Georgia Stanway proves why she is so in demand as England thrash Ukraine
Ukraine 1 England 6
Georgia Stanway had a wry smile on her face when asked about her future before England ’s World Cup qualifier with Ukraine.
She had been expecting the question. Stanway announced in January that she would be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season and there is much anticipation about who she will sign for in the summer.
Stanway is widely expected to join Arsenal but there have been a huge array of clubs interested in her – and the midfielder’s performance in England’s emphatic victory showed why.
Stanway already had more goals than any other player in the current England squad with 29 and by adding two more to that tally on Tuesday night she has moved up to ninth in the list of all-time Lionesses’ goalscorers.
Her first came from the penalty spot while the second was an exquisite long-range strike, and she also assisted Jess Park for England’s fourth goal.
While this may have looked like a routine win for the Lionesses against the lowest-ranked team in their qualifying group, they initially made hard work of things in Antalya – the match was played in Turkey because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Stanway was the Lionesses’ best player in a frustrating first half and played a key role in unlocking a stubborn Ukraine defence. Arsenal fans should be excited about the prospect of Stanway linking up with Alessia Russo at club level. Russo scored England’s first two goals at the start of the second half and combined with Stanway on numerous occasions.
The Lionesses briefly gave their opponents a glimmer of hope when they switched off at a set-piece to allow Yana Kalinina to pull a goal back for Ukraine. But that hope disappeared when Stanway scored twice in six minutes and Park then added two goals of her own to put some gloss on the scoreline.
Sarina Wiegman had named an unfamiliar starting XI, partly because of injuries and a lack of match fitness. Lucy Bronze , who has only just returned from injury, was rested, meaning Maya Le Tissier started at right-back while Laura Blindkilde Brown was given a chance to impress in the No 10 role with Ella Toone unavailable with a hip problem.
Leah Williamson started for England for the first time since the Euro 2025 final, but her minutes are being managed and she was substituted at half-time along with Taylor Hinds, who was replaced by debutant Poppy Pattinson. Wiegman sees the Lionesses’ fixture with Iceland on Saturday as the tougher of the two in this window while she also needs her best players to remain fit for next month’s crucial match with Spain at Wembley. Only one team will qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup in Brazil and so England’s two games against the world champions will likely be decisive.
There must have been some concern from Wiegman at half-time. Her team had dominated the game with 86 per cent possession but had nothing to show for their efforts. The England head coach made a tactical switch at the break by asking Park and Lauren Hemp to switch wings, which paid dividends.
“There was a big difference with the first and second half because we didn’t score in the first half when we should have scored,” Wiegman said. “We totally controlled the game, we did well, just in the final cross, the positioning of the cross and the quality of the shot with the final touch wasn’t good.
“I wouldn’t say we had tough words [at half-time] because I think we put a lot of effort in. We played the way we wanted to, we just wanted to score more goals. We had 14 shots on goal but only four on target so we need to do that better. From where we had crosses and the kind of crosses we had, we needed to change a bit.
“It helped that we also swapped our wingers from one side to the other, we could come inside a little bit more and that made it a little bit easier for the team.”
Stanway and Russo are the top scorers in this current England squad, which demonstrates that they could do with other players contributing more regularly. Lauren James came off the bench in the second half to make her first international appearance since the Euros final. Like Williamson, James is also being managed from a fitness perspective, but she may get an opportunity to start against Iceland on Saturday.
Like Ukraine, Iceland will almost certainly deploy a low block, which England will have to find a way through. They got the job done in the end, with Stanway at the heart of this performance, but tougher tests await.
Match details
Ukraine (5-3-2):Samson 6; Shaynyuk 5, Kotyk 5, Petryk 5, Korsun 5, Basanska 5; Andrukhiv 5 (Hiryn 64), Kalinina 6 (Vorontsova 65), Ovdiychuk 6; Kozlova 5 (Zaborovets 9, 6), Kravchuk 5 (Hlushchenko 64).
Booked:Petryk. Goal:Kalinina 58.
Subs not used:Boklach, Keliushyk, Podolska, Kotiash, Ivkova, Shmatko, Kohut, Olkhova.
