It took just 41 seconds after kick-off at Carrow Road for “football’s coming home” to break out in the stands. In the eyes of women’s football fans, never mind Sunday, football “came home”’ two years ago, and on Friday England took another big step towards ensuring they will be in Switzerland next summer to defend their title.
It was Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp who was truly coming home, as the winger from North Walsham returned to Norwich, where she began her career at the club’s centre of excellence, and a slight disappointment for the fans, on a predominantly positive night for the Lionesses, was that their local heroine was not on the scoresheet. Nonetheless, Hemp, like many of her teammates, was in strong form as the World Cup finalists outclassed their opponents.
