That’s it from me. Apologies for any confusion you may have noticed over North Macedonia player names, which stemmed from an error on the official team sheet that was handed out at St Mary’s. Congratulations to England on a fine win – and of course to Sarina Wiegman for getting her England reign off to a positive start. See you next time.
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Wiegman speaks after a strong start to her tenure: “Very good start ... I think we saw a very energetic team, but we had to score more chances ... but as a result, it’s really nice to start.
“The whole atmosphere, the whole week, we trained hard ... the opponent wasn’t that good, we should have won anyway.
“Forty-six chances? We counted about 20 100 per cent chances! ... We need to score more. At half-time we said - be a little more composed in the final third.”
Here is Suzanne Wrack’s report from that dominant win for England:
Deserved praise for Suarta Rechi, the North Macedonia goalkeeper, who made some brilliant saves and was very brave at multiple different stages:
I genuinely mean this, Suarta Rechi was player of the match. She stuck her body on the line multiple times with some properly committed goalkeeping and probably saved that being double figures.#ENGMKD #Lionesses
— Ross (@rpiper14) September 17, 2021
Huge respect to Suarta Rechi. She’s played her heart out and scoreline would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for her.
— Iain Scullion (@IainScullion) September 17, 2021
Two-goal Ellen White speaks: “We are delighted to get off the mark ... eight goals, clean sheet, a lot of different scorers as well ... we’re really pleased and we’ll use that going into the game on Tuesday ... I could have had more ... we had a lot of chances ... we want to score more goals. We are delighted with the eight goals but we could have had more.”
The attendance at St Mary’s, I am hearing, was 8,214.
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Full-time! England 8-0 North Macedonia
Mission accomplished for England, and a win to open Wiegman’s tenure, and also a victory to kick off their qualifying campaign for the 2023 World Cup. North Macedonia defended with spirit, but offered nothing in attack. England wasted a significant number of chances but, at the same time, scored some superb goals. Toone, on her first start for England, was outstanding, but there were good performances all over the pitch.
*This caption was amended on 18 September 2021 because an earlier version said Nikita Parris was pictured whereas it was Demi Stokes.
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GOAL! 90 min: England 8-0 North Macedonia (Mead)
England returns the favour. She slides a pass to Mead, who cuts inside her marker and cracks a shot into the net. It’s eight!
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GOAL! 89 min: England 7-0 North Macedonia (England)
Mead sends over another excellent cross, and it’s a clinical header by England into the top corner to make it 7-0. Superb goal.
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88 min: Parris gets on the end of a ball by Wubben-Moy. She shoots but can’t get it on target.
84 min: England smashes a shot at Rechi from close range. The North Macedonia goalie does brilliantly to block it. She looks winded, and she needs treatment.
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83 min: Super defending by Mustafa keeps England (the player and the team) out.
80 min: England’s Niamh Charles on, for Daly.
GOAL! 79 min: England 6-0 North Macedonia (Kolarovska OG)
Wubben-Moy hits a fine ball to Mead, across the field to the left. Mead crosses, and Kolarovska turns it into her own net. This could yet be double figures for England as North Macedonia fade in the final 10.
GOAL! 77 min: England 5-0 North Macedonia (England)
Parris flies down the right and hits a cross-shot that is dropping in. Rechi beats it out, but England is there to nod home.
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76 min: Daly crosses. Toone volleys. Rechi saves.
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74 min: Toone hits a venomous rising shot from the edge of the area. Rechi saves well. Nothing wrong with that effort by England.
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72 min: Scott, who has just come on, sidefoots a shot that grazes the crossbar! The general buildup play has been excellent from England, but with more clinical finishing, they would be about 15-0 up by now.
70 min: Toone misses with an open goal beckoning after Wubben-Moy wins a ball at the far post. Now, White and Stanway go off with Beth England and Jill Scott coming on, so that’s four changes for England.
GOAL! 67 min: England 4-0 North Macedonia (White pen)
Williamson is fouled, White coolly converts the penalty, and it’s goodnight Macedonia. It looked like the foul by Zivikj was outside the box, but there’s no VAR, so no review. White gets the second goal that she deserves and closes to within five goals of Kelly Smith’s all-time England scoring record. Zivikj is booked for her trouble.
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63 min: Another chance for White and another slight miscue. She holds her head in her hands.
62 min: Hemp and Bright off for England. Hemp won’t get her goal. Lotte Wubben-Moy and Nikita Parris come on.
60 min: Now Hemp swings in a good curling ball which White meets as it bounces. She turns the ball goalwards but doesn’t get the right contact on it, and Rechi saves. Substitutes are being prepared. Hemp flicks a header goalwards. Is she going to find that elusive goal before the end of the night? She’s certainly got in plenty of good positions.
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56 min: Daly tries to bend a clever through pass beyond the backline. It finds its way through to the goalkeeper. There’s a slight drop in the tempo that England have been setting for much of this match.
