England v Portugal
UEFA Women's Nations League
7.45pm BST, Friday 30 May 2025
Wembley Stadium connected by EE

Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman and captain Leah Williamson faced the media on Thursday morning ahead of England’s UEFA Women’s Nations League clash against Portugal at Wembley on Friday.

Here is what they had to say.

Sarina Wiegman on calf injuries to Alessia Russo and Ella Toone:

They’re not ready for tomorrow. We’re trying to get them ready for Tuesday and we need these days. They’re not long-term injuries – we’re taking care of them and not taking big risks.

Wiegman on the injury to and departure of Ella Morris:

It is awful. She came in really well, no contact and unfortunately, she’s torn her ACL. She’s devastated and we’re devastated and of course, we wish her a good rehab. That was a shock when it happened.

We're LIVE with Sarina Wiegman and Leah Williamson as they preview tomorrow’s game against Portugal at @wembleystadium 💪 https://t.co/GWFDVxCaMK

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) May 29, 2025

Leah Williamson on arriving back in camp after winning the Champions League:

I came in and we had a slightly different schedule on the first day and then it was business as usual. We had a great training session yesterday in preparation for Friday.

For now, we have a big game. I won the Champions League on Saturday and was back in three days later to prepare. Football doesn’t wait – it keeps moving.

Portugal in profile

Nickname: A Selecção das Quinas
Coach: Francisco Neto
Captain: Dolores Silva
Last encounter: Portugal 1-1 England, 21 February 2025

Match stats

● England are unbeaten in 11 previous meetings with Portugal across all competitions (W7 D4), only facing Finland (13), Northern Ireland (12) and Switzerland (12) more often without suffering defeat in their history.

● Portugal have never scored on four previous visits to face England, though did draw 0-0 with the Lionesses in their most recent away game against them in July 2023 at Stadium MK.

● England have lost just one of their last 50 competitive home matches (W41 D8), losing 2-1 to France 364 days ago in May 2024 in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.

● Portugal have lost seven of their 10 UEFA Women’s Nations League games (W2 D1), losing 4-2 and 7-1 to Spain in their most recent two such matches.

● England lost their most recent game 3-2 away to Belgium on MD4 of the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League, but haven’t lost back-to-back matches since their final two games prior to Sarina Weigman’s appointment in April 2021 (vs France and Canada).

● Scotland (13) are the only League A nation that have conceded more goals in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League than Portugal (12), with Austria (34) the only such nation to face more shots on target than A Selecção das Quinas (29).

● Only Spain (5) and Iceland (4) have scored more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than England (3) in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League, while no team have conceded more such goals than Portugal (4).

● With her penalty against Belgium on MD4 of the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League, Beth Mead (34) moved ahead of both Eni Aluko and Karen Carney (33 each) into outright sixth on England’s all-time top scorers list – Mead is also the Lionesses’ leading goal scorer under Sarina Weigman (26).

● Jess Park has scored in both of England’s last two home games, with Lauren Hemp the last Lioness to net in three England matches in a row on home turf.

● Carole Costa is the only Portugal player to have scored more than once in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, with each of the defenders’ four goals in the competition coming from the penalty spot.

England Squad News

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How to watch or stream England women v Portugal

This game will be broadcast in the UK on ITV Sport.

Sarina Wiegman has named her line-up to play Portugal at Wembley on Friday evening.

There's a return to the team for Lauren Hemp following her recent injury, while Esme Morgan starts alongside captain Leah Williamson in the centre of defence.

England: 1 Hannah Hampton, 2 Lucy Bronze, 3 Jess Carter, 4 Keira Walsh, 5 Leah Williamson (c), 6 Esme Morgan, 7 Beth Mead, 8 Grace Clinton, 9 Aggie Beever-Jones, 10 Jess Park, 11 Lauren Hemp

Substitutes: 12 Niamh Charles, 13 Khiara Keating, 14 Maya Le Tissier, 15 Alex Greenwood, 16 Georgia Stanway, 17 Chloe Kelly, 18 Missy-Bo Kearns, 19 Nikita Parris, 20 Fran Kirby, 21 Anna Moorhouse, 22 Lotte Wubben-Moy, 23 Michelle Agyemang

Aggie Beever-Jones helped herself to a first-half hat-trick at Wembley to fire England to a 6-0 win over Portugal that sets up a winner-takes-all clash with Spain on Tuesday.

