'We are growing into the World Cup' - Lionesses cut loose to the delight of Sarina Wiegman

England boss Sarina Wiegman lauded the Lionesses’ adaptability after a system shake-up sparked a thumping 6-1 victory over China at the Women’s World Cup.
By The Newsroom
Published 1st Aug 2023, 16:37 BST

The Lionesses had not scored more than once in their opening two matches but came alive on a crisp night in front of 13,497 at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium to seal top spot in Group D.

Wiegman took a gamble as she swapped England’s usual 4-3-3 for a 3-5-2 formation, and she was rewarded with goals from five different players including a brace from Chelsea prodigy Lauren James, who also picked up three assists, and a first of the tournament for Harrogate’s Rachel Daly.

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“I think we are growing into this tournament,” said Wiegman, whose side will now meet Nigeria in the knockout stages.

England's Rachel Daly celebrates scoring their side's sixth goal of the game with team-mates Millie Bright, right, and Chloe Kelly, left (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)England's Rachel Daly celebrates scoring their side's sixth goal of the game with team-mates Millie Bright, right, and Chloe Kelly, left (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)
England's Rachel Daly celebrates scoring their side's sixth goal of the game with team-mates Millie Bright, right, and Chloe Kelly, left (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)

“I think tonight we had a great performance. Of course we made a choice and went for it.

“Everyone really believed in it [the formation] straight away and you could see that on the pitch. They were really excited about it. We want to use the qualities of the squad as optimal as possible. The team showed they were really adaptable.

“I think you could see from the whole team that we were enjoying ourselves, you could tell that we were really connected, the ball is going around and we have different ways to go in attack, and of course Lauren James was one of them when she scored the goals.

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“You saw that the team was enjoying every goal, except the one from China.”

England's Lauren James celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal of the game during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)England's Lauren James celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal of the game during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)
England's Lauren James celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal of the game during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia (Picture: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)

Lucy Bronze, who was ruled offside in the build-up to an earlier goal that was chalked off,, found herself at the wrong end of another call to the monitor after the restart and was aggrieved when she was punished for a handball and China were awarded a penalty, converted by Wang Shuang.

Bronze said: “I knew it hit my hand, but it wasn’t deliberate. Unless I cut my arm off I don’t know how I get my arm out the way.

“The most important thing is we won, we’re through to the next game, no one else got injured.”

Related topics:China