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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Xaymaca Awoyungbo

England 6-0 Portugal: Women’s Nations League – as it happened

Aggie Beever-Jones of England celebrates scoring her team's third goal with teammates Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp and Jess Park.
Aggie Beever-Jones of England celebrates scoring her team's third goal with teammates Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp and Jess Park. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

That’s all from me tonight. Check out Suzanne Wrack’s match report.

England’s emphatic win sets up a crucial game against Spain next week. England need a win to top Group A3 while a draw will be enough for Spain to progress to the Nation’s League Finals.

If you enjoyed tonight’s game, sign up to our free Moving the Goalposts newsletter to keep up with all things women’s football.

Chloe Kelly made an immediate impact with her second half header.

Full time: England 6-0 Portugal

It wasn’t much of a contest in the end. England killed the game off within the first half an hour in a humiliating first half for Portugal. England remained focused on their European Championship mission despite Mary Earps’ retirement. Sarina Wiegman will have a headache choosing a starting XI for that tournament.

Updated

90+2 min: There’s a bit of afters between Catarina Amado and Leah Williamson. The Portugal midfielder fells Williamson as she goes up for a header. Williamson is up quickly and the two players clash heads in anger. The referee decides not to book either player as the game winds down.

90 min: There will be three minutes of additional time.

88 min: Williamson has played excellently despite having little defending to do. She releases Le Tissier down the right with an expertly weighted through ball. The makeshift right-back’s delivery is headed away by a Portugal defender.

84 min: It seems Beth Mead has noticed Beever-Jones’ quiet second half so she plays a smart reversal pass to her on the left. Beever-Jones controls it well and fires a trivela towards Pereira’s near post. It’s a good save from the Portugal keeper.

83 min: Aggie Beever-Jones hasn’t seen much of the ball in the second half.

81 min: England are keeping the ball well. They’re pinging passes around as the clock ticks down.

79 min: Spain beat Belgium 5-1 to set up a tasty final Group A3 match between England and Spain next week.

73 min: What a strike! Alex Greenwood bends the resulting free kick onto the crossbar. The ball rebounds into the air for Chloe Kelly but the goal scorer misses an open goal from about six yards out. Her headed goal seems all the more impressive now.

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71 min: England win a free kick on the edge of the area. Borges crashes into Beth Mead. The England forward is back on her feet thankfully.

68 min: Andreia Faria and Carolina Correia are on for Norton and Jacinto. Neto consoles Norton and Jacinto as they head to the bench.

65 min: Portugal are still playing in case you were wondering. They win a free kick 30 yards from goal. Andreia Norton stands over the ball and fires her effort just over the bar. It was always rising.

GOAL! England 6-0 Portugal (Kelly, 62)

Just as the game was starting to stall, England spring back into life. Alex Greenwood, taking inspiration from Williamson’s pass in the first half, fires a ball into Beth Mead on the left. Mead traps the ball, cuts inside and lofts a delivery onto the head of an advancing Chloe Kelly. Her header loops into the back of the net.

Updated

61 min: Park does excellently to lose Tatiana Pinto on the half turn. She’s played well all night and wins a free kick for her trouble.

56 min: Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly and Maya Le Tissier are on for Esme Morgan, Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze.

54 min: Portugal don’t have an outlet going forward. They win the ball from England in their own half but can’t get any further than the centre circle on the counter attack. The England defenders swarm Diana Silva and she loses the ball.

52 min: Understandably, England have started the second half at a slower pace than the first. They’re still pressing Portugal but without the intensity of the opening stages.

49 min: Grace Clinton takes a speculatively shot from about 30 yards out. Taking the ball down with lots of time and space, Clinton balloons her effort over the bar.

Updated

48 min: Meanwhile in Leuven: Spain are 2-0 against over Belgium. González has scored another one.

Updated

45 min: Portugal start the second half kicking from right to left. Anything would be an improvement on that first half performance.

A first half hat-trick for Aggie Beever-Jones.

Meanwhile, Spain are leading Belgium 1-0 in the other Group A3 game. Esther González gave the World Cup winners the lead.

Half time: England 5-0 Portugal

What a first half for England! They’ve totally dominated Portugal with the front three showing a particular ruthlessness. Beever-Jones will take the plaudits but the whole team have played excellently in a sensational first 45 minutes.

Updated

45 min: There will be three minutes of additional time.

43 min: Lauren Hemp has had the better of Borges all game. The England winger drops her shoulder to get away from the Portugal defender before playing a dangerous ball towards Clinton. The midfielder can’t connect with it and Portugal are let off the hook.

42 min: Even when England give the ball away, they keep the pressure on. Bronze gives it away on the right but immediately forces a mistake from the Portugal defender thanks to her high press.

40 min: Beth Mead plays a teasing ball across the six yard box towards Lauren Hemp. Hemp throws everything at it but she can’t connect with the ball. Francisco Neto breathes a sigh of relief.

37 min: Diana Silva has struggled to get into the game for Portugal. She tries to play a give-and-go with a teammate on the halfway line but her pass is sloppy and possession turns over.

