England have had their fair share of wake-up calls recently and haven’t always responded. But this time they finally did what was necessary.
The Lionesses found their rhythm against France in Saint-Etienne and overcame the problems that plagued them in Friday’s defeat at Newcastle. In doing so, they gave a significant boost to their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 European Championship.
They are joint second in Group A3, two points behind leaders France with two games remaining. The top two teams from the group will automatically advance to next year’s tournament in Switzerland, while the others will have to go through play-off rounds.
It didn’t require a complete overhaul, but it did require some refinement. The fact that Sarina Wiegman chose not to make any changes other than replacing the injured Mary Earps with Hannah Hampton caused a lot of fuss, but that quickly disappeared from the conversation.
Georgia Stanway landed the first blow. Then Alessia Russo took action. At half time England found themselves in the unexpected circumstance of being 2-0 up and that was absolutely deserved.
France fought to salvage a result in the second half as England became a little sloppier. All they managed was a consolation goal from the penalty spot after Leah Williamson clumsily fouled Grace Geyoro and Kadidiatou Diani converted, but they could not erode England’s lead further. Hampton had to make a stunning save in the 89th minute to deny Marie-Antoinette Katoto, but Wiegman’s side held on for a valuable victory.
For the most part, they did not play into France’s hands when out of possession, but sat back and waited for their turn. The hosts tried to take them out of position in the hope of creating gaps to exploit, as they did on Friday, but England learned their lesson.
Their organizational skills often oppressed France and also fueled the hosts’ frustration, giving England exactly what they needed. Herve Renard’s side left space, Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp ready to dance through it.
Reaching better areas is only part of the story, but making the most of them is also important. Perhaps it was the enormity of the situation – a chance to take 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 was gone, Stanway made that clear enough when she opened the scoring. Hemp pulled the ball back to the edge of the area, Stanway was in space. She could have performed a passing move, but instead she chose to do it alone. Without any hesitation, she lashed her laces and sent a rocket past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
From that moment on it was clear that England were in for a good night. They’d had the best chances leading up to that point – Ella Toone should have scored when she instead slotted into Peyraud-Magnin’s hands from close range during one-on-one – and France simply looked uncomfortable.
Russo was there to take care of the second on a night when she excelled. She was in the right place at the right time to answer a looping Hemp throw with a deft header to get the goal her efforts deserved, but her impact went beyond scoring.
The Arsenal forward’s tendency to go deep can be infuriating at times, but when everything else aligns it becomes an important asset instead.
Here’s how the routine goes: she moves to collect a pass, turns with it as she makes her first touch, and begins a crucial period of hold-up play. Then Mead or Hemp race along the wings. Then she has the freedom to release the ball where best and create a chance, usually for herself. She seems to do all this without even thinking about it.
What she lacks in Ellen White’s presence in the box, she makes up for with the rest of her abilities. It is only when performance in other parts of the field is difficult that her efforts do not really bear fruit.
Fortunately, things improved in almost every area, even if they weren’t quite perfect. It would have been a marked improvement to have Alex Greenwood in the back line, especially when the defense tired late in the game. There were also a handful of wayward passes from Lucy Bronze and others in midfield. Despite their shortcomings, business went much better.
Things got nervous as France went all out to try and get a draw and England became increasingly haphazard, but they were able to hold on. That’s all that will matter.
Returning players like Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Park and Grace Clinton, who appear to have been relegated to the bench despite great club seasons, could help breathe new life into this England squad. It might have led to more openings and more goals against France. But for all the annoyance that Wiegman’s lack of rotation brings, her decision is not without merit.
England no longer have “easy” friendlies. Trying to sign players and risk new talent on crucial nights could very well backfire; This time, sticking with her team feels like a smart decision by a master tactician.
Qualifying is far from complete, but at least it is now a realistic possibility rather than a remote prospect. They are level on points with third-placed Sweden, are just two behind France and have matches in hand against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
The race to clinch the top two spots in the group is a three-horse race and if England can reproduce this kind of display they will be in a good place. If they allowed themselves to return to recent form, lowering standards after seemingly improving, then it would be disappointing.
The July games will set the tone for the coming year. Automatic progression will free them from the burden of a complicated play-off system. They must now capitalize on the form that propelled them to a first away win against France in 51 years ahead of next month’s camp.