Goals from Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo put England in the driving seat in their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Greece, giving them a straightforward second-leg task at the Kingpower Stadium on Tuesday night.
England drifted to a 3-1 win in a game where getting the job done seemed to be the only job to do. The Lionesses would rather not be playing in this fixture, especially while blue-chip rivals are instead enjoying friendlies against high-quality opposition. However, a less-than-half-empty stadium in Crete is where they ended up, strolling to a victory that wasn’t entirely convincing.
Sarina Wiegman went for a fairly tried-and-tested starting eleven for this tie. The biggest absence was right-back Lucy Bronze who was a late drop out from the squad on Thursday. Le Tissier, who plays at centre-back for Manchester United, slotted into the starting line-up in Bronze’s place, with Leah Williamson and Esme Morgan operating as the centre-back partnership.
Laura Blindkilde Brown was the only other unorthodox addition. Deployed at right wing but spending plenty of drive drifting in centrally, the young midfielder was replaced by Beth Mead at half time after failing to make an impact in an unfamiliar position.
There were early warning signs for England. Ioanna Papatheodoru hit the bar in the first half and there were consistent flashes of counter-attacking opportunities thereafter. But England, as expected, commanded enough of the ball to dominate proceedings. Wiegman’s side were invited to play, and were forced to work the ball around an organised Greece back line.
It was an impressive passing move that allowed Stanway to find England’s opener. Keira Walsh, Blindkilde Brown and Russo all played a part in the goal, with Russo’s lay off to Stanway the real icing on the cake. Despite leading at the break, England didn’t release the handbrake until Le Tissier scored her first ever England goal just after the hour mark.
Once Le Tissier had smashed that home, England immediately relaxed into their work and looked ready to enjoy their Friday night. Russo’s goal followed just four minutes later.
The tie had flipped from frustrating to impressive in a matter of minutes, but another setback was to come. Greece’s counter-attacking opportunities never fully subsided and, eventually, Greece got their goal. Kallisti Brouksair punished England on the break, with Papatheodorou playing provider.
The greater concern for Wiegman and England fans is the sluggishness of England’s play for much of this match. This team delivered an against-all-odds run to the Euro 2025 title in Switzerland, but for the year leading up to that victory and the 12 months since – two brilliant results against Spain in the Nations League aside – have been hard work for players and fans alike.
On a night where England had an opportunity to turn on the style against weaker opposition, there seemed to be very little energy and certainly no joy in their play. It doesn’t help that this fixture was played in a mostly empty stadium with a non-existent atmosphere. England should create much more noise and energy from Tuesday’s home crowd.
An exciting moment for Lionesses fans will be the first senior minutes for teenage sensation Erica Meg Parkinson. The 18-year-old midfielder came on for her debut in the 85th minute and graduated from the ‘Wiegman bench academy’, through which plenty of players have struggled to earn caps despite several call ups. Grace Fisk also made her long-awaited debut, having been first called up to the Lionesses when Phil Neville was manager in 2020.
When pressed on how she can inject new energy into a core squad that have played together for four tournament cycles, Wiegman said: “I think that’s a natural thing that comes because there’s competition. Everyone comes from club and everyone wants to represent their country.
She continued: “I think the players have to come into our environment and play, that gives dynamic and competition. If a player is not eager to come here, or has a lack of energy I think we would have a problem and I don’t experience that at all.”
Wide-eyed, bushy-tailed players like Parkinson may be what’s needed to defibrillate this Lionesses team, who are capable of dazzling when the mood is right.