England have had their fair share of wake-up calls lately and haven’t always heeded them. This time, however, they finally did what was necessary.
O Lionesses found their rhythm against France at Saint-Etienne and resolved the issues that affected them in Friday’s defeat at Newcastle. In doing so, they gave a significant boost to their Euro 2025 hopes of qualification.
They are second in Group A3, behind leaders France by two points with two games remaining. The two best teams in the group automatically advance to next year’s tournament in Switzerland, the others will have to go through play-off rounds.
It didn’t need a complete overhaul, but rather some adjustments. What Sarina Wiegman Choosing to make no changes other than replacing the injured Mary Earps with Hannah Hampton caught some people’s attention, but this soon disappeared from the conversation.
Georgia Stanway struck the first blow. Then Alessia Russo came into action. At half-time, England were in the unexpected circumstance of leading 2-0 and that was definitely deserved.
France fought back in the second half to try and salvage the result, while England became a little more sloppy. All they managed was a consolation goal from the penalty spot after Leah Williamson clumsily brought down Grace Geyoro and Kadidiatou Diani converted, but they were unable to cut England’s lead any further. Hampton had to make an impressive save to deny Marie-Antoinette Katoto in the 89th minute, but Wiegman’s side managed a valuable victory.
For the most part, they didn’t play into France’s hands when out of possession; instead, they sat and waited their turn. The hosts tried to move them out of position in the hope of opening up spaces they could exploit, as they did on Friday, but England learned their lesson.
His organizational skills often stifled France and also fueled the hosts’ frustration, giving England exactly what they needed. Herve Renard’s side left pockets of space, Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp were ready and waiting to dance through them.
Getting into better areas is just one part of the equation, making the most of them is also important. Perhaps it was the enormity of the situation – an opportunity to pick up three crucial points in Group A3 – or perhaps it was the desire for revenge. Whatever it was, it was necessary.
The reluctance to try things disappeared, Stanway made that clear when he opened the scoring. Hemp pulled the ball to the edge of the box, Stanway found himself in space. She could have made a fleeting move, but instead she chose to do it alone. Without any hesitation, she snapped her laces, launching a rocket at Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
From that moment it was clear that England were in for a good night. They had the best chances up to that point – Ella Toone should have actually scored when instead she fell into Peyraud-Magnin’s hands from close range in one-on-one – and France looked uncomfortable.
Russo was there to take second place on a night where she stood out. She was in the right place at the right time to meet Hemp’s circular delivery with a deft header and score the goal her efforts deserved, but her impact went beyond the goal.
The Arsenal striker’s tendency to dig deep can sometimes be irritating, but if everything else is in line, he becomes a major asset.
The routine goes like this: she moves to receive a pass, turning with it as she takes her first touch and beginning a crucial period of assault play. After that, Mead or Hemp run along the wings. So she has the freedom to release the ball where it suits her and create a chance, usually creating a chance for herself. She seems to do all this without a moment’s thought.
What she lacks in the presence of Ellen White in the box she makes up for with the rest of her skills. Only when performance in other areas of the field becomes difficult do her efforts not pay off.
Fortunately, things were better in almost every area, even if they weren’t perfect. Having Alex Greenwood in the backline would have been a definite improvement, especially when the defense was tired late in the game. There were also some misplaced passes from Lucy Bronze and others in midfield. Despite its shortcomings, things have improved a lot.
He got nervous when France threw everything forward to try to equalize and England became increasingly random, but managed to resist. That’s all that matters.
Handing over starters like Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park and Grace Clinton, who seem relegated to the bench despite stellar seasons at the club, could help breathe new life into this England team. It could, perhaps, have led to more openings and more goals against France. However, for all the annoyance that Wiegman’s lack of rotation brings, his decision is not without merit.
England no longer have “easy” friendlies. Trying to accommodate players and risk new talent on crucial nights could very well backfire; this time, keeping your team feels like a shrewd decision from a master tactician.
Qualification is far from complete, but at least it is now a realistic possibility and not a slim prospect. They are level on points with third-placed Sweden, just two behind France and still have games to play against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
The race to take the top two places in the group is three horses and if England can repeat performances like this they will be in a good position. If they allowed themselves to revert to recent form, dropping standards after seemingly improving, then it would be disappointing.
The July games will set the tone for the following year. Automatic progression will relieve them of the burden of a complicated play-off system. They must now build on the form that saw them claim their first away win against France in 51 years in next month’s camp.
