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37 min: Diana Silva has struggled to get into the game for Portugal. She tries to play a give-and-go with a teammate on the halfway line but her pass is sloppy and possession turns over.
35 min: This time Jess Park wants to get on the score sheet. She picks the ball up in the middle and charges into the box. Dolores Silva does well to engage with her and the defender shepherds the ball out of play for a corner.
GOAL! England 5-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 33)
That’s a first half hat-trick for Aggie Beever-Jones. But a moment for the tremendous assist by Leah Williamson. The England captain plays a through ball towards Beever-Jones from her own half. The striker controls it on the volley before waiting, taunting the defender, just to smash the ball past Pereira at her near post. Almost every England attack is a goal.
GOAL! England 4-0 Portugal (Mead, 29)
It’s getting really embarrassing for Portugal now. Beever-Jones plays a first time pass to Park in the middle. The Manchester City midfielder threads an intricate through ball to Beth Mead as she enters the box. The Champions League winner nutmegs the defender before stroking the ball into the bottom corner with her left foot.
GOAL! England 3-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 26)
This time the goal scorers link up for a third England goal. Bronze whips in a perfect cross for Beever-Jones, who, unmarked, caresses a header past Pereira. It’s been too easy for England to cause Portugal problems.
23 min: Portugal are under pressure. Two white shirts chase Andreia Jacinto on England’s left hand side, forcing the midfielder to pass it back to the keeper. The pass is wayward and the ball goes out for a … throw in. It should have been a corner.
22 min: There’s a pause in play while Borges receives treatment after her encounter with Hemp. So far so good for England.
20 min: Lauren Hemp has been a constant threat on the flanks for England. This time she finds herself on the left and she uses her body to roll Ana Borges. You wouldn’t have thought Hemp has just come back from a knee injury.
17 min: Bronze plays an inviting through ball to Lauren Hemp. The Manchester City forward races away on the right and looks as if she’s about to round the keeper. The ball runs away from her though and she’s forced to go wide before starting again.
14 min: England have settled into a nice rhythm and look very comfortable on the ball. Despite Portugal’s 7-1 defeat at the hands of Spain, Sarina Wiegman’s side will remain wary of their threat going forward.
1o min: Portugal win a corner in an attempt to get back into this game. After dealing with the first ball, England fail to clear their lines properly and Andreia Norton heads an effort just wide of the post. It may even have clipped the upright.
GOAL! England 2-0 Portugal (Bronze, 5)
I’ve barely finished writing my last entry and England have scored again. England’s pressure is relentless. Lauren Hemp whips in a devilish cross from the left into the path of Beever-Jones. The Chelsea striker misfires but Beth Mead follows up with a good strike. Inês Pereira can only parry the shot to Lucy Bronze, who heads in the rebound.
GOAL! England 1-0 Portugal (Beever-Jones, 3)
Well, that was quick! Jess Park has started this game brightly and harasses the Portugal defence. Her high press forces a mistake and Aggie Beever-Jones picks up the loose ball before slotting it away. What a start.
Kick off
England get us under way kicking from right to left.
The players are making their way to the pitch. England hope to step closer to the Nations League Finals with a win tonight before they play Spain in Barcelona next week.
The England captain Leah Williamson reacted to Mary Earps’ retirement in a press conference on Thursday. She said: “I hope she would describe me in the same way, but she’s one of my closest friends in football in terms of what we’ve been through together, the journey that we’ve been on. So, I’m devastated just because I love her. I love being her teammate. I think the way that she wears an England shirt is an example to us all. So, I’m very sad that those memories aren’t going to continue in an England shirt, but for her, if she thinks this is the best thing, I’ll always support her.”
Michelle Agyemang is on the bench for England after her fantastic volley against Belgium in their last Nations League match. Read Tom Garry’s piece about the 19-year-old’s journey from England ballgirl to senior international within the space of four years.
The teams
England: Hampton, Bronze, Carter, Walsh, Williamson, Morgan, Mead, Clinton, Beever-Jones, Park, Hemp
Subs: Charles, Keating, Le Tissier, Greenwood, Stanway, Kelly, Kearns, Parris, Kirby, Moorhouse, Wubben-Moy, Agyemang
Portugal: Pereira, Borges, Costa, Pinto, Norton, Jacinto, Silva, Pinto, Amado, Capeta, Silva
Subs: Correia, Dias, Cota-Yarde, Lino, Silva, Faria, Fonseca, Ribeiro, Lopes, Mendes, Encarnação, Morais
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of this Women’s Nations League match between England and Portugal at Wembley.
It’s the reverse fixture of group A3’s opening game in February that saw a sublime goal from Kika Nazareth hold England to a draw after Alessia Russo’s opener.
England’s preparation for this game and the Euros in July has largely been overshadowed by Mary Earps’ decision to retire from international football on Tuesday. The 2022 and 2023 winner of Fifa’s Best goalkeeper award said: “Ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger players an opportunity to thrive.” All eyes will be on the England No.1 Hannah Hampton and the rest of the team as they adapt to Earps’ exit.
For Portugal tonight’s game marks an opportunity to go level on points with England in the group. Even with a win, it’s unlikely that they’ll leapfrog England after Spain thrashed them 7-1 in their last game. Their clash with England will be good preparation for their opening game of the Euros against their Iberian rivals.
Kick off is at 7:45pm. Send me an email with your predictions.
