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probably the only positive for England Can reality no longer be avoided? For LionessThere was no repeat of their spectacular victory over Germany at Wembley. Instead, the Euro 2022 final rematch served as a warning ahead of England’s European Championship defense next summer. The Lionesses were complacent and full of errors as a fresh, reorganized Germany team repeatedly outclassed them. Had it not been for Germany’s own disastrous defence, the scoreline might have been even more embarrassing.
England win four at home It should be enough as it is. That it was a friendly atmosphere doesn’t hide the fact that it was a bad night Sarina WigmanThis was his worst performance as England manager, but there is an argument that such a warning was needed in the first place euro 2025If the manager has been accused of being overly loyal to many of his players who won the Euros and reached World Cup finals, there is an even bigger case for him eventually changing his first-choice team. Wiegman insisted she “wouldn’t change for the sake of it” – but there are too many for England to live up to their reputations, at least on current form.
It shouldn’t be said that this team lacks character. After trailing by three goals inside half an hour, England took the lead and pulled it back from two goals down georgia stanwayThe period where Germany extended their lead was quite worrying, however, as questions were raised over England’s defensive structure and the selection of Wiegman, who was under the microscope anyway. Leah Williamson And Beth Mead, in particular, has been out of form at struggling Arsenal and it has shown. It was an early mistake from the captain that resulted in Germany’s first penalty, setting the tone for an England performance filled with mistakes from start to finish.
Later, Wiegman defended his selection against the argument that he got big calls wrong. “It’s easy to say after the game,” Wiegman said. “I am happy with the starting line-up. I am happy with the team. We want to see other players do what we did, and we know there’s a lot of competition going on. It’s good for the team. This was a very high level game. There were a lot of challenges for us, but also for them. That’s what we want at this stage. “It gives us a lot of information and shows what we need to do better.”
Wiegman also supported Williamson and said that the plan was always to remove the England captain, after particularly poor performances in defence. Selected ahead of Alex Greenwood, who had impressed in the Manchester City team that beat Barcelona this season, Williamson’s devastating back-pass set up Germany’s opener inside four minutes, as Bright fouled Linda Dellman in the box. And Giulia Gwynne converted the penalty. It was the worst start to a big night: the England captain noted the “noise” surrounding his performances this season following his return from a long-term injury layoff. This led to more construction.
Amidst all this, England’s back four were to blame for the first-half collapse, although Wiegman pointed out that there were just as many issues with the front players as Germany had played through the poor press. For another, Jess Carter was pulled out of position and Gwyn couldn’t believe the room she was given to cross over to the Hamptons. England were weak and repeatedly losing the ball in midfield. Germany could easily counterattack. The third came when Germany broke down and switched to Clara Buhl, who passed Lucy Bronze and beat Hampton at her near post. Bronze’s defense was amazing.
Germany have taken a completely different approach to England since the Euro finals. They exited the World Cup in the group stage last year and have since bid farewell to a number of national team stalwarts, including legendary striker Alexandra Popp. But hopes have now risen under new head coach Christian Wouk, who has seen his front three come to life in his first game in charge. Buhl, Juul Brand and Dallman displayed all the energy and pace that England had long lacked. Despite the Lionesses struggling before half-time, Germany regained control. They were much faster and faster the whole time.
However Germany’s own problems in defense contributed to a poor performance in at least half the match. Alessia Russo, perhaps England’s only player from the kick-off, had a goal ruled out before Lauren Hemp’s cross hit Gwynn’s arm in the box and hit the post. A penalty was harsh but Stanway took another penalty just two minutes after the end. Germany, who threatened to mirror England’s collapse, gave England a chance to equalize when defender Sarah Dorson found Ella Toone’s pass on goal. One of England’s goalscorers in the Euro 2022 final could not create another goalscorer at Wembley. Toon’s shot went wide.
Wiegman made a significant change, starting Hampton ahead of England fan favorite and two-time FIFA Best Goalkeeper Earps. Although it was a strange night for him too. Once Germany re-established their superiority, Hampton kept England in the game by making excellent saves, including a superb stop to deflect Deleman’s long-range strike onto the crossbar just before half-time and give England the lead. That included denying Brand after a sensational run through the defence.
But Hampton also conceded four times and had a costly spill from a wide free-kick which earned Germany a second penalty. In her final action of the night, Russo was adjudged to have kicked Sophia Kleinhern in the leg in a scuffle following Hampton’s mistake. Sarah Dabritz placed fourth, defeating Hampton by chance for the second time. As if to summarize the chaotic nature of the game, England scored from almost identical positions when Ann-Katrin Berger delivered a free-kick and Bronze tapped it in at the far post. Ultimately, it was a bad night for England, it was a game of mistakes.