England 4-0 Korea Republic - Arnold Clark Cup match centre
- G. Stanway (40′PEN)
- C. Kelly (46′)
- A. Russo (50′)
- L. James (78′)
- Son Hwa-Yeon (8′)
- Jang Sel-Gi (57′)
- Kim Jung-Mi (85′)
- (41′)
Highlights: England 4-0 Korea Republic
Take a look at the best of the action from Milton Keynes as the Lionesses roar to victory
England v Korea Republic
Arnold Clark Cup
7.45pm GMT, Thursday 16 February 2023
Live on ITV
StadiumMK, Milton Keynes
Korea Republic in profile
Nickname: Taegeuk Ladies
Coach: Colin Bell
Captain: Kim Hye-ri
Opta Stats and Facts - England v Korea Republic
● England have faced Korea Republic twice previously and are unbeaten in both, keeping two clean sheets (W1 D1). Their one win came in March 2011 in the Cyprus Cup, a 2-0 victory with both goals scored by Sue Smith.
● This will be the first meeting between England and Korea Republic on English soil, with the previous two meetings coming in Suwon in Korea Republic and Achna in Cyprus. It’s England’s first game at Stadium MK since April 2017, a 3-0 win over Austria.
● England are unbeaten in all 26 of their games in all competitions under Sarina Wiegman (W22 D4), scoring 125 goals and conceding just seven. They have never conceded more than once in a game under Wiegman.
● Korea Republic are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions (W3 D2) since suffering a 2-1 defeat to Japan in the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in July 2022.
● England were victorious in the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup, topping the group on goal difference ahead of Spain with five points (W1 D2). Their two draws – against Canada and Spain – during the tournament are 50 per cent of the games they’ve failed to win under Wiegman (also draws against Czech Republic and Norway in October and November last year respectively).
● During England’s 26-game unbeaten run, the Lionesses have had 478 more shots than their opponents in that time (633 shots, 155 faced). Only two teams have managed to have more efforts at goal than they have in a game – Spain (twice in February and July 2022) and Germany (July 2022).
● Since Wiegman’s first game in charge in September 2021, defender Millie Bright has played the most minutes (2,075), completed the most passes (1,660), made the most interceptions (37), headed clearances (37), won the most aerial duels (54) and blocked the joint most shots on target (7) of any England player. Her last two goals were also scored in the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup, against Canada and Germany.
● Despite only starting eight games and playing 988 minutes, Ella Toone was directly involved in 15 goals for England during 2022 (nine goals, six assists), second only to Beth Mead (23) for goals and assists during the previous calendar year. Toone either scored or assisted every 66 minutes during 2022.
What was said
Sarina Wiegman is ready to get England’s World Cup preparations underway this month, as the Arnold Clark Cup kicks-off on home soil.
The Lionesses play their first game of 2023 against Korea Republic in Milton Keynes in the competition and the head coach says they’ll be making the most of three matches in a week.
"What we want to take from this tournament is to get ready for 22 July so it's preparation for the World Cup,” said Wiegman, who also revealed that midfielder Keira Walsh is a doubt for the game after suffering from a stomach bug.
"We have three games, so that's lots of opportunities to see players and lots of combinations against good opponents.
"I think every camp is important to see where each player is at in this moment with a couple of months to go.
"This tournament will give us lots of information but there's still many games to play for teams, and then we have April and some more matches and then we have to make a decision.
"So it's good to have this opportunity and so many minutes with the players this week.”
Wiegman is also pleased to be facing opposition from Asia this year, alongside fellow Euro nations in Belgium and Italy.
"I think it's very good to play Korea Republic because it's another culture and continent and that brings a lot of things so it's really good to play an opponent like that,” she added.
"I think Italy has grown as a team very much. They're playing different styles of play, which is very good for us to play against.
"And Belgium, as we saw in the EUROs did very well and just lost against Sweden, so they're good opponents who are really improving in their game.”
🔴 Live from St. George's Park 🔴
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 15, 2023
Listen in to Sarina Wiegman and @leahcwilliamson ahead of our #ArnoldClarkCup opener: https://t.co/gHBGLiT5rN
For England captain Leah Williamson, the match is not only a return to the squad after missing out through injury last November but also a chance to lead out the team in her hometown.
"On a personal note I'm very happy to be back with the team,” said Williamson, who was part of the squad who lifted the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup last year.
“But for everyone it seems like such a long time from November to February and a lot has happened and a lot's changed so it's good to come back together and reconnect.
