Wiegman ‘really happy’ with ‘important’ win

Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman was impressed with the performance her side put in against Portugal as England ran out 6-0 winners at Wembley in the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

Wiegman’s team occupy second place in the Group A3 standings, trailing Spain by two points but every game counts, according to the England boss when reflecting on tonight’s victory.

"It's what we wanted,” said Wiegman. “You go back to business and you want to show on the pitch.

“It's an important game. We want to do well in the Nations League, we want to keep in the running to win it so we needed a win and it's really good to see the team show up like this.”

With a major tournament right around the corner as the Lionesses keep one eye on EURO 2025, Wiegman analysed England’s performance in the aftermath, identifying the key takeaways from the game.

"There's always things to improve, of course, but it was a good score,” continued Wiegman. “We started really well, they played in a shape and after 3-0 they changed to a different shape and we adapted really well.

“The second half, they dropped very deep and played a 5-4-1 so the spaces became smaller for us. I think the goal we scored was really good but it was harder to find the space."

Wiegman had a number of pivotal players back at her disposal ahead of the game, with the latest international camp seeing recalls to the squad for the likes of Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway who all featured against Portugal.

And the England head coach had no complaints about the trio giving her a selection headache.

"I know how hard they have worked and how much they have done to come back,” noted Wiegman.

“Of course, it's a step up and it's very good we could build them now. It's the Nations League that you want to win, but at the same time, it's preparation for the EUROs so they need meaningful minutes.

“You have to make decisions but when the team does so well and you score so much, then it's easier to sub than when it's tight. That doesn't mean I wouldn't have brought them on, because they are ready to play anyway but it's really nice."

Attention now turns to next week when the Lionesses go head-to-head with world champions Spain – who England beat last time out at Wembley in February – at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in a crucial match-up in the competition.

"When we played Spain here, we dropped a little deeper,” said Wiegman. “We will review this and make final decisions. Spain are so tight on the ball, so smart, so you have to do that really well. I'm really happy with how the team did today though."