With an opening victory safely under their belt, a much-changed England side edged to a win over Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup. In front of 32,128 fans in Coventry, the Lionesses retained their unbeaten run despite conceding a controversial goal.
Rachel Daly headed a double as she continued her claim for a striker’s role while Sofia Cantore scored for the visitors. Sarina Wiegman was pleased with her team’s performance. “I’m very happy,” the England manager said. “Of course, I’m happy with the win because we always play to win. But today we saw many players on the pitch. We saw different players than last Thursday and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
As a manager renowned for her stable selection, it was perhaps a little surprising to see so many changes from Wiegman. Just two players remained from the opener against South Korea, with Jess Carter in defence and Alex Greenwood captaining the team.
Then again, England’s squad depth is no secret and with just one international window left after this tournament before the World Cup, this encounter presented the perfect opportunity to look at those knocking on the door. Young talents Katie Robinson, Jess Park and Maya Le Tissier added to their caps while Laura Coombs started after making her first appearance since 2015 against Korea.
“The players are competing with each other because of course everyone wants to go to the World Cup and every moment you get to show yourself,” Wiegman said. “But we’re also playing as a team and collaborating really well ... I think that’s really good.”
Wiegman’s counterpart, Milena Bertolini, was equally in the mood for changing things up with eight alterations to her team. After defeat to Belgium, she called on her more established players as they faced the European champions. It was a landmark occasion for stalwart Cristiana Girelli, who further established her status in Italian football with her 100th appearance.
Wiegman had anticipated a different tactical game, with Italy’s adaptability well known. It was, therefore, important for the Lionesses to hit the ground running. In front of a favourable crowd, they dominated the ball in the first half with Park enjoying space in the pocket and Robinson’s technical ability causing problems. Laura Giuliani was forced into a series of early saves to deny the energetic Daly up front.
While in control, the Lionesses were not at their fluid best as they tried to problem solve against a resilient Italy. Just as the match was starting to get disjointed, however, England found the breakthrough through a trademark Daly goal. Robinson’s whipped delivery found the striker soaring high above Valentina Bergamaschi to power home the opener.
Similar to the Korea match, England went up a level after the break, aided by the addition of Katie Zelem’s and Jordan Nobbs’s energy in midfield. Daly should have had a hat-trick, first volleying over Le Tissier’s delivery before heading a Robinson cross wide. Meanwhile, Nobbs was denied by the strong hand of Giuliani in goal.
With half an hour left to play, England’s rhythm was delivered a blow in controversial fashion when the ball looked to have crossed the line before Barbara Bonansea delivered a cross. Unseen by the referee and her assistant, the dellivery found substitute Cantore who headed past Ellie Roebuck.
Wiegman immediately turned to her established attackers, with Lauren James and Chloe Kelly entering the fold. Within minutes, England’s lead was restored. James was afforded space, controlling the ball with time to assess her options. She picked out Daly in the middle with a sumptuous cross, who duly headed home.
It was a performance from one of England’s most versatile players that reignited the discussion around her best position on the pitch. “I think they’re both [Daly and Alessia Russo] very good strikers,” Wiegman said. “We all know that Rachel is very versatile so she can play in different positions ... What we want to see this week is what options we have.”
It was just the tonic the Lionesses needed as they controlled the match to its conclusion. A second win in the tournament for Wiegman’s side sees England top the group going into the final match day. They will face Belgium in Bristol on Wednesday with ambitions to retain their trophy.
