European champions England secured a rare 2-1 victory over World Cup holders United States Women’s National Team in a pulsating friendly at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday.
In front of a sell-out crowd of almost 77,000, the entertainment on the pitch more than lived up to the hype, especially in a thrilling first half that saw three goals scored. Lauren Hemp and a Georgia Stanway penalty gave England the goals they needed, either side of a Sophia Smith goal that briefly drew the USA level.
There was also controversy when the U.S. was unable to score a second tying goal before halftime when the video assistant ruled it out for offside.
– Streaming via ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS and more (US)
“They’re an incredible squad and they showed again that they’re very good,” USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said of England afterward. “If you give them a bit of space, they have players who can make a difference.
“They have an incredible coach who has done a really good job since coming here and I wouldn’t mind facing them again in the final.”
“It was a tight match, very competitive, as we expected,” England coach Sarina Wiegman said. “We both played to score goals. We’re not going to win the World Cup now – it’s great to have this moment in this environment to prepare for next year’s World Cup.”
The build-up to the game was dominated earlier in the week by Sally Yates’ report detailing systemic abuse and misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Players from both teams joined hands with victims of sexual abuse before kick-off, holding a banner reading “Protect the Players” and wearing blue armbands.
The USA players had said the game was a welcome distraction from a grueling couple of days and when the whistle blew the intensity on the pitch was much higher than a normal friendly. It was, after all, a rematch of the 2019 World Cup semi-final, won by the Americans, and a matchup between the USA and England, who had gone 23 and 22 games without defeat, respectively.
Both teams also had the opportunity to measure their preparation before next year’s World Cup.
Having already scored a warning shot, England delighted the home crowd after only 10 minutes. Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead was the creator of it, breaking down the right and sending in a low cross. USA linebacker Alana Cook couldn’t intercept the ball, instead slowing it down the path of Hemp, who got an easy finish from six yards out.
It was the first time the U.S. had trailed in a game since last year’s Olympic semifinal against Canada, which was also the last time the Americans were beaten. The deficit could have been doubled soon, but this time Kanep’s shot was deflected in front of the goal.
Smith, however, began to make his presence felt at the other end. With Alex Morgan unavailable due to injury, the Portland Thorns forward started in the middle of the U.S. attack.
And he soon showed a lethal touch in front of goal, scoring 14 times in 18 NWSL appearances this year. Stanway was robbed by Lindsey Horan as England tried to play out from the back and the ball fell to Smith, who instantly turned on the edge of the area before firing into the bottom corner of the net to equalise.
It didn’t take long for Stanway to make amends for their mistake and continue a breathless first half. Less than five minutes after the USA drew level, referee Hallie Mace was called to review a high boot by the injured Emily Fox on England’s Lucy Bronze.
The right penalty was awarded and Stanway made no mistake, sending USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher the wrong way.
If the USWNT wasn’t happy with the involvement of VAR in that case, their frustration only grew minutes later. The visitors thought they had equalized once more after Megan Rapinoe headed Smith’s cross into the path of Trinity Rodman, who finished at the back post. However, a lengthy VAR review ruled that Smith was narrowly offside in the build-up, despite replays not giving a clear view.
The drama continued early in the second half, with Bronze and Smith adding scores at each end.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, the referee pointed to a penalty spot for the USA, but replays showed the ball clearly hit the back, not Kanep’s arm, and the call was quickly overturned.
Still searching for the equalizer, Andonovski turned to 17-year-old high school senior Alyssa Thompson, who became the youngest USWNT debutant since 2016.
But there was to be no second twist as England claimed only their fifth win in 19 matches against the four-time World Cup winner.
However, Wiegman insists that his team is not attracted by the rumors that England have now overtaken the USA as the best in the women’s game.
“You’re the best team in the world when you’ve won the World Cup – we’re not,” he said. “It’s so close – there are so many good countries and it’s tight.
“We have to keep it going and work hard and execute our plans. Going into the World Cup you have to have a bit of luck – everyone has to be fit and available. You’ve seen our squad grow a lot and it’s great to see, but we’ll take some things we really need to do better.”
