The England women’s team are set to enter the second leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece on Tuesday with a two-goal lead. Sarina Wiegman’s side won the first leg 3-1.
The return tie takes place in Leicester, starting at 19:30 British time. England dominated possession with 74 per cent, and took 26 shots, scoring three goals. Despite this, they conceded a goal in the second half, while Greece threatened with a powerful shot on target.
England finished as runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, behind Spain. In the group stage, they beat Haiti and Denmark 1-0 in both matches, advanced through the knockout stage after beating Nigeria on penalties, and in the quarter-finals, they came from behind to beat Colombia 2-1. In the current qualifiers, they were superior to Iceland and Spain.
Against Greece, England recorded 58 touches in the opponent’s penalty area and 210 passes in the final third. Keira Walsh stated that their hesitation in front of goal was frustrating. Georgia Stanway is England’s top scorer from the 2025 European Championship with ten goals and a ratio of one goal every 81 minutes.
The injuries to Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang mean that Alessia Russo, playing as a nine, has little competition. Ellen White still holds the record as the top scorer for the Lionesses. England have had 11 different scorers since the 2025 Euros, and in the last 18 months, goals have also been scored by defenders Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, and Maya Le Tissier. The number nine has added six goals to this total.
England have not won a match in which they were trailing from the end of the 2025 European Championship, having lost to Brazil and Spain in the process. Lauren Hemp has played 687 minutes and scored only two goals, while Lauren James has not found the net in the last 425 minutes.
