England's first outing of the year, as they start their 2027 World Cup qualification process, began with a bang, a 6-1 victory over Ukraine. They currently sit top of their group, which also includes Spain and Iceland, only on goal difference, with the fixtures between these two nations likely deciding who gets the one automatic qualification spot available.
England once again proved that they are the Queens of the comeback and never-say-die attitude. The first half ended 0-0 with England having chances from the likes of Alessia Russo. But they came out in the second half after the manager, Sarina Wiegman, made tactical changes and were ruthless, providing an important early advantage.
While England dominated possession from the outset, Ukraine's disciplined low block made it difficult for them to convert their control into goals. Ukraine defended narrowly and compactly between the lines, frustrating the away team, who could not easily find spaces in the final third.
England had ample crosses into the box, but the issue was the final product and composure.
Laura Blindkilde Brown, in her first start for the England senior side, came close to opening the scoring when she struck the crossbar. Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy also had chances, the latter seeing a close-range effort cleared off the line.
The second half saw tactical changes in the 46th minute. Poppy Pattinson made her first appearance for the senior side in her first senior call-up, becoming the first London City Lionesses player to play for the England women's side. Esme Morgan came off for Captain Leah Williamson, who is still managing her return to fitness. This was her first minutes for the country since the Euros final.
Taylor Hinds, who made way for Pattinson, has officially earned her first FIFA-recognised cap for England, meaning that if she plays another two World Cup qualifiers for England, she is officially cap-tied to the country and cannot go back to playing with Jamaica.
The other changes saw the winger switch sides, allowing Lauren Hemp to move inside and operate in more creative spaces. The breakthrough came when Alessia Rusoo was played in by Keira Walsh, beating the final defender before slotting calmly past goalkeeper Kateryna Samson. Four minutes later, Russo doubled her tally, reacting quickest after excellent build-up play involving Hemp.
In Ukraine's first attack of the game, they were able to pull a goal back when Yana Kalinina scored from a set-piece to make it 2-1. The joy on the Ukrainian players' faces was warming. But it showed England's vulnerability in defence. It revealed cracks that could be exploited more against a high-calibre country like Spain, something that was frequently questioned at the Euros in the summer.
The comeback for Ukraine was swiftly extinguished when Hemp was tripped in the penalty box, and Georgia Stanway converted from the spot to restore the two-goal cushion. Stanway soon added her second with a powerful strike from inside the box, making it 4–1. This meant that Stanway has reached 51 goals for England with 31 goals and 20 assists in 88 caps. In this fixture alone, she had two goals, one assist, five shots, three on target and a 94.4% passing accuracy.
With Ukraine stretched and chasing the game, Stanway turned provider, slipping the ball through for Jess Park, who finished clinically. Park later added her second with a composed effort over Samson, completing a dominant second-half display and sealing a 6–1 victory. Park was proving a point to the manager after only being given 45 minutes in total in last summer's tournament, and her invaluable skills for England were evident after a strong season so far for Manchester United, in which she has scored six goals in the WSL, the most of any English player in the league.
The game ended 6-1 in England's favour after a rocky first half; they proved why they are back-to-back European champions. The second half showed that they are still growing and developing. This is not the same side as the summer of 2022; they are undergoing a regeneration process, with new players coming in and starting. They learnt from the first half about what was not working and what they needed to do to achieve the goals, and they did just that.
Sarina Wiegman said: “We totally controlled the game, but just the final position in the cross and the quality of the shot or final touch wasn't good. We tried to create chances and get more at the edge, in the half spaces, and have shots from the edge of the box, which we did much better in the second half. Every time we lost the ball, we were so on it, and that shows the mentality of the team.”
Alessia Russo said, “We were still very good in the first half. They were defensively solid, but when the spaces opened, we took our chances. We needed to find our ruthless edge… You saw that in the second half.”
Georgia Stanway spoke after the match, “Instead of us trying to be closer and closer in the box, maybe we can try and get further out to give space for Russo. We’re very disappointed in conceding… but overall a solid start.”Our fans are so special… the tickets were free today, which makes it extra special.”
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