53 min: Toone slides a tremendous low ball through to Hemp. Hemp diverts a shot goalwards as she falls, and Rechi saves.
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51 min: Alex Greenwood advances towards goal from the back. After a smart one-two, she thumps a left-footed shot which is always rising over the goal.
47 min: Daly storms down the right. She floats in a lovely cross to the far post. Hemp meets it with a header, but it deflects out for a corner thanks to an excellent defensive header by Kolarovska.
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Second half kick-off!
We are back on at St Mary’s. Dervishi has gone off and Aleksandra Rechi is on for North Macedonia.
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Scott Murray has Newcastle v Leeds – LIVE – right here:
Half-time! England 3-0 North Macedonia
There is still time for White to hit a shot just over after more good work by Mead. And that is half-time: job done for England so far, and plenty for the fans to cheer. See you in a few minutes for more.
GOAL! 45 min: England 3-0 North Macedonia (Zivikj OG)
England win a corner. A cross is swung in from the left, for which White challenges the goalie Rechi. They both miss it but Zivikj, unwittingly, diverts the ball into her own net at the far post. There is no longer any doubt about the result tonight, and I feel for the visitors a bit, because they have really fought hard in this first half. But England’s superiority is increasingly evident.
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GOAL! 41 min: England 2-0 North Macedonia (White)
Toone is involved as England play into the penalty area. There’s a bit of a mix-up in defence and the ball breaks to White, 10 yards out, and she has no hesitation in sending a crisp left-footed finish low into the corner of the net. A tidy finish.
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40 min: Daly and Mead link up again on the right. Mead flashes a cross into the danger zone. It flies right across goal with no one on the end of it.
37 min: Toone is back on. Hemp swings in a cross from the left. White challenges for it as Rechi dives bravely in to try and claim the cross. It looks like White’s studs came down on her left calf - it was accidental - but painful all the same.
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36 min: Credit to North Macedonia. They are competing increasingly well, and the stream of chances that England were creating has dried up somewhat. The visitors are defending with a lot of physical commitment.
34 min: Toone is being helped off. It looks like a knee injury. She looks to be in a lot of pain, and this would be a sad way for her full England debut to end ... but she is going to try and play on! England are down to 10 for now.
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32 min: Toone gets a sight of goal from 20 yards. She shoots, but there is another fine block from a North Macedonia defender. Toone has gone down injured and she looks in some pain. Looks of concern on the England bench.
28 min: England’s Millie Bright hits the free-kick. But the opposing defenders charge down her powerful shot. Then Mead fires high and wide from outside the area. Wiegman will be expecting England to improve on this finishing, but there is nothing wrong with their all-round play.
27 min: Polozhani lunges in on Toone on the edge of the box. Both players go to ground – but it looks like Polozhani has come off worse. England will have a free-kick in a dangerous area on the edge of the penalty area.
25 min: Demi Stokes charges forward and is brought down on the edge of the area. There are claims for a penalty - or at least a free-kick - but the referee isn’t interested.
23 min: Mead is the latest England player to find space to shoot. But it skews off the side of her left boot and flies high and wide.
21 min: North Macedonia have a free-kick in the England half. Maksuti hits a snap half-volley from the edge of the box which flies over. To say a goal there would have been against the run of play would be something of an understatement.
19 min: Stanway finds space for a shot from an angle, and smacks it into the side netting. It’s only a matter of time before England double their lead at this rate.
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17 min: England create two more clear-cut chances in quick succession. Their movement and passing, as was expected, is proving too much for the world’s 131st-ranked side. And the bad news for North Macedonia is that England’s fitness is going to be superior, so this is only going to get more difficult.
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15 min: England are dominating. Daly cracks over another fine ball to the far post. Hemp heads it just wide.
13 min: Ellen White, teed up by Hemp, almost makes it two but there is some good defending by North Macedonia to keep her out from close range.
GOAL! 12 min: England 1-0 North Macedonia (Toone)
And there it is! Toone makes amends immediately for that missed header. Williamson strokes a superb-first time ball beyond the visiting defence. Toone runs on it and sidefoots a shot goalwards. It’s close to Rechi, and she tries to dive on it, but it rolls under the goalie and into the net.
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11 min: Beth Mead produces another fine delivery from the right. Toone has a free header from a central position but skews it wide.
10 min: England’s best chance arrives when Beth Mead drills in a good low ball to the near post. Ellen White is there to meet it, and clips a right-footed shot over the bar. The visitors tick off 10 minutes without conceding.
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7 min: Ella Toone, making her first start for England, hits a shot from just outside the area. It’s easily saved by Rechi. Hemp immediately finds loads of space on the left and swings in a cross. Rechi deals with it. She is going to have a busy night.
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5 min: Hemp now finds acres of space on the left for England. The wide players are getting plenty of joy early on with the North Macedonia defence already looking seriously stretched.
