Alessia Russo shines as history is made in Reykjavik for the Lionesses

England’s Lionesses took to the field for the 500th time in their history tonight in Reykjavik, Iceland to continue their dominant World Cup Qualifying campaign. A 1-0 win saw them stay atop the group, ahead of current World Champions Spain.

Leah Williamson was a surprise name in the team sheet, having not played a minute of football for over a month.

The captain’s Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo netted the only goal of the match, the 30th of her international career, which took her to tied tenth on the Lionesses list of all-time top goal scorers, just two goals behind teammate Georgia Stanway.

A nervy second half showcased stellar defensive performances from substitute Niamh Charles and the young centre back pairing of Lotte Wubben Moy and Esme Morgan, along with some impressive and crucial saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.

England kept the three point gap to second place Spain in the qualifying group, with the next game away to La Roja in Barcelona set to be the biggest test the Lionesses will face. More analysis to follow on CovFeed.