England’s hard-fought victory over world champions Spain was helpful in more ways than one.
First, and most importantly, it gave the Lionesses control of the race for the only automatic qualifying place for next year’s showpiece in Brazil, with three fixtures remaining – including the return meeting in Spain on June 5.
It came thanks to Lauren Hemp’s third-minute goal – the fastest England have ever scored here at Wembley – which proved the difference in a gritty, attritional replay of last summer’s Euros final.
Second, it gave Wiegman crucial information about a squad missing key individuals – not least Ella Toone, Leah Williamson, Aggie Beever-Jones and Grace Clinton – and showed that she has the strength in depth to still produce a performance against one of the best teams around.
Time moves quickly in football and next summer’s World Cup will be upon us before long, while Wiegman has used the absence of these players as an opportunity to hand out valuable caps.
For a coach who has historically tended to stick to a familiar starting XI for the bigger games, or shake it up entirely for the lesser ones, Tuesday’s line-up which combined a blend of experience and youth was a refreshing sight.
Deputising for Toone in the No 10 role, 19-year-old Lucia Kendall produced an assured performance in just her sixth appearance for the senior side. Her replacement with 20 minutes to go, 22-year-old Laura Blindkilde Brown, is also starting to show she is no longer overawed by the opportunity.
The Lionesses’ articulate centre-back, Lotte Wubben-Moy, continued her stellar club season on the international stage with another determined display in place of her Arsenal team-mate Williamson.
All of this comes alongside the more established members of the squad hitting their stride.
Alessia Russo continues to go from strength to strength and is on course to become a complete striker. Harry Kane-esque in the way she drops deep while also delivering goals in droves, Russo’s assist from the floor for Hemp was just as acrobatic as the Manchester City winger’s finish, and summed up another selfless afternoon for the 27-year-old.
Hemp, meanwhile, was outstanding and unlucky to be limited to just one goal, while Georgia Stanway’s relentlessness and Hannah Hampton’s brilliance in goal were also on show on an all-round positive night for England.
As Wiegman reflected, the Lionesses continued to show the ruthless mentality that ultimately gave them the edge against a technically superior Spanish side last summer.
‘The team really fought today. We always try to fight, but in most of the games we’ve played recently we’ve had the ball a lot ourselves. This demanded something different from us than we have recently shown, and we did that very well,’ Wiegman said.
For the first time in a long while, it feels as though Wiegman can look to the future knowing she has the strength in depth should one of her soldiers fall.
Spain, meanwhile, were without the injured Aitana Bonmati, the world’s best player, and it showed. It seemed as though they had left their shooting boots on the continent; despite registering more attempts (21), they managed just three on target.
Their 19-year-old prodigy, Vicky Lopez, twice looked uncharacteristically rushed, missing two opportunities to draw level. Former Manchester United full-back Ona Batlle also sent an effort over the bar, while the crossbar came to Hampton’s rescue in the second half after Olga Carmona’s shot took a wicked deflection off Bronze’s outstretched leg.
So, as one door to Brazil crept open, another was finally closed, as Mary Earps was given her long-awaited send-off before kick-off.
It had taken just under a year – for tempers to cool, for hindsight to settle, and for another European trophy to be placed on the mantelpiece – before the matter was finally resolved.
Mary Earps – with a shirt celebrating her 53 caps – was greeted warmly by the Wembley crowd
As for the reception, Earps could hardly have asked for more, particularly given the circumstances in which she left. Had there not been another trophy in the cabinet, or had Hampton suffered an untimely injury last summer, might the response have been harsher?
It is hard to say, but there is no denying that those within the corridors of English football will be quietly breathing a sigh of relief that this long and difficult chapter has finally drawn to an amicable close.
Earps was reminded, following the release of her autobiography, that her success was always intrinsically entwined with that of the Lionesses.
There is no ‘I’ bigger than the team – at least not in Sarina Wiegman’s trophy-laden world – and some believe time has helped her understand why the backlash was severe.
Looking sharp in a chequered brown suit, she was greeted by Bronze, Russo and Keira Walsh after they had finished their warm-ups.
And Wembley proved a fitting stage to bid farewell to one of England’s greatest and most distinctive personalities – a player who played a pivotal role in ushering in a golden era for the women’s game in this country, which arguably began beneath this hallowed arch on 31 July 2022, when Chloe Kelly wheeled away with her shirt aloft.
Wiegman can now turn her attention to plotting new ways of bringing further success to the country, and capturing the one prize that she – and the nation – craves above all else.
This was a perfectly adequate way to begin, with victory over the world champions marking the start of that long road to Brazil 2027.
