History made & Brazil 2027 qualification imminent for Lionesses
Nuneaton hosted the first ever Lionesses game against Scotland in June 1973, an 8-0 thrashing that gifted Pat Firth England’s first registered hat-trick, today in Reykjavik the Women’s Senior team took to the field for the 500th time, and registered their 279th win in the process.
An early shock in the form of the team sheet displayed a changed lineup from the squad's previous victory over Spain in this international window. Lotte Wubben Moy was one of just two changes to England coach Sarina Weigman’s starting team, and it was captain Leah Williamson who came into the team, despite having not played a single minute of football since March 15th.
England were heavy on the press in the opening 20 minutes, dominated possession and managed multiple threats on goal. Iceland were consistently pinned into their own half, scrambling to defend chances from every angle.
They proved too much for Iceland early on, Lauren Hemp made an incredible run from inside the Lionesses own half in the 21st minute and a superb pass to Russo followed by a clinical finish into the bottom left corner led to the first goal of the game, a goal that sent the Arsenal striker to tied tenth in the all time Lionesses goalscoring list.
England did not take their foot off the gas, and continued to strike ball after ball towards the young Inter Milan goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir. The state of the pitch appeared to be more of a defensive barrier than the Icelandic team; players were slipping on patches of mud, their crisp white socks layered with stains from the outset.
England’s best chance after the goal came again from a Russo strike, created by a stunning long ball from Lauren James. Iceland countered, to register their first attempt on goal in the 39th minute. And a quiet end to the half gave Iceland a chance to regroup, though they were lucky to limit the damage to just one goal.
HT England 1-0 Iceland.
Williamson was the only, almost expected, half time substitution. With Lotte Wubben Moy returning to the central defence pairing alongside Esme Morgan, that was solid in keeping a clean sheet against Spain in the previous game.
An early strike from an Iceland free kick was the first shot on target of the second half, and was the first test for Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton to face.
England coach Sarina Weigman turned to her bench early, with Jess Park entering the field in place of midfield experiment Laura Blindkilde Brown; Beth Mead also replaced Lauren James, most likely as the Chelsea star was at risk of missing the next match against Spain had she picked up a booking.
The Lionesses best attempt came off a Mead header, forcing an excellent save from Runarsdottir to push the chance wide.
The shift in halves could be felt, with England’s defence often on the back foot and Hampton forced into multiple crucial saves.
Iceland’s biggest push came from the 78th minute, a ball forced into the box by Sveindis Jonsdottir caused a scramble in the box, with the crucial interception shared between the Chelsea pairing of Hampton and substitute Niamh Charles, who joined the game in place of Alex Greenwood.
Even centre-back Wubben Moy was forced into goal line saves, after Hampton missed the collection of a threatening ball from Sandra Jenssen, leaving her goal open, with the Arsenal defender composed enough to make a crucial block to protect the teams lead.
Five minutes of added time weren’t enough to allow Iceland a goal, and fixture 500 ended in victory.
FT England 1-0 Iceland
Full Time Graphic - Source : @lionesses on Instagram
England kept the three point gap to second place Spain in the qualifying group, and with only the top team in the group gaining automatic qualification to the Brazil 2027 tournament, this result was crucial for the team heading into June when they will travel to Spain and have the chance to win the group, and a ticket to Brazil.