England registered their first victory of the Euro 2025 qualifying campaign and went second in their group with a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Wiegman made five changes to the side which toiled to a 1-1 draw with Sweden to start their qualification campaign. Victory away to the Republic of Ireland was critical to steering the campaign back on track.
And with just over 11 minutes gone, England were celebrating Lauren James ’ seventh goal for England, the Chelsea star latching onto a ball in the box following Keira Walsh’s cross to the back post. Five minutes later, Ireland’s poor start was compounded as Alex Greenwood converted from the spot after Ruesha Litte-John handled Park’s shot in the area.
It was hardly the trajectory the match looked to take upon kick-off. The hosts had started brightly, earning a corner in the opening two minutes while also showing their physicality and organisation in defence. But Walsh, afforded the space and time she hadn’t against Sweden, found Lucy Bronze with her cross and Emma Patton’s poor clearance saw James capitalise without fuss.
Ireland were offered a life line after Greenwood smacked a second spot-kick -- given after Louise Quinn was adjudged to handle Russo's close-range effort -- off the inside of the right post with half an hour gone, keeping the match from getting out of reach.
Even so, by half-time, the numbers looked grim for the hosts, who had failed to register a single shot in 45 minutes courtesy of England's press and quick defensive recovery.
England looked to have their third on two occasions in the second half, once through substitute Fran Kirby then again as James picked the pocket of the Irish defence and sailed a splendid cross to Beth Mead at the back post, who nodded the ball into the path of an onrushing Toone. Both chances were smartly smothered by Ireland's Courtney Brosnan.
And that profligacy almost proved costly for the Lionesses, who were subject to a dramatic and tetchy finale as the Republic of Ireland doubled down on a more direct style of play. The hosts saw their best chance of the match come and go as Katie McCabe's free-kick found Louise Quinn but despite a queue of Ireland defenders in the box, none could capitalise. From there, the chances continued to rain into the England penalty area, forcing Hannah Hampton into action. Ultimately, it was too little too late.
Below are the talking points.
1. England kick-start qualification campaign
Get nothing wrong, this was a must-win match for England in their bid to qualify for next summer's European championships the easy way. With France still to face and Sweden away, victory over Republic of Ireland (the only team in the group not in the top six FIFA rankings) was paramount.
England found themselves on the scoresheet quickly through a moment of quick-thinking from James and a defensive lapse from the hosts. Five minutes later, another defensive lapse as Little-John handled Park's shot in the area. Despite Greenwood's missed spot-kick, the Lionesses never seemed rattled by their opponents and the intensity, patience and creativity was notably greater in this match than against Sweden.
The Lionesses will be disappointed they didn't score more here, particularly with the lion's share of possession and the chances created and as the game threatened to turn in the final throes.
Even so, after France took all three points from their clash with Sweden, England sit second in the group with their campaign back on track.
2. Wiegman rotates with positives
Rotation felt inevitable for this arguably must-win match, but how much manager Wiegman was willing to twist remained the question. In the end, Wiegman opted for some significant changes: Hampton arriving in for Earps, along with the arrivals of Carter and Williamson in the backline and the creative impetus of Park and Toone further forward.
Williamson in the backline was not only a nostalgic sight but an encouraging one. A bright attack in the first-half was instigated entirely by a sliding tackle from Williamson in the final third.
Wiegman continued to rotate throughout the match, with Fran Kirby and Beth Mead both entering the fray in the second-half, testament to the fearsome strength in depth vaunted by this squad. And as the game threatened to slip away, Wiegman could rely on the calibre on her bench to ensure that nothing spectacular occurred.
Using the most of the squad will be critical in England's qualification campaign. The current international and domestic schedule has come under fierce scrutiny but with no signs of reprieve any time soon, Wiegman will need to utilise her squad at its fullest.
3. Auditions for England's No 10 continue
It was Park and Toone whose arrivals signalled that Wiegman wasn't happy with the lacklustre display from the centre of the park on Friday evening. Where Kirby has traditionally operated as England's creative thrust, Wiegman shook things up with the introduction of Park and Toone.
The duo did well to occupy pockets of space and cause confusion for Ireland's backline, along with James who floated from right wing to centre of the park with menace. The Chelsea star was an especially important creative force as England tried to gather steam in their attack.
Kirby's arrival in the second-half further complicated these auditions, with the veteran dropping into the pockets between the Irish midfield and defence and using her vision to thread passes into the final third. On her day, there is no player who comes close to her ability.
4. Walsh with plenty of time
The trick to stopping England seems to be marking the Barcelona midfielder out of the match. But Walsh relished her time at the Aviva Stadium, getting forward to conspire in the final third while marshalling the midfield and making life difficult for Ireland's attack.
Walsh seemed at times to occupy the midfield alone and for England's first, she had more than enough time to pick out Bronze at the far post with a looping and tantalising cross. Throughout the match, Walsh continued to be a creative fulcrum, the metronome from which all of England's tenor and tempo stemmed.
Walsh has long served as the pulse of the team -- defensively and creatively. Once more the 27-year-old showed why she continues to be one of, if not the, most important player in this squad.
5. Ireland recover from torrid start in tenacious second-half
Before the match started, Republic of Ireland defender Niamh Fahey, on comms for the evening, said things could get exciting if the hosts kept the reigning European champions from getting into the goals early. After halting France to just a goal in a narrow 1-0 loss, Ireland cut themselves more than capable.
But it was a nightmarish start that the hosts never truly recovered. Despite looking disciplined and physical in the initial exchanges, leaving Walsh with all the time in the world was only ever going to end poorly. England's defence deserves recognition but a dearth of quality in the final third betrayed the host's better chances on the counter, making for a frustrating first-half for the hosts who failed to register a shot in the entire 45-minute period.
The second half was far brighter for the hosts, who used the set-piece nous of substitute Megan Campbell and McCabe's skill to make for a thrilling end as Caitlin Hayes and Louise Quinn both saw promising headers come and go. In the end, Ireland managed five shots with three on target, setting up a thrilling finale for a baying home crowd.
The campaign would always prove difficult for Ireland, drawn into a challenging group. But with zero points to show from two matches, there remains an increasingly insurmountable mountain to climb.
6. No VAR causes some controversy
There was some controversy over the handball ruling against Louise Quinn in the first-half which gave England their second penalty of the match, though replays show that both handball calls were pertaining to the rulebook. Yet, no VAR or goal-line technology available at Aviva Stadium on Tuesday made any protests from the Irish players redundant.
UEFA regulations at this stage means there is no VAR in any qualifier for the European championships, and while there was goal-line tech at Wembley Stadium for England's draw with Sweden, the technology's implementation for any game in Euro 2025 qualifying is at the discretion of teams and stadiums and was not available on Tuesday.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