England (4-2-3-1):Hampton 6; Le Tissier 6, Williamson 6 (Morgan h-t, 6), Wubben-Moy 7, Hinds 5 (Pattinson h-t, 6); Walsh 7 (Kendall 79), Stanway 8; Park 7, Blindkilde-Brown 6, Hemp 7 (James 73); Russo 8 (Beever-Jones 73).
Goals:Russo 47, 51, Stanway 64, 70, Park 78, 79.
Subs not used:Moorhouse, Roebuck, Bronze, Fisk, Kelly, Carter, Godfrey.
Referee:Catarina Campos ( Portugal ).
07:20pm
Sarina Wiegman admits to shortcomings in the first half
Sarina Wiegman admits England should have scored earlier than they did.
She told Sky Sports: “I’m happy with the result. I found the performance good. It was a big difference of course because the first half we didn’t score and we should have scored.
“I think we totally controlled the game and we did well, just in the final cross, the connections in front of goal and the quality with the shot, or final touch wasn’t good.”
When asked about her half-time words, she said: “I wouldn’t say [they were] tough words because I think we put a lot of effort it, and we played the way we wanted to, we just wanted to score more goals.
“We did have shots on goal, but I think [37 shots and 4 on target] so we need to do that better.”
07:05pm
Stanway: Our fans are so special
When asked about the 250 fans who had made the long trip amid difficult circumstances, Stanway said: “Our fans are so special.
“We’re so grateful for the efforts that they put in and travelling around the world, supporting us. We actually had some people from the hotel here as well.
“The tickets were free today which makes it extra special as well because we can give back.”
07:04pm
Stanway: The first half was really tough
Georgia Stanway speaks to a Sky Sports reporter after the match: “It was good. The first half was a little bit difficult.
“Obviously they sat back, it made us move the ball fast, try and get into the gaps that they’re leaving. But the first half was really tough because we wanted to break them down.
“They were in a low block and we knew that second half we would get our chances and we just had to put them away. We needed a little bit more quality from the first half in the final third and I think we got that in the second half.”
06:53pm
Full time: Ukraine 1 England 6
England have secured an important victory to get their World Cup qualifying campaign up and running.
They were unable to find the breakthrough in the first half but once the floodgates opened there was no stopping them, two goals apiece for Georgia Stanway, Jess Park and Alessia Russo.
06:50pm
90 mins: Ukraine 1 England 6
Park tries her luck again but that time it narrowly goes the wrong side of the post.
England have not relented since taking the lead just after half time.
There are two minutes of added time.
06:49pm
GOAL 89 mins: Ukraine 1 England 6
Park has another!
She is capable of something special and she joins Russo and Stanway with a brace from this match against Ukraine.
This one is special and is exactly what she has done for Manchester United , she goes from distance and it curls perfectly into the top corner.
06:47pm
88 mins: Ukraine 1 England 5
Park is pulled down outside the box but manages to continue and is given the advantage.
By the time she does get her shot underway it lacks power and is easily saved by Samson.
06:46pm
85 mins: Ukraine 1 England 5
The only real question now is how many can England get?
They have another corner, play it short but Pattinson on her debut tries something from well outside the box and it flies far over the bar.
Why not try new things in this situation though? There is not exactly a lot on the line at this point, even if it is a World Cup qualifier.
06:43pm
84 mins: Ukraine 1 England 5
James puts the ball into the box and Beever-Jones attacks it but just turns it wide.
Wubben Moy had picked out James out of nowhere to set up that chance.
06:40pm
81 mins: Ukraine 1 England 5
Ukraine drive into the box and is pulled back by Wubben Moy, there is a shout for a penalty and it could have been given, but the referee waves play on.
06:38pm
GOAL: Ukraine 1 England 5
England have another!
Stanway plays the ball across the face of goal and Jess Park just carries her form from the Women’s Super League into the international scene and makes no mistake.
06:37pm
77 mins: Ukraine 1 England 4
Ukraine have another set piece, they scored from their last one, but after the second ball back in from that one, the shot flies well over the bar.
06:36pm
73 mins: Ukraine 1 England 4
Lauren James’ first touch is one to forget, she skies the ball over the bar and into the empty stand behind the goal.
06:33pm
73 mins: Ukraine 1 England 4
Alessia Russo will not have the chance to score her hat-trick in Turkey, as she and Lauren Hemp leave the field to be replaced by Aggie Beever-Jones and Lauren James replace them.
06:30pm
GOAL: Ukraine 1 England 4
England have definitely found their scoring boots!
Stanway fires in the best of the lot so far. She drives into the box and shoots straight into the top corner, way out of reach of the goalkeeper.
06:23pm
GOAL: Ukraine 1 England 3
Stanway re-establishes England’s two goal lead and sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot kick.
It looked for a moment like Russo might be handed the ball to try and complete her hat-trick, but in fact she handed it to the designated penalty taker Stanway.
06:22pm
PENALTY! 63 mins: Ukraine 1 England 2
That goal has sparked Ukraine into life, they are trying to put pressure on England’s backline but are undone immediately at the other end.
Hemp was caught in the box and England have a penalty!
06:20pm
61 mins: Ukraine 1 England 2
Ukraine win the ball and try and play in Kravchuk, she manages to get a shot away but it’s easily saved by Hampton.
06:17pm
GOAL: Ukraine 1 England 2
That has come out of nowhere.
It was Ukraine’s first attack of the game and they have managed to score against England.
A free kick gives Ukraine the chance to get the ball in the box and England fluff clearing their lines, the ball falls to Kalinina and she fires it into the back of the net.
06:15pm
55 mins: Ukraine 0 England 2
Russo has another chance for a hat-trick, it almost fell for her after a well-weighted ball from Walsh, but she was unable to get enough power on her header and it flies straight into the hands of the goalkeeper.
06:11pm
GOAL 52 mins: Ukraine 0 England 2
Have the floodgates been opened? Hemp finds Russo and she tucks it away with ease.
England have found their clinical side in this second half.
06:10pm
50 mins: Ukraine 0 England 1
It will be interesting to see what England can do with that, should they draw against Spain the group could come down to who has the better victories against the likes of Iceland and Ukraine.
06:07pm
GOAL: Ukraine 0 England 1
At the start of the second half England have the breakthrough they needed, and who else but Russo.
Russo is played in by Walsh and leaves a Ukranian defender in her wake as she slots the ball into the back of the net
06:05pm
46 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England get the second half underway
06:05pm
England call in the half time changes
Poppy Pattinson has been given her debut, she is a rare natural left-footed player in the England ranks and was watching Love Island on a plane when she missed the call up call from Wiegman.
Williamson has also been replaced by Esme Morgan .
05:53pm
Ukraine have not managed a touch in England’s defensive third
England have been completely dominant but they have not managed to find a way through a resilient Ukraine defence. Alessia Russo should probably have scored with a header while Georgia Stanway forced a good save from Kateryna Samson. Ukraine have not yet managed a touch in England’s defensive third although losing their best striker Nicole Kozlova to a knee injury in the ninth minute has not helped. England had 15 shots but only four on target in the first half. Lotte Wubben-Moy probably came the closest to open the scoring with a back-heel which was blocked on the line. What is slightly puzzling is seeing Taylor Hinds and Maya Le Tissier taking corners. Le Tissier does at least take set-pieces for Manchester United but I’m not sure I’ve seen Hinds taking corners before. Quite a few have failed to beat the first defensive player.
05:49pm
Half time: Ukraine 0 England 0
England will go into the break confident, but without finding a breakthrough.
After 14 shots, of which four were on target and 37 touches inside the Ukraine penalty area compared to none at the other end, England have not been able to find the back of the net.
This is a must-win game with Spain in the group and only the top team qualifying automatically for the 2027 World Cup.
05:46pm
45 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
There will be three minutes of added time.
05:45pm
45 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Stanway goes down in the box appealing, but there is nothing given. With no VAR there will not be another chance to have a look at it.
As Hemp floats another cross into the box, Park hooks it back but yet again Ukraine clear their lines.
05:43pm
43 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Le Tissier takes yet another England corner, it’s headed back into play but cleared by Ukraine.
05:41pm
41 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England have another chance, Hemp drives into the box, leaving defenders in her wake to try and open up space, but yet again the shot goes wide of the goal.
05:37pm
37 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England have another corner and it’s hard to keep count of how many they’ve had, I think this is their fifth.
Hinds takes and Hemp tries to hook the ball towards the goal but skews it wide.
05:36pm
36 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England have another chance, but again it’s blocked by the organised defenders.
