A seismic football weekend for England is off to a winning start. A professional victory over Ireland, courtesy of Alessia Russo’s clinical strike and Georgia Stanway’s penalty, means England need only a draw away to Sweden on Tuesday to qualify for Women’s Euro 2025. Julie Russell’s goal with the last kick of the game was academic.
The upcoming encounter in Gothenburg will be tougher — Sweden drew 1-1 in the reverse fixture at Wembley and really should have won — but England appeared in good shape against their qualifying group’s basement-dwellers. Even if they slip up on Tuesday, they look to have enough quality to navigate the play-offs.
Amid the fluctuating permutations, England’s goalkeeping sub-plot continued. While Mary Earps had recovered from a hip injury she could only make the bench, as Hannah Hampton retained her starting spot after her heroic role in last month’s pivotal win away to France.
Hampton had a few hair-raising moments, most notably when she dribbled around Amber Barrett and was forced to make a sliding pass to prevent Denise O’Sullivan pouncing on her heavy touch, but was not at fault for Ireland’s goal and reinforced that Earps has serious competition.
“Mary did rehab, she did everything to be available for now and she is available, she is in a good place,” Sarina Wiegman, the England manager, said. “But I made the decision to put Hannah on the pitch.”
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And despite Hampton’s flirting with recklessness, her bravery on the ball is central to her appeal to Wiegman. In front of 23,003 fans at Carrow Road, she did not flinch from her natural game.
Hampton’s style meshes with England’s desire to play out from the back. Their opening goal followed a 29-pass move in which all 11 players touched the ball.
Two familiar combinations provided the potency. Patient build-up was accelerated by Stanway and Keira Walsh — the trademark midfield duo of the Wiegman era — executing a perfect one-two. That gave Stanway the space to utilise a second pairing, the Arsenal team-mates Beth Mead and Russo.
Mead, playing on the left rather than her usual right-wing position, had an ideal angle to play a crisp, first-time pass through Ireland’s defence with her stronger right foot. The ball found Russo, who rounded Courtney Brosnan and finished for her second goal in as many internationals.
“Every goal is enjoyable, I must say, but this one was even more enjoyable,” Wiegman said of the team move.
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Buoyed by the early breakthrough, England were initially rampant. Russo, perhaps playing to the local spectators, teed up the Norfolk-born-and-bred Lauren Hemp when shooting was a better option, though Hemp did force a save from Brosnan. The Ireland goalkeeper then made a terrific stop from Mead, who had been played through by Jess Park.
The first 20 minutes had all the hallmarks of a hammering, so it is to Ireland’s credit that they subsequently grew into the game. Their back three became increasingly secure and Brosnan provided excellent insurance, rushing off her line to deny Hemp a clean shot after Hampton’s gutsy dribbling launched an attack.
Hampton’s daredevil approach emboldened Ireland’s press, and Walsh was fortunate that her careless pass on the edge of her penalty area was not punished shortly before half-time.
“Over the first half we became a little bit more sloppy,” Wiegman said. “They tried to press us more and we had to get out of that quicker to make it easier for ourselves. The chances we created, of course we want the percentage of those that we score to be high.”
England steadied themselves after the interval. Millie Bright and Niamh Charles came on for Leah Williamson and Jess Carter, who were each one booking away from a suspension, before Park’s cross just eluded Russo’s outstretched leg.
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The second goal was self-inflicted by Ireland. Brosnan’s pass to Niamh Fahey was not the most generous but the centre back dithered on the ball and was dispossessed by Hemp. Fahey cynically dragged Hemp down at the cost of a stonewall penalty.
Stanway stepped up — this was not the time to give Hemp a crowd-pleasing spot kick — and converted immaculately.
The two-goal cushion allowed Wiegman to experiment. Jess Naz, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, came on for her England debut and nearly scored immediately by charging down a Brosnan clearance. Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones also made her international bow.
At the other end, Megan Campbell’s catapult-like long throws caused England fewer problems than they did in Dublin, though their failure to clear a second ball from one Campbell throw-in led to Russell’s consolation.
That goal only briefly halted English celebrations, which had a distinct sense of anticipation. The Carrow Road faithful will hope for more jubilant scenes on Tuesday, and of course on Sunday.
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England (4-1-2-3): H Hampton 7 — M Le Tissier 7, L Williamson 6 (M Bright 46min, 6), A Greenwood 7, J Carter 7 (N Charles 46, 6) — K Walsh 7 — G Stanway 8, J Park 6 — L Hemp 7 (A Beever-Jones 89), A Russo 8 (J Naz 71), B Mead 8 (C Kelly 61, 6).
Republic of Ireland (3-4-1-2): C Brosnan 7 — A Patten 6, C Hayes 6, N Fahey 5 (L Quinn 88) — A Mannion 6, L Agg 5, R Littlejohn 5 (M Campbell 67), J Ziu 7 — D O’Sullivan 6 — A Barrett 6 (J Russell 46, 6), E Murphy 6 (L Kiernan 46, 6). Booked Fahey, Kiernan.
Referee C Campos (Por)
Attendance 23,003