35 min: This time Jess Park wants to get on the score sheet. She picks the ball up in the middle and charges into the box. Dolores Silva does well to engage with her and the defender shepherds the ball out of play for a corner.

GOAL! England 5-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 33)

That’s a first half hat-trick for Aggie Beever-Jones. But a moment for the tremendous assist by Leah Williamson. The England captain plays a through ball towards Beever-Jones from her own half. The striker controls it on the volley before waiting, taunting the defender, just to smash the ball past Pereira at her near post. Almost every England attack is a goal.

Updated

GOAL! England 4-0 Portugal (Mead, 29)

It’s getting really embarrassing for Portugal now. Beever-Jones plays a first time pass to Park in the middle. The Manchester City midfielder threads an intricate through ball to Beth Mead as she enters the box. The Champions League winner nutmegs the defender before stroking the ball into the bottom corner with her left foot.

Updated

GOAL! England 3-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 26)

This time the goal scorers link up for a third England goal. Bronze whips in a perfect cross for Beever-Jones, who, unmarked, caresses a header past Pereira. It’s been too easy for England to cause Portugal problems.

Updated

23 min: Portugal are under pressure. Two white shirts chase Andreia Jacinto on England’s left hand side, forcing the midfielder to pass it back to the keeper. The pass is wayward and the ball goes out for a … throw in. It should have been a corner.

22 min: There’s a pause in play while Borges receives treatment after her encounter with Hemp. So far so good for England.

20 min: Lauren Hemp has been a constant threat on the flanks for England. This time she finds herself on the left and she uses her body to roll Ana Borges. You wouldn’t have thought Hemp has just come back from a knee injury.

17 min: Bronze plays an inviting through ball to Lauren Hemp. The Manchester City forward races away on the right and looks as if she’s about to round the keeper. The ball runs away from her though and she’s forced to go wide before starting again.

14 min: England have settled into a nice rhythm and look very comfortable on the ball. Despite Portugal’s 7-1 defeat at the hands of Spain, Sarina Wiegman’s side will remain wary of their threat going forward.

1o min: Portugal win a corner in an attempt to get back into this game. After dealing with the first ball, England fail to clear their lines properly and Andreia Norton heads an effort just wide of the post. It may even have clipped the upright.

GOAL! England 2-0 Portugal (Bronze, 5)

I’ve barely finished writing my last entry and England have scored again. England’s pressure is relentless. Lauren Hemp whips in a devilish cross from the left into the path of Beever-Jones. The Chelsea striker misfires but Beth Mead follows up with a good strike. Inês Pereira can only parry the shot to Lucy Bronze, who heads in the rebound.

Updated

GOAL! England 1-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 3)

Well, that was quick! Jess Park has started this game brightly and harasses the Portugal defence. Her high press forces a mistake and Aggie Beever-Jones picks up the loose ball before slotting it away. What a start.

Kick off

England get us under way kicking from right to left.

Updated

The players are making their way to the pitch. England hope to step closer to the Nations League Finals with a win tonight before they play Spain in Barcelona next week.

Updated

The England captain Leah Williamson reacted to Mary Earps’ retirement in a press conference on Thursday. She said: “I hope she would describe me in the same way, but she’s one of my closest friends in football in terms of what we’ve been through together, the journey that we’ve been on. So, I’m devastated just because I love her. I love being her teammate. I think the way that she wears an England shirt is an example to us all. So, I’m very sad that those memories aren’t going to continue in an England shirt, but for her, if she thinks this is the best thing, I’ll always support her.”

Michelle Agyemang is on the bench for England after her fantastic volley against Belgium in their last Nations League match. Read Tom Garry’s piece about the 19-year-old’s journey from England ballgirl to senior international within the space of four years.

The teams

England: Hampton, Bronze, Carter, Walsh, Williamson, Morgan, Mead, Clinton, Beever-Jones, Park, Hemp

Subs: Charles, Keating, Le Tissier, Greenwood, Stanway, Kelly, Kearns, Parris, Kirby, Moorhouse, Wubben-Moy, Agyemang

Portugal: Pereira, Borges, Costa, Pinto, Norton, Jacinto, Silva, Pinto, Amado, Capeta, Silva

Subs: Correia, Dias, Cota-Yarde, Lino, Silva, Faria, Fonseca, Ribeiro, Lopes, Mendes, Encarnação, Morais

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of this Women’s Nations League match between England and Portugal at Wembley.

It’s the reverse fixture of Group A3’s opening game in February that saw a sublime goal from Kika Nazareth hold England to a draw after Alessia Russo’s opener.

England’s preparation for this game and the Euros in July has largely been overshadowed by Mary Earps’ decision to retire from international football on Tuesday. The 2022 and 2023 winner of Fifa’s Best goalkeeper award said: “Ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger players an opportunity to thrive.” All eyes will be on the England No.1 Hannah Hampton and the rest of the team as they adapt to Earps’ exit.

For Portugal tonight’s game marks an opportunity to go level on points with England in the group. Even with a win, it’s unlikely that they’ll leapfrog England after Spain thrashed them 7-1 in their last game. Their clash with England will be good preparation for their opening game of the Euros against their Iberian rivals.

Kick off is at 7:45pm. Send me an email with your predictions.

Updated

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