England continued their perfect start to qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup with a 2-0 win against Iceland at the City Ground.
After thrashing Ukraine 6-1 on neutral turf in the Turkish city of Antalya in midweek, England were given a more stubborn test on Saturday by a compact defence that at times frustrated the back-to-back European champions.
Lucy Bronze headed home from Lauren James ' cross midway through the first half, but despite dominating, England could not extend their lead until Georgia Stanway lashed a shot in on 78 minutes. It was no less than their control of the game deserved, and coach Sarina Wiegman's side now sit top of Group A2 with a maximum six points before world champions Spain face Ukraine in Antalya on Saturday evening.
The Athletic 's Cerys Jones breaks down the talking points in Nottingham.
England have six points from their first two World Cup qualifiers, but could really have taken the chance to extend their advantage on goal difference today against Iceland — a metric that could be crucial as they battle reigning world champions Spain (who won 3-0 at home to Iceland on Tuesday) for the group's sole automatic spot at next year's World Cup in Brazil.
They registered 31 shots to Iceland's one, but only seven were on target. Following the defensive blueprint set by Ukraine on Tuesday, Iceland opted for a deep block to stifle England's attackers. While Ukraine, who are ranked 34th in the world and whose only major tournament qualification was Euro 2009, could not sustain that approach, 16th-placed Iceland had far more luck.
Though their total dominance of the ball (71 per cent possession) paid off in the end, England largely failed to adapt to that stubborn approach.
Often, central players Stanway, Alessia Russo and Jess Park could be found searching for space in between Icelandic defenders, queueing up in line to fight for crosses against a tall defensive line, rather than dropping off to exploit the space left by the visitors' flat setup or pull them out of shape. Out wide, James and Lauren Hemp had the beating of Iceland's full-backs but their team-mates struggled for the space to make use of their deliveries. Set pieces were not a much better bet: most of Stanway's corners were swung towards Bronze, a ploy which became predictable.
That game plan from Iceland naturally led to more speculative shots from the hosts, but even so, Wiegman surely expected much better attacking numbers from her 2022 and 2025 European champions. They will enjoy much more space against Spain at home next month and away in June, but by the time the tournament itself arrives in 15 months, they will need to be able to adapt better to teams who attempt to grit their teeth and hold them out.
Looking back to James' superb goal against the Netherlands that helped England kick their Euros campaign into gear last summer, it is easy to forget she was far from her best at that tournament. The Chelsea forward had not played a competitive game for three months before it because of a damaged hamstring and was then forced off in the final with an ankle injury that ruled her out until the November.
Having gradually built up her minutes at club level, playing her first full 90 of the Women's Super League season against Liverpool on February 15, James now looks far closer to her uninhibited self. It was her excellent cross, after linking up neatly with Stanway on the left, which Bronze headed home to give England a 22nd-minute lead. The right-back immediately made a beeline to celebrate with club and country team-mate James.
The 24-year-old could easily have had a goal of her own, and several more assists.
Hemp hit the post from her pinpoint delivery with England's first major chance of the game, and James crosses were the home side's most promising supply line throughout. She also proved capable as ever of cutting inside and carving out her own opportunities, forcing a save from Cecilia Runarsdottir shortly before half-time and producing an impressively powerful effort from outside the box in the second half.
"It looks like she's enjoying herself," Wiegman said after the match. "And it brings us joy, too."
Dominant as England had been, they still only had that one-goal lead at the hour mark — and an Iceland equaliser would have set up a trying final 30 minutes against opponents perfectly happy to hunker down and defend for an away point.
There was very little sign of that equaliser, though.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had been so untroubled that she could have spent the first half signing autographs for fans in the Trent End. But when she was called on, it was clear her concentration had not wavered.
In the 60th minute, Sveindis Jonsdottir made a rare foray down the Iceland left and pulled ahead of the defending Hemp just enough to lift a cross in. Stanway leapt to nod clear, but could only deflect the ball over team-mate Leah Williamson and perfectly onto Sandra Jessen 's head, just outside the six-yard box.
Hampton reacted with incredible speed to tip her effort over the bar.
It was not the most acrobatic stop of her career, or the most pressurised — but to react with such unerring speed and focus, having been a spectator for an hour, shows the Chelsea goalkeeper's reliability as England's last line of defence.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic .
England, Women's Soccer, FIFA Women's World Cup
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