"The more time we spend together, the more we connect which we saw last summer so it's good to be back.
"Last year, winning [the Arnold Clark Cup] was important for us and the nature of how we won the final game directly translated to what we had to do in the EUROs so it's no coincidence
"But the best thing about last year was how much we learnt about ourselves and we needed to see where we could grow as a team before the tournament and that's what I'm looking forward to this time.”
Head to head
The Lionesses have met Korea Republic on two previous occasions, both over ten years ago.
Our first game against them came at the Peace Cup in Suwon on 19 October 2010, when it ended all square.
Hope Powell's side then faced them less than five months later at the 2011 Cyprus Cup, when England won 2-0 in the fifth-sixth place game thanks to two goals from Sue Smith.
However, some of the current squad have previously played Korea Republic with development teams, most notably Lucy Bronze at the 2008 FIFA Women's U17 World Cup and also Leah Williamson, Nikita Parris and Beth Mead at the 2014 FIFA U20 World Cup in Canada.
Highlights: England 4-0 Japan
See the best of the action from England's last get-together of 2022 when they faced Japan in Spain
England Squad News
Ticket Information
Tickets for all of the Arnold Clark Cup 2023 games are on sale now. Members of My England Football also receive priority access for home tickets, but as this competition is organised by a third party, they can only be purchased directly here.
How to watch or stream
This game will be shown live on ITV in the UK.
Follow the game from Milton Keynes via our live stats and commentary.
Stanway stepped up following a foul on Lauren James to open the floodgates five minutes before the break, with Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and player of the match James finding the net after the break.
The result made it 27 games unbeaten for England under Sarina Wiegman and they will look to take their momentum into Sunday’s clash with Italy in Coventry.
England dominated from the outset at Stadium MK, with James the first to threaten with a long-range effort across the face of goal.
Russo was then inches away from opening the scoring on 37 minutes, the Manchester United striker firing in an effort which came back off the inside of the post and away to safety.
Five minutes before half time, England’s pressure eventually told after James was brought down inside the box. Stanway stepped up to smash the ball into the top corner from 12 yards with a strike which gave Kim no chance.
Alex Greenwood was the instigator of the Lionesses' third just four minutes later as the defender perfectly fed the ball into Russo, who got in front of her marker and chipped home a composed finish.
Neat link-up between Greenwood and Toone almost led to Stanway’s second as England continued to create chances but again the woodwork came to Korea’s rescue, the midfielder’s fierce strike smashing back off the crossbar.
And fittingly on a night when she dazzled from start to finish, it was James who sealed the deal with 13 minutes to play as she picked up a Lucy Bronze pass and fired home to get the Lionesses’ Arnold Clark campaign off to a flyer.
Substitutes: 18 Katie Zelem (Manchester United) for Carter 45'; 11 Lauren Hemp (Manchester City) for Kelly 63' ; 19 Niamh Charles (Chelsea) for Greenwood 64'; 12 Rachel Daly (Aston Villa) for Russo 64'; 25 Laura Coombs (Manchester City) for Stanway 66'; 20 Katie Robinson (Brighton and Hove Albion) for James 80'
Substitutes not used: 13 Sandy MacIver (Manchester City): 14 Jess Park (Manchester City); 17 Ebony Salmon (Houston Dash); 21 Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City); 22 Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal); 23 Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United): 24 Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa); 26 Emily Ramsey (Everton)
Goals: Stanway 39' (pen); Kelly 45'; Russo 49', James 78’
Manager: Sarina Wiegman
Korea Republic : (3-4-3) 18 Kim Jung-Mi; 3 Hong Hye-Ji; 6 Lim Seon-Joo; 20 Kim Hye-Ri (c); 2 Choo Hyo-Joo; 8 Kim Yun-Ji; 13 Lee Geum-Min; 16 Jang Sel-Gi; 12 Kang Chae-Rim; 7 Son Hwa-Yeon; 11 Choe Yu-Ri
Substitutes: 9 Park Ye-Eun for Kim 56'; 4 Shim Seo-Yeon for Kang 57'; 17 Jang Yu-Been for Son 85'; 25 Chun Ga-Ram for Hong 86'
Substitutes not used: 1 Yoon Young-Geul; 21 Ryu Ji-Soo; 5 Kim Hye-Yeong; 14 Jang Chang; 23 Lee Eun-Young; 10 Ji So-Yun; 26 Kim Kyeong-Hee; 22 Ko Min-Jung; 19 Lee Jeong-Min; 24 Bae Ye-Bin; 15 Park Eun-Sun
Attendance: 21,030
