MY ACCOUNT
European champions England secured their spot at the World Cup courtesy of a 2-0 win over Austria that maintained their perfect record in qualifying.
Alessia Russo opened the scoring in only the seventh minute, firing into the bottom corner after Lauren Hemp headed the ball on for her.
Substitute Nikita Parris added the Lionesses’ second midway through the second half, arrowing into the top corner after Georgia Stanway had played her through.
The result confirms England’s place at the World Cup with a game to spare, with Luxembourg still to come in their final game.
Watertight defence
Not only have England guaranteed themselves top spot in their World Cup qualifying group after nine games, they achieved the remarkable feat of doing so without conceding a single goal.
Each of their nine wins has been to nil and the Lionesses demonstrated their defensive discipline against Austria, restricting the hosts to only two shots on target.
The centre-back partnership of Leah Williamson and Millie Bright utilised in their successful Euro 2022 campaign featured once more and the pair complement each others’s games well.
Free-scoring Lionesses
England did not keep nine successive clean sheets in qualifying by playing negatively, however.
The Lionesses scored a whopping 70 goals in those nine victories, including 10-0 scorelines away at Luxembourg, Latvia and North Macedonia.
They even managed an unbelievable 20-0 victory in the home victory against Latvia last November in which Beth Mead, Ellen White and Russo all scored hat-tricks and Hemp hit four.
Strength in depth
While England’s record scorer White announced her retirement after the Lionesses won the Euros, Wiegman is still blessed with a wealth of options.
Parris’ goal off the bench is testament to that, with this summer’s super-sub Russo now taking the mantle of first-choice centre-forward.
The quality of the players Wiegman is able to bring on was a considerable weapon as the Lionesses earned silverware this summer and that has not diminished.
A star in the making
Lauren James — the younger sister of Chelsea’s Reece James — came on with 11 minutes remaining to make her England debut.
The forward — still only 20 — showed some bright touches in the closing stages of the game.
There will certainly be more opportunities for James to demonstrate her considerable talent and this brief cameo may be the beginning of an exceptional international career if she can fulfil her potential.
Time to plan ahead
With qualification wrapped up, Wiegman will undoubtedly be looking at how she can maximise the time she has to prepare her side for a World Cup charge next year.
The final group-stage clash with Luxembourg in Stoke is a dead rubber for the Lionesses and perhaps the England manager will take the opportunity to assess some of the squad’s fringe players or try out a new system.
It should be a comfortable victory for the hosts, given their 10-0 win in the last meeting, and Wiegman should be able to experiment without risk of defeat.
