Norway in Brighton, three of which came in a frantic seven-minute spell.
The host nation had racked up an expected goals tally of 4.75 by the break and soon had another record to show for their troubles.
Russo’s goal put England 7-0 up and meant they became the first team — either men’s or women’s — to score seven goals in a single European Championship fixture.
Norway drunk on Mead
Arsenal forward Mead had 15 in as many games for the Lionesses under Wiegman prior to this game — and she continued that rich vein of form.
Norway could not live with the combination of Mead and Lucy Bronze down England’s right-hand side with the former causing havoc.
Mead’s first-half goals — separated by just four minutes — put the game to bed and again highlighted the absurdity of her exclusion from last summer’s Team GB squad for the Olympic Games.
Her second, in particular, was majestic. Weaving between dazed Norwegian defenders, she slotted home to pile on the misery for the visitors.
Time and time again Mead got the better of Manchester City left-back Julie Blakstad to take her tournament tally to four.
Ell’s bells
There had been some debate around who should be England’s No9 before this game. But White put that talk to bed with aplomb.
England’s all-time leading scorer put in the perfect all-round centre-forward’s display to underline her importance to this side — and it extends beyond goals.
It was White who used her body to get between the Norway defender and the ball to win the Lionesses’ 12th-minute penalty.
And it was the Manchester City striker who played a key role in Mead’s first too.
Having chased a hopeful ball down the right from Bronze, she robbed Maren Mjelde and Hemp crossed for England’s No7 to head home.
Wiegman’s wish granted
England boss Wiegman said her side would need to be more ruthless in front of goal ahead of this tournament — and she got her wish.
After struggling to get in behind the Austrian backline at Old Trafford, the Lionesses were merciless at the Amex Stadium.
Time and time again, they got in behind, broke Norway’s backline and created high-value chances from inside the penalty area.
England have thrown down the gauntlet.
Fran-tastic
She is potent goalscorer in her own right but Fran Kirby’s role in this England side, positioned behind White as a No10, displays another side of her game.
The diminutive Chelsea forward pulled the strings from between the lines, showing an array of clever touches and movement.
Her reward was a pair of assists — setting up goals by Mead and White just three minutes apart.
Replaced shortly before the hour, it was a relief for Norway’s beleaguered rearguard to see the back of the tireless Kirby.
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