ENGLAND 2-1 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: ALESSIA RUSSO AND GEORGIA STANWAY FIND THE TARGET AT CARROW ROAD AS THE LIONESSES TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO QUALIFICATION FOR EURO 2025

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Alessia Russo opened the scoring inside five minutes after a slick team move
Georgia Stanway sealed England's victory with a second-half penalty

There was just 45 seconds on the clock when chants of ‘It’s Coming Home’ rang around Carrow Road.

While Gareth Southgate’s side are preparing for Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, the only senior England team to win a major trophy since 1966 edged a step closer to defending their title in Switzerland next summer.

Victory over the Republic of Ireland leaves the Lionesses second in their Euro 2025 qualifying group with one game to go. An early strike from Alessia Russo and a Georgia Stanway penalty had put England 2-0 ahead before Julie Russell scored Ireland’s first goal of their qualifying campaign with the last kick of the game.

Only two countries progress automatically from this four-team group, with the other two nations dropping into the play-offs.

England are one point behind France and three clear of Sweden, who they play on Tuesday.

It means the Lionesses only need a draw in Gothenburg to progress.

Sarina Wiegman knew Tuesday’s game would be crucial going into this fixture and that is perhaps why she chose a more experimental team.

Lucy Bronze and Ella Toone were both rested, with each player one yellow card away from a suspension. Captain Leah Williamson and Jess Carter started but were in the same boat as Bronze and Toone, with Wiegman opting to substitute both defenders at half-time.

Spreading minutes between players was no doubt also part of her thinking. The scheduling of this July window has been the subject of scrutiny and criticism, with players unable to have a full summer of rest despite there being no major tournament to take part in.

England played France on June 4 and had three weeks off before coming back into camp at the start of July. Some will get more time off after this window, but others may not. Stanway, for example, has already started pre-season training with Bayern Munich.

There was no sense of fatigue from England’s players, though, and they could not have asked for a faster start when Russo broke the deadlock after just five minutes.

It was a fine team move as Stanway played the ball into Beth Mead, who played an exquisite no-look pass into Russo. The forward then rounded goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan to fire into an empty net.

England should probably have been out of sight by half-time but saw chances to double their lead go begging. Lauren Hemp forced Brosnan into a smart save at her far post before the goalkeeper kept out further efforts from Mead and Carter.

The Lionesses did eventually double their lead just before the hour mark when Stanway converted from the penalty spot. Hemp had pounced on a loose touch by Niamh Fahey, who then dragged the forward to the ground, leaving referee Catarina Campos no option but to point to the spot. Stanway sent Brosnan the wrong way and the ball into the top right corner.

Tottenham’s Jessica Naz came on for her senior debut in the 71st minute and nearly added a third goal when she charged down a poor Brosnan clearance, but the ball spun kindly for the goalkeeper as the forward was unable to get a shot off.

Aggie Beever-Jones was the next to earn her first England cap, with the Chelsea forward coming on in the final few minutes. The Lionesses looked to be seeing out the game with ease before they switched off from a corner at the death, with Russell forcing the ball over the line at the near post to give her side something to celebrate.

2024-07-12T21:22:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd