England 7 Jamaica 0: Lionesses warm up for Euros with dominant win

New York Times

10 hours ago

England produced a dominant display to thrash Jamaica in their final match before beginning the defence of their European Championship title.
The Lionesses get their Euros campaign under way against France in Zurich on Saturday.
Jamaica are no pushovers, having reached the last 16 of the World Cup in 2023, qualifying from a group containing Brazil and France (they drew with both).
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But they were without star striker Khadija Shaw at the King Power Stadium and, apart from a goal that was ruled out for offside when England were 1-0 up, they struggled to trouble the home team.
Sarina Wiegman's side took the lead through Ella Toone's deflected strike, doubled their advantage when Lucy Bronze headed in and were three goals ahead before the break when Toone scored her second with a precise finish.
Georgia Stanway scored England's fourth with a powerful finish, a welcome sight given her season has been disrupted by injury.
And there were more reasons to be pleased for Wiegman when one substitute, Lauren James, showed her quality to send in a beautiful cross for Alessia Russo to head home from close range. Another replacement, Aggie Beever-Jones, added a sixth.
There was a worrying moment in stoppage time when Beth Mead went down injured but she was back up again quickly and showed no lasting effects as she scored her team's seventh with virtually the last kick of the game.
Nancy Froston and Cerys Jones analyse the key talking points.
This was Toone laying down her marker to be a starter in England's attacking midfield role amid plenty of competition for the position.
Two well-taken goals and a dynamic performance will make it hard for Wiegman to look elsewhere when deliberating over who should occupy the No 10 role.
The Lionesses' Euros win three years ago was defined by Toone and Russo's heroics from the bench. Now established starters, their combination play against Jamaica was impressive.
Toone's tenacity, willingness to make runs beyond Russo and ability to show up in big games counts for a lot — especially against the backdrop of James returning to full fitness.
Wiegman handing her the start for this match feels significant. And in her first tournament since the passing of her dad, expect every Toone performance to hold greater personal meaning, too.
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Nancy Froston
A defeat by Jamaica would have been a massive upset. It is little surprise the Lionesses fared well against lower-ranked opposition, even if they did not have it all their own way.
In the absence of star player Shaw, Jamaica were not at full force but still posed a threat to England and brought physicality. They had the ball in the back of the net via a Kayla McKenna strike, but it was ruled out for offside.
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It was not a test to replicate the quality of France or the Netherlands, who England will face in the group stage in Switzerland, and it is hard to see some of the rustiness on show against Jamaica going unpunished against better sides.
But as an exercise in building confidence and connection between players, it worked. Expect England to engage 'tournament mode' before their opening group game. They will know they need to be ready for sterner tests than this.
Nancy Froston
Wiegman looks set to opt for experience in Switzerland, and her selection for this match might well have revealed her starting XI for the opener against France.
With Millie Bright and Mary Earps out of the picture, the back five largely picks itself.
The main question concerns whether any of England's young attacking players, such as goalscorer Beever-Jones, Jess Park or Grace Clinton, have done enough to earn the nod over Euro 2022 winners Toone, Stanway or Mead.
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With Toone scoring twice and Stanway producing a quality finish for England's fourth, they have given Wiegman reason to stick to her tried and trusted attacking line-up. Those younger players may have to make their impact from the bench, a little like Russo and Toone did at Euro 2022.
Cerys Jones
This was not a tournament-level performance, but it was never expected to be. There were times when England's players took heavy touches, mishit passes or sent shots wildly wayward. There were even moments where they looked uncomfortable — not least for that disallowed Jamaica goal from a set piece. There are certainly things that need ironing out in the days before England face France.
But how can a 6-0 win be anything other than a significant boost on the eve of a major tournament? It is a relief that James, Lauren Hemp and Stanway all seem tournament-ready (though the former's minutes will need managing, at least at first), and the Lionesses proved they have plenty of goals in their locker.
They have the raw materials required of a team that wants to challenge for a trophy — they just need to shake off some of the rust before facing France.
Cerys Jones