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2 min: Rochi, the lone striker for North Macedonia, does well to hold the ball up and hits a shot from a long way out. It’s easy for Earps to save. England stream down to the other end, where Andonova wins it back, but is then double-tackled on the edge of her own penalty area. The visitors manage to clear again, though, and clear downfield.
First half kick-off!
Here we go. The players from both sides take the knee, and we are under way. Williamson immediately releases Daly on the right wing with an excellent ball. Hemp meets Daly’s cross with a header but it deflects out for a corner. The corner comes to nothing.
The teams are out and the anthems have begun. There are plenty of fans already in position at St Mary’s to watch North Macedonia belt out their anthem. Kick-off is a couple of minutes away.
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Macedonia team
(4-5-1): Rechi; Zivikj, Nikolovska, Kolarovska, Polozhani; Maksuti, Markovska, Andonova (capt.), Mustafa, Salihi; Rochi.
They are ranked 131 in the world.
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On ITV, Leah Williamson is asked what it means to captain the side tonight: “Obviously, unfortunate circumstances, but I hope Steph’s recovery goes well .... but for me it’s the ultimate, it’s the hugest honour ... I’m very proud to represent my country always but today is a little bit more special.”
On Wiegman’s arrival: “Obviously she has been so successful with the Dutch team so we’re all ears ... the training level has been really high. Everything’s gone up a notch, which is probably what we needed and I’m excited to show everyone what we have been working on.
“It’s a fantastic occasion, Friday night, under the lights. It’s going to be a good day – I can feel it.”
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Wiegman is asked how serious the injury to Houghton is: “We don’t know yet ... she’s now back to the club and will do some more research.”
On Fran Kirby who is recovering from injury: “She will return Tuesday ... we didn’t want to take any risks ... we thought this was a little too early.”
And regarding what has impressed her about Leah Williamson, who captains the side: “Her game, on the pitch, she’s really calm ... also off the pitch she’s calm but she knows what she wants.”
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A positive reaction to the captain Williamson being named in midfield from our reporter on the scene, Suzanne Wrack:
Williamson captain and in midfield?! Inject that into my veins 💉😍
— Suzy Wrack (@SuzyWrack) September 17, 2021
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Some news from yesterday regarding the four-team women’s invitational tournament that will kick off in February 2022, and run for at least three years:
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More words from Wiegman in a pre-recorded interview with ITV: “I hope we can achieve the highest possible, and that’s what we’re going to work for, really hard.
“It’s really nice to be here ... to meet the players, being on the pitch with them, is so nice. The challenge attracted me to the job – the potential, the history ... it triggered me and it challenged me.
“I’m a people manager. I’m a real team player ... we don’t have to do real new things because the players bring so much experience and quality but I will bring my vision on how we want to play.”
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Interesting thoughts here from Wiegman (from Suzanne Wrack’s piece below) on formations in the modern game: “Formations, these days, the football game has become so dynamic,” she said. “You’re talking more about principle. Sometimes if you take a picture it just looks like a 4-4-2. When you take a picture at another moment it looks like 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. In another moment it’s 4-3-3. It just depends on what happens in the game. You’re not going to just stay in your position all the time.”
Team news
England will line up in a 4-3-3 with the captain, Williamson, in a holding midfield role: Earps; Stokes, Greenwood, Bright, Daly; Toone, Williamson (capt.), Stanway; Hemp, White, Mead.
We are FINALLY back!
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 17, 2021
Your #Lionesses line-up for tonight...🔥 pic.twitter.com/NJ0KQ0g2YB
North Macedonia team news to follow.
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As we know, Steph Houghton is out injured, but before that news emerged, she spoke to Suzanne Wrack about why Wiegman’s arrival is a ‘clean slate’:
ITV’s opening montage includes a flashing ‘LEVEL UP’ slogan. Boris Johnson will be pleased.
Meanwhile, the pundits on duty are Eni Aluko and Ian Wright.
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Suzanne Wrack has taken a look at the issues that Wiegman must address as she takes control of the England team:
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Preamble
Sarina Wiegman’s tenure as manager of England Women begins tonight, and she is already having to think on her feet: the captain Steph Houghton has been ruled out by an ankle injury picked up in training yesterday and will consequently miss this evening’s match against North Macedonia as well as Tuesday’s meeting away against Luxembourg.
Arsenal’s Leah Williamson, Houghton’s defensive colleague, will now step in to lead England and Wiegman said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Leah to wear the captain’s armband at senior level for the first time, and I look forward to seeing her in action.”
So too will the fans heading for St Mary’s Stadium as England seek to start their qualification campaign for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup – which will take place in Australia and New Zealand – on a positive note. With or without Houghton, it’s a match they will expect to win, and kick-off is coming up at 7pm. Pre-match reading, team news and more coming right up.
