The Lionesses grabbed a valuable 3-1 first-leg lead against Greece in their Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off on Friday, but don’t let that scoreline fool you. Sarina Wiegman, the coach who’s led England to back-to-back European titles, is NOT happy with how they played, even with one foot in the next round for a spot in Brazil next year.
Maya Le Tissier Steps Up Big
Seriously, Maya le Tissier was a breath of fresh air. With Lucy Bronze out with a minor injury, the Manchester United captain got a rare start at right-back, not her usual center-back spot for United. This was her 15th cap, and she made it count, banging in her first international goal in the 63rd minute! Wiegman loved it, saying Maya was “higher on the pitch” and created “a couple of moments with crosses.” If Bronze, who’s 34, is thinking about the future, Le Tissier just gave us a huge dose of optimism. What a performance!
Sloppiness Still Creeping In
Here’s why Wiegman’s still frustrated. This 3-1 win was only England’s third in their last eight competitive away games. Three-one sounds good, right? But the “gulf in class” between these teams means not keeping a clean sheet is a huge red flag. Defensive lapses were all over the place, giving Greece chances. Ioanna Papatheodorou nearly scored in the first half hitting the crossbar, then set up Kallisti Brouksair for their goal later on. Those were straight-up England errors, and Wiegman admitted they were “a bit sloppy.” She said, “Of course we want to take some more distance,” and “We want to show more than winning, we want to play really well too.” Basically, they won, but they didn’t *dominate* the way they should have. That means the door is still open for Greece in the second leg, and England needs to “show up on Tuesday.”
A Glimpse of Tomorrow
On the bright side, we got a peek at the future. After securing the win, Wiegman brought in two debutantes: 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson and 28-year-old Liverpool captain Grace Fisk. Fisk had been waiting forever, getting her first call-up back in 2020. But Parkinson? She’s on the fast track, unexpectedly making the squad in March after just moving up to the U-23s a few months prior. She even moved to the US this summer, joining North Carolina Courage! Esme Morgan called her “really intelligent,” with “incredibly good movement and timing,” and “very aggressive in her tackling.” Parkinson came on in the 85th minute, so we’ll be watching to see what she does next.
So, the job’s half done. England needs to finish strong against Greece in the second leg on Tuesday in Leicester. Kick-off is 19:30 BST. Win that, and they face Ukraine or Slovakia in the next round, with a ticket to Brazil on the line. Let’s hope they cut out the sloppiness and really show what they’re made of!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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