The Lionesses had to settle for a 1-1 draw the first time the two sides met in the UEFA Women’s Nations League opener back in February.

This time around, though, they were 5-0 up by half time, with Beever-Jones having followed in the footsteps of Beth Mead in becoming a Wembley hat-trick hero for the Lionesses.

Mead chipped in with a goal of her own, with Lucy Bronze having already notched her 18th goal for her country as England flew out of the blocks.

Chloe Kelly came off the bench to add a sixth as England rounded out a complete performance.

With Spain running out 5-1 winners over Belgium, it means that top spot in UEFA Women’s Nations League A Group 3 will be decided in Spain in the final game, with England needing a win over the world champions to top the group.

It was a dream start for Sarina Wiegman’s side, who took the lead after just two minutes. Taking advantage of Portugal losing possession in their own half, Beever-Jones twisted away from the defence before firing back across Ines Pereira and into the net.

They were two to the good after five minutes, Bronze rewarded for getting forward as she nodded home following good work down the right by Lauren Hemp, with Beever-Jones and Mead having both been denied before the full-back found the back of the net.

England were not going to let up and Beever-Jones showed great movement to find herself unmarked in the six-yard box, powerfully heading home from Bronze’s perfect cross from the left.

They had four before the half-hour mark, this time Mead the scorer after Portugal had again been dispossessed in their own half.

England were rampant and Beever-Jones completed her hat-trick when Leah Williamson played in a beautiful through-ball, the Chelsea forward controlling before going it alone and firing low past Pereira at the near post from the corner of the box.

Having opened up such a healthy advantage, England extended it in the second half after Wiegman had made a raft of substitutions.

Two of them combined, Alex Greenwood with a deep ball to release Mead, who then delivered the ball to the back post where Kelly guided her header back past the keeper and into the net.

England nearly made it seven with 15 minutes remaining, Greenwood finding the bar from a free-kick, with Pereira’s fingertips crucial in denying her, before Kelly could not quite guide the rebound home.

Beever-Jones also came close to her fourth when she forced a good save out of Pereira after being played in by Mead.

That proved to be the final chance of note, with England now turning their attentions to Tuesday’s decisive clash with Spain.

England: 1 Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), 2 Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), 3 Jess Carter (Gotham FC), 4 Keira Walsh (Chelsea), 5 Leah Williamson (Arsenal), 6 Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), 7 Beth Mead (Arsenal), 8 Grace Clinton (Manchester United), 9 Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), 10 Jess Park (Manchester City), 11 Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)

Substitutes: 14 Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United) for Bronze 57’, 17 Chloe Kelly (Arsenal) for Hemp 57’, 15 Alex Greenwood (Manchester City) for Morgan 57’, 20 Fran Kirby (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Park 67’, 16 Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich) for Walsh 75’

Subs not used: 13 Khiara Keating (Manchester City), 21 Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), 12 Niamh Charles (Chelsea), 18 Missy Bo Kearns (Aston Villa), 19 Nikita Parris (Brighton & Hove Albion), 22 Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), 23 Michelle Agyemang (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Goals: Beever-Jones 3’, 26’, 33’, Bronze 5’, Mead 29’, Kelly 62’

Yellow cards: Clinton 58’

Head coach: Sarina Wiegman

Portugal: 1 Ines Pereira, 2 Catarina Amado, 6 Andreia Jacinto, 8 Andreia Norton, 9 Ana Borges, 11 Tatiana Pinto, 13 Fatima Pinto, 14 Dolores Silva, 15 Carole Costa, 16 Diana Silva, 21 Ana Capeta

Substitutes: 10 Jessica Silva for Dolores Silva 46’, 19 Carolina Correia for Jacinto 69’, 17 Andreia Faria for Norton 69’, 3 Beatriz Fonseca for Capeta 87’, 18 Carolina Mendes for Diana Silva 87’

Subs not used: 12 Patricia Morais, 22 Sierra Cota-Yarde, 4 Samara Lino, 5 Barbara Lopes, 7 Stephanie Ribeiro, 20 Ana Dias, 23 Telma Encarnacao

Yellow cards: Capeta 79’

Head coach: Francisco Neto