Alessia Russo and Lauren James reinforced their status as England’s key players, each scoring twice in a commanding 5-0 victory over Greece in the second leg of their World Cup play-off first-round tie, securing an 8-1 aggregate win.
James opened the scoring by setting up Russo for an early goal—a crucial strike following England’s narrow 3-1 win in Crete on Friday, which had left manager Sarina Wiegman with much to contemplate.
However, once England took the lead at the King Power Stadium, they maintained their momentum throughout the match. James doubled the hosts’ advantage with a powerful shot from distance before Georgia Stanway extended the lead with a precise header from Lauren Hemp’s cross.
England continued to generate scoring opportunities as Wiegman rotated her squad, giving debuts to Freya Godfrey and Lexi Potter, before Russo sealed the victory with a well-taken goal on a tight angle, capping off a dominant performance by the Lionesses.
England now advance to the second round of the World Cup play-offs, where they will face Ukraine in a two-leg tie scheduled for November 26 to December 5.
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