England's rampant attack renders the goalkeeper narrative obsolete
Sentences had been drafted, paragraphs were forming, conclusions were ready to be drawn.
Hannah Hampton's performance for England against Portugal was about to be analysed within an inch of its life after Mary Earps' abrupt international retirement made the Lionesses' goalkeeping position the headline story of this international window.
Advertisement
Earps, 32, was imperious during England's 2022 European Championship triumph and run to the 2023 World Cup final, but unexpectedly called time on her international career on Tuesday, just five weeks before Euro 2025 kicks off, having lost her starting spot to Hampton, 24.
Friday's Nations League fixture against Portugal was England's first match since Earps' shock announcement. This was going to write itself.
A re-draft was potentially on the cards inside just five minutes at Wembley as England raced into a 2-0 lead through Aggie Beever-Jones and Lucy Bronze, but it was still early days.
A re-write was seriously being considered by the half-hour mark as goals from Beth Mead and Beever-Jones further extended England's advantage.
Advertisement
By the time the half-time whistle had been blown, England were leading 5-0, Beever-Jones had completed her hat-trick, Hampton had yet to lay a glove on the ball and the backspace key was taking an absolute hammering.
Chloe Kelly added a sixth in the second half to emphatically ensure that in a week dominated by goalkeeper discourse, England's forward line made themselves the story. In a week in which feelings were mixed within the squad over Earps' decision and the way it unfolded, England turned in a performance of cohesion and togetherness.
'As cliche as it sounds, Sarina (Wiegman) said it's a new kit, new England today — go out there and put a graft in,' Beever-Jones told reporters at full-time. 'I think her words were 'destroy them', in her Dutch accent.
'For us, it was just executing the game plan, and in the first half we were really good at that.'
Advertisement
The game plan, as Wiegman described in her post-match press conference, was to 'press really early and high, and win the ball back as soon as possible'.
This came to fruition within three minutes. Bronze led the counter-press, Jess Park's hustle forced the mistake from Portugal midfielder Andreia Norton, and Beever-Jones capitalised. England's coordinated, aggressive press again paid dividends 90 seconds later as Jess Carter won possession on halfway and fed Lauren Hemp, who scurried past Ana Borges. Her delivery eventually found its way to Bronze to head into an empty net.
It was one of a number of encouraging first-half moments from Hemp, who looked particularly sharp on her return to the England side for the first time since October following five months out after knee surgery. Within the opening 30 minutes, she had caused chaos with a surging run, sent in a teasing delivery that narrowly evaded Beever-Jones and expertly spun Borges on the touchline.
The Manchester City winger was withdrawn shortly before the hour mark and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes since returning to action at the end of April. Hemp has been ever-present at major tournaments under Wiegman and Friday was a timely reminder of the unique threat she brings.
Advertisement
'I'm building up, I'm working hard, training hard,' she said at full time. 'It's been a long time so I'm trying to not put too much pressure on myself but I want to contribute as much as I can.'
Hemp was joined by the returning Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood, who were introduced from the bench in the second half following lengthy injury lay-offs of their own, in a further boost to England ahead of Euro 2025. 'They've worked so hard to get where they are right now,' Wiegman said.
The England head coach emphasised how positive training had been for her side in the week and while the Lionesses' opening two goals were derived from their press, goals three and four capped slick team moves. 'Connections' has been a buzzword of the Wiegman era and Friday's game was the first time she had fielded a front four of Hemp, Park, Mead and Beever-Jones — the quartet combined impressively throughout.
It was Beever-Jones who the night belonged to as she completed her hat-trick on 33 minutes, latching onto a fine Leah Williamson pass and firing low past Ines Pereira. The 21-year-old Chelsea forward was making just her sixth senior international appearance and her first for her country at Wembley. 'She is a goalscorer,' Wiegman said, before praising her quick feet and ability in tight spaces.
Advertisement
Portugal offered little resistance compared to the side that had held England to a 1-1 draw back in February, and tougher tests will come for the Lionesses — starting with a trip to world champions and group leaders Spain on Tuesday.
