Beth Mead's hat-trick helped England soar into the Euro 2022 quarter-finals with a record-breaking 8-0 win over Norway in Brighton.
Mead, Ellen White, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo all netted at the Amex Stadium as the Lionesses successfully secured their place in the knockout stages.
Mead, Stanway, Hemp and White all scored before half-time before the Arsenal ace completed her hat-trick after the break to complete the biggest margin of victory in the tournament's – men’s and women’s – history.
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The contest began as a defensive battle, with little room to breathe for either team. But that soon changed into a memorable night for England as Norway's Maria Thorisdottir's rash play in the box brought down White in front of the referee for a soft penalty.
Stanway took centre stage and breezed a beautifully-placed penalty into the top left corner to give the Lionesses the lead after 12 minutes.
And it only got better from there as a fumble from Martin Sjögren's side saw Mead's low ball find Hemp for an awkward, yet straightforward, backfoot tap to claim the second goal after only 16 minutes.
Originally ruled as offside, VAR came into play as the offside was overruled and the Amex Stadium thundered in applause for an England 2-0.
Norway tried to bounce back with several corners and attempts around the box but it was no use as England were firmly in control.
White knocked on the door multiple times just before 30 minutes but finally netted after Thorisdottir took too long and allowed the Manchester City ace to storm past for her 51st England goal and make it 3-0.
The Lionesses extended their momentum in the 34th minute as White hustled Maren Mjelde off the ball and Mead grabbed another goal with a clean header.
Mead claimed one more four minutes later as she teased the Norwegian defence and slipped the ball past Guro Pettersen.
Half-time came shortly after White found the back of the net once more with a close-range shot to hit Norway for six.
Norway suffered a further setback as Julie Blakstad was shown yellow for dragging down Mead after the break and the Arsenal star almost sealed her hat-trick four minutes later but couldn't quite get her boot to the ball.
It was soon Russo's time to shine as she came on for White and shattered the history books in the 67th minute – clinching the biggest ever victory in the tournament’s history.
The Lionesses toyed with the Norwegian side, dancing around the box and trying to fire in shot after shot.
A rocket from Alex Greenwood almost claimed an eighth but hit the crossbar as Lucy Bronze tried the same.
Mead sealed her first hat-trick in a major tournament in the 81st minute with a simple finish to outline a statement of intent in the race for the golden boot and fire England into the last eight in style.
Tickets are on sale now for fans to experience a history-making tournament that aims to unite football and communities and amplify the growth of the women’s game. www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing
