The Lionesses couldn’t hide it, Sarina Wiegman admitted it: England head to the Women’s World Cup with a feeling of disappointment and frustration. A goalless draw against Portugal was not the send-off England wanted after missed chances spoiled the expectant party atmosphere in Milton Keynes.
There was always going to be an element of rustiness at play here, five weeks after many of England’s players had their final match of the domestic season. This was England’s first game for two months, a fixture that was arranged with conditioning in mind as much as anything else, with a focus on sharpening combinations ahead of the World Cup rather than results.