But Friday was just what England needed as a blend of Wiegman's trusted regulars and fresh faces turned in a performance to ensure the conversation was about those present, not those absent.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
England, UK Women's Football
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
18 minutes ago
- Associated Press
More competitions, longer seasons and other demands put focus on workload in elite women's soccer
England's Millie Bright bowed out of the European Championship because of mental and physical exhaustion. The Netherland's Vivianne Miedema suggested too many games lead to more injuries. Ireland's Katie McCabe didn't play in a pair of games in the United States because she was said to be on the verge of burnout. New tournaments and expanded fields for existing competitions, longer seasons and more professional opportunities have some players and coaches asking: How much is too much? Workload has long been an issue in men's soccer, recently gaining more attention because of the expanded 32-team field at this year's Club World Cup. But it's a newer concern for some women as the game's profile rises on the global stage. More women's competitions, while providing more opportunities to play, also mean more travel and less time off. Alex Culvin, director of global policy for women's soccer at FIFPRO, the global players union, said there needs to be more care paid to international and regional calendars to ensure players have a balance while still growing the game. 'The growth is happening right before our eyes. However, those players also need to be protected because we can't always demand more of them all of the time without saying `We'll demand more now, and then you'll have a rest and that rest is protected. Nobody can encroach on that rest and if you do, there's consequences, regulatory consequences.' I think we haven't quite gotten there yet,' Culvin said. 'I think the mandated rest periods are something that FIFPRO really advocates for and something the players really want.' Those who play for high-profile national and club teams are most impacted. 'Mentally and physically I'm at my limits,' Bright said on a podcast explaining her decision to sit out of Euro 2025 after her season with Chelsea. In April, after injuring her hamstring while playing in a Nations League match with the Netherlands, Miedema, who plays for Manchester City, criticized the ever-more crowded calendar on social media. 'I will say this over and over again. To the people in charge of the football calendar, it is time to realise the current schedule will need to change for players' physical and mental safety,' Miedema wrote. McCabe, who plays for Arsenal, was left out of a pair of friendlies against the U.S. national team last month by Ireland coach Carla Ward. 'Katie has played an awful lot of minutes for club and country,' Ward said ahead of the trip. 'She's on the verge of burnout, as are some others.' FIFPRO has a dashboard that monitors high minutes for players around the globe. From June 1, 2024, to June 1, 2025, ahead of Euro 2025, Spain's Aitana Bonmatí (5,045) and teammate Mariona Caldentey (4,976) had the most minutes played of the 294 players monitored. Caldentey also plays for Arsenal in the Women's Super League in England, while Bonmatí, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, plays professionally for Barcelona. Spain will play in Euro 2025 title match on Saturday against England. U.S. women's national team coach Emma Hayes was so concerned about rest that she left her European-based players off the team for the latest international window so that they could recuperate from their seasons. Players in Europe play from fall to spring, whereas in the National Women's Soccer League, the season goes from early spring through the summer and into fall. Hayes has to manage her players with both of those seasons in mind. 'All I can control is that in 2027 there is a World Cup, and this player has this number of games, this is their season window, these are the national call-ups they might well receive, this is their offseason,' Hayes said. 'My job is to be educating the player with what you've achieved, what you've done the last last two years, and how that accumulative effect doesn't have an impact today, but might in two years.' National teams in Europe, Africa and South America have big regional competitions this summer — in addition to Euro 2025, there's the Africa Cup of Nations and the Copa América Feminina. But there are new events popping up as women's soccer becomes more popular. A new 7-on-7 tournament was played in Portugal that included eight professional clubs, with an attractive $5 million purse. The field for World Sevens Football included Manchester City and Bayern Munich. England coach Sarina Wiegman said the national team was in contact with players about taking part, making sure that overload wouldn't be an issue. 'Everyone has a different schedule and comes from different places. So, if you talk about Lauren (Hemp) and Alex (Greenwood), it's different, and other players who have played throughout the whole season,' Wiegman said. 'Also some players see it as an opportunity to, in a different way, get some training, playing minutes in — being aware of don't overload, be smart, because there's bigger picture in this.' Those tournaments are in addition to regional club competitions like the UEFA Women's Champions League and the new CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which starts next month. And there are more international women's competitions on the way. A women's Club World Cup will launch in 2028, while the Women's Champions Cup is set to start next year. While some more developed teams, leagues and federations are increasing opportunities, that's not the case in many parts of the world, where some players don't get enough work, putting them at the risk of injury. At the Copa América Femenina, Bolivia, ranked No. 105 in the world and playing with a squad that included amateurs, had only three matches together this year ahead of the tournament. Bolivia doesn't use all of its FIFA windows. In the end, Culvin said striking a balance is difficult. The growth of the game is important but it can't come at the expense of the players. 'It's the players who make the ultimate sacrifice, the game revolves around them. Without the players there is no game. And I think that mindset needs to be front of mind. And we need to say, `How do we protect these people as much as we can?'' Culvin said. 'The stakeholders are custodians of the game, and we have a responsibility to protect our most prized assets and that's the players.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aitana Bonmatí 'grateful' to be preparing for quarter-finals after 'frustrating' meningitis hospitalisation
Aitana Bonmatí revealed that she is 'grateful' to be part of Spain's squad as the World Champions prepare to face Switzerland in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 quarter-finals, just weeks after she was hospitalised with viral meningitis. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner sent shockwaves across the footballing world when she posted a photo from her hospital bed less than a week before the tournament got underway, and while there was widespread panic that the Barcelona midfielder may have been sidelined, she told a press conference on Thursday that 'I never thought I wouldn't be at the Euros.' 'You know me: my mentality, my desire to be at these tournaments. Something unexpected happened to me,' she explained, adding that 'I was great, training well, and then suddenly I find myself in hospital.' 'At that negative moment, five days before the tournament, they're frustrating moments that hurt you [but] today I can say that I'm ready to fight in the quarter-finals and for that I'm grateful,' the 27-year-old revealed. Spain will meet Switzerland in their quarter-final on Friday, with la Roja set to be outnumbered in the stands by the tournament hosts. Bonmatí hopes that her side can 'continue making history' after their stunning first FIFA World Cup triumph two years ago. 'These life-or-death games are coming where you win or you go home, and we want to do everything we can to continue,' the Barça star explained in Spain's pre-match press conference. 'We'll try to maintain our level. I expect tight, competitive matches that are difficult to win, but that's where we can grow and where we'll see the best teams.' Spain's UEFA Women's Euro 2025 quarter-final against Switzerland gets underway at Bern's Stadion Wankdorf on Friday 18 July, with kick-off at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST]. UK viewers can watch live on BBC One, with coverage from 19:30 BST.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Australian pitches will challenge England
Australian pitches will provide a different challenge for England's batters in this winter's Ashes, says Steve Smith. The first Ashes Test begins in Perth on 21 November, a highly-anticipated series after the thrilling draw in 2023, with England looking to regain the urn for the first time since 2015. Former captain Smith, who is representing Welsh Fire in this year's Hundred, averages 56.01 in Tests against England but is expecting a tougher challenge for batters this time around. "Their batters are going to be challenged a little bit differently to the wickets they have had over in England for a while, which have looked pretty flat and good for batting," Smith told BBC Sport. "The wickets in Australia in the last three or four years have been very tricky for top order batters. It is going to be a good challenge for them. "But it's going to be a wonderful series. I have been watching the India and England series and there has been some great cricket played there, so I think the Ashes this year is going to be an absolute belter." Smith, 36, also said the respective pace attacks were the strength for both teams. Australia's top order struggled in the recent series against West Indies on bowler-friendly surfaces where the highest team total was 286 across three Tests. And despite plenty of recent chat around Mitchell Starc, 35, Josh Hazlewood, 34, and Scott Boland, 36, coming to the end of their Test careers, the three combined to skittle West Indies for just 27 earlier this month - a performance so dominant that their skipper and fellow quick Pat Cummins did not bowl an over in the innings. However, Smith has also noted a change of approach from England in comparison to the 2023 series which was only a year into Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's time in charge. "They have started to play a little bit differently in the last couple of weeks in terms of playing the situation, as opposed to going out and trying to be the entertainers that they said they wanted to be," Smith added. "They are actually trying to win the games now which is perhaps different to what was said in their comments previously." The Hundred to help Olympic ambitions Smith was originally signed by Welsh Fire for the first edition of The Hundred in 2020, but the tournament was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But he says playing in the competition is on his "bucket list" as he focuses on playing more franchise cricket around the world in order to regain his place in Australia's T20 side and to play in the Olympics. The Los Angeles Games in 2028 will see cricket featured for the first time since 1900. "I decided to stop playing one-day cricket so I can play more franchises, with the aim to make the Olympic team," Smith said. "So to play more shorter-form tournaments around the world is only going to be beneficial. "It has been a long run for me and I have been doing this a long time. I am still enjoying it and particularly the shorter formats, and want to keep putting my name out there." The Hundred starts on 5 August with a double header between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles, while Welsh Fire take on Northern Superchargers in their first game two days later. Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
