Lionesses breeze past Greece to next round of World Cup qualifiers

Over the international break, the Lionesses played Greece in back-to-back fixtures which saw them comfortably progress into the next round of World Cup playoffs.

The Lionesses took to Crete to kick off their double header on October 9. As expected, England started strong, but couldn’t turn their dominance into clear cut chances. Lauren James thought she had opened the scoring with a beautiful lob over the keeper from 25 yards out around the 20-minute mark, but it was chalked off for offside.

Soon after, Greece aimed to catch the Lionesses on the counter, and proved threatening as Ioanna Papatheodorou rattled the crossbar on a quick break-away.

England were eventually able to make their possession count not long before the half time whistle, with Georgia Stanway cooly slotting past the goalkeeper in the 39^th minute.

Maya Le Tissier, who got a rare look in at right back in the absence of veteran Lucy Bronze, netted her first goal for her country

After the break, England proved to be more clinical. Maya Le Tissier, who got a rare look in at right back in the absence of veteran Lucy Bronze, netted her first goal for her country, in a standout performance which saw her demonstrate that she is more than capable of competing for that position.

Four minutes later, Alessia Russo got in on the action, firing into the bottom left corner to bring the Lionesses’ goal tally up to three.

Greece continued to push, however, with Calliste Brouksair of Rangers neatly finishing past Hampton in minute 77 after a quick counter, leaving the home side with a glimmer of hope.

Liverpool’s Grace Fisk was a late substitute as she made her first England appearance at 28 years old, helping to close out the game at 3-1.

Goalscorer Stanway spoke post match, saying that the game was “a bit more transitional than we would’ve hoped”, acknowledging England’s need to tighten up at the back before taking on the reverse fixture.

Heading to the King Power Stadium in Leicester four days later, the Lionesses already had one foot in the next round of qualifiers. Starting a whole lot brighter, Russo put England ahead on the night just three minutes in after a perfectly weighted through ball from Lauren James put her one-on-one with the keeper, allowing her to expertly pick her corner.

England were able to celebrate not just five goals, but also two more senior debuts

James got on the scoresheet herself not long after, rifling a fierce effort into the roof of the net.

Stanway then added to her impressive England goal tally, bringing her total for her country to 33 as she glanced a tempting Lauren Hemp cross home, before James scored again to set the Lionesses 4-0 up before half time.

The second half proved to be quieter with just the one goal, with Russo becoming the second player to bag a brace as she rounded the keeper to put England 5-0 up. Greece were out of ideas, as they proved to be no match for the dominant Lionesses.

England were able to celebrate not just five goals, but also two more senior debuts, as Chelsea’s Lexi Potter started the match and Freya Godfrey of the London City Lionesses came on as a substitute, both leaving their mark on the game.

Despite the flaws in their first leg performance, a glittering display and plenty of goals at home saw the Lionesses secure their place in the next round of qualifiers. They play Ukraine away on December 1 before returning home to Wembley on December 5, as they will look to ensure their place in the Brazil 2027 World Cup.