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England Women reached seventh heaven in a rout against Jamaica at the King Power Stadium, as Ella Toone secured a first-half brace either side of a Lucy Bronze header. Georgia Stanway, England strike duo Alessia Russo and Aggie Beever-Jones, and winger Beth Mead all added their names to the scoresheet to conclude the Lionesses’ emphatic display.
In the Lionesses’ send-off fixture ahead of their UEFA European Championship title defence in Switzerland, Toone’s tenth-minute strike from the edge of the box gifted England the lead. A disallowed goal from Jamaica offered a warning sign for the hosts, with Bronze soon responding with a header from a superb Jess Carter cross.
England’s Toone secured a brace in additional time of the first half with a curling shot deflecting in off the post. The celebrations continued from the majority of the 25,088 supporters as Stanway powered her close range strike past Jamaica’s Liya Brooks early in the second half.
While both sides rang the changes, it was Lauren James who made the impact for England on her highly anticipated return to international football. The right winger’s dinked cross found Russo unmarked at the far post, with the striker heading the ball home with ease.
Substitute Beever-Jones secured her fifth senior goal, as fellow Chelsea teammate Niamh Charles pacily played the ball across for the sliding striker to direct past Brooks.
It was Mead, however, who claimed the Lionesses’ final goal on English turf ahead of their journey to Switzerland, as her deflected strike across goal netted England’s seventh.
Jamaica attacks expose England’s slight frailties
A corner-kick in the 19th minute caused several problems to surface for England, as Kiki Zan Venten’s low corner-kick delivery was not swiftly dealt with by the Lionesses defence. It was Jamaica forward Kayla McKenna who converted the chance, as her scuffed effort was fumbled by goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and trickled over the line.
While the equaliser was harshly ruled out by VAR, as Van Zanten was judged to be in an offside position and obstructing Hampton, the newly deemed England No.1 showcased a lapse of concentration.
The 24-year-old will need to be aware of mistakes creeping into her play during the keeper’s first major tournament, as a tough group stage awaits the Lionesses in Switzerland. While Hampton’s shot stopping prowess and impressive distribution tip her as the best goalkeeper in the country, the importance of performing the simple saves should never be understated.
While Hampton was not to be troubled again throughout the remaining 70 minutes of the match, the Reggae Girlz did continue to probe against the hosts in the first half. England’s defence occasionally appeared off the pace, as they failed to deal with Jamaica’s advances into the 18-yard box.
With just days remaining until the Lionesses open their Euro 2025 account against France on July 5th, manager Wiegman will be intent on addressing her side’s need to cut out attacks while they remain on the flanks.
Toone poses a question for Wiegman in the place of Clinton
Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone will receive a large portion of the plaudits for her attacking display at the King Power Stadium. The 25-year-old was arguably the shock inclusion in the starting XI, as Grace Clinton dropped to the substitutes bench.
Despite various passes from Toone going awry in the initial proceedings, the midfielder soon produced an emphatic effect in the number 10 role as she secured a brace. The England international went mostly undetected by those in yellow and green, with much space available for Toone to unleash two strikes from the edge of the box to devastating effect.
While it is anticipated that the player’s fellow Manchester United teammate will take to the field alongside Keira Walsh and Stanway, the midfielder’s performance may pose questions for Sarina Wiegman as to whether Toone deserves a role superior to that of an impact sub. The 25-year-old will be all too familiar with such a title, as the midfielder proved England’s game changer from the bench throughout their journey to European glory on home turf in 2022.
It was then Chelsea’s Fran Kirby keeping out the Manchester United player, with now three years passed and Clinton and Stanway proving Toone’s newest competitors. The midfielder will hope to soon establish herself as a regular starter for the Lionesses, with her fellow teammate Russo now England’s star striker after previously occupying the role of impact sub alongside Toone in 2022.
Jamaica continue to lack cutting edge without Shaw
The Reggae Girlz’ winless run extended to five as they suffered yet another harrowing defeat to one of the world’s best. Arriving at the King Power off the back of a 4-0 loss at the hands of Emma Hayes’ USA, Jamaica once again failed to record a goal despite all of their efforts.
A disallowed goal from McKenna was the closest the visitors came to responding to England’s impressive offensive display. Hubert Busby Junior’s side will certainly feel that they sorely missed their prolific striker and focal point in attack, Khadija Shaw, of whom many of the England players know well for her goalscoring prowess in the WSL.
While the Manchester City forward continues her recovery from a hamstring injury in March, the positive takeaway for the Reggae Girlz is that of no further fixtures on the horizon, with Shaw hoping to return to the field in the coming months.
Double The Footy 