Spain will be sick of the sight of England. The Lionesses famously won Euro 2025 after only leading during the knockout stages of the tournament for four minutes and 52 seconds, including against Spain in the final, where Hannah Hampton saved two penalties and Chloe Kelly struck in the shootout to retain England’s crown. After surviving, it felt like the Lionesses kept standing for long enough to just pinch the trophy at the last.
So when Lauren Hemp swivelled in the box to fire the Lionesses ahead inside three minutes of their World Cup qualifier at Wembley, Sarina Wiegman’s side were faced with the complete opposite of what they managed to overcome in Switzerland last summer. Rather than chasing the game and requiring a comeback to get over the line, they would have to be more controlled and embrace facing elite opposition from ahead, while defending their lead for almost the entire match.