Park was trying to guide the ball into the net and England have still not managed to find a way through.
05:33pm
31 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Another England corner, Hinds takes from the left, they go short, Park sends it in, it falls perfectly to Wubben Moy, who backheels it and it’s blocked on the line.
How have the Lionesses not managed to score so far.
Wubben Moy was facing the other way so the backheel was the most logical option, but again they can’t find the breakthrough.
05:29pm
29 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England have another corner, can they make something of it?
No it falls in the middle of yellow shirts who boot the ball clear.
05:27pm
26 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England float another ball into the box and it becomes a scramble, but again Ukraine manage to clear the ball.
England have had so many chances to score the opener but it has just not fallen quite right.
05:21pm
20 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Chance! Blindkilde Brown has come agonisingly close to breaking this deadlock!
She shoots and the ball hits the crossbar and bounces down, but not quite over the line and Samson is able to scramble the ball clear.
05:18pm
18 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Walsh almost slides the ball straight into the path of Russo, but the Ukrainian defender just manages to get back and force the shot behind.
Another England corner, but that one is shepherded by Hemp back to the corner taker and Ukraine manage to get the ball - for a brief moment - away from their penalty box.
But Samson has to make another smart save from the following attack. England just keep on coming.
05:16pm
16 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Ukraine have a free kick after a foul by Stanway. It gives them a rare chance to get into England’s half, but they take it short and try and play out from the back.
05:13pm
13 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
After playing the ball around the edge of the box, the ball falls to Park who unleashes a shot that takes a deflection and goes out for a corner.
Le Tissier takes the corner short and England again try and carve something out of nothing with Wubben Moy overhitting the ball way over the bar.
05:10pm
10 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Russo has another chance as the ball floats in from the left from Stanway.
She jumps up in plenty of space, but the header is just over the bar.
05:09pm
9 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Ukraine are being forced into an early change, and it’s one of their most experienced players.
Kozlova went down immediately and seemed in considerable pain, and after being attended to has been carried off on a stretcher.
05:07pm
7 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Russo forces the goalkeeper into the first save of the match, she was played in by Taylor Hinds, took a touch and unleashed a shot that forced Samson into a smart save.
05:06pm
7 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
England fans in the crowd have held up homemade placards spelling out “RIP Lynda Hale” in the seventh minute, a former Lionesses player who scored in their first official fixture and died recently.
05:04pm
4 mins: Ukraine 0 England 0
Just a reminder there will be no goal line technology or VAR in this match.
England have been on the ball for most of the time so far and it could be a long evening for the Ukrainian defenders.
05:01pm
1 min: Ukraine 0 England 0
Ukraine’s goalkeeper played in their last major tournament all the way back in 2009.
And it is Ukraine who have got the game underway here.
04:56pm
National anthems
The players have come out onto the pitch and have lined up for the national anthems, starting with England and then Ukraine.
It’s safe to say there are not more than a smattering of fans in Turkey.
All of the Ukraine players have come draped in flag and are signing loudly, while a few in the crowd also hold up Ukraine flags.
04:50pm
Sarina Wiegman speaks ahead of the match
Wiegman told a Sky Sports reporter: “I think they’re in good form and what we expect from Ukraine, they can play a big role in that. Laura I expect tight spaces and she has done so well in these tight spaces. I hope she takes this opportunity and is going to enjoy it as well.
“Alex picked up a minor injury so is not in the squad so we will assess her. We came with 25 players and we could only pick 23 so I think this squad will give us the most opportunity if we need it in the game.
“We want to get a clear win today which gives us a good starting position going into the next game against Iceland. We have Spain in front of us in April.”
04:42pm
Leah Williamson speaks ahead of the match
Williamson, making her first appearance for the national side since the Euro 2025 final, said: “It’s qualification of something we’d love to be involved in, three points are three points, we’re focused on that today.
“I think that’s always the main focus. The level keeps rising, we know that Ukraine are a talented team. You can never know what to expect, we’ll do our best to be as professional as possible.”
04:40pm
Possible England debuts
Poppy Pattinson was called up to the England squad for the first time for these qualifying matches against Ukraine and Iceland.
When asked about receiving the call up last week, she said: “I feel like everyone had a story when it comes to this but I was actually in the air so I missed the call.
“When I landed I saw the missed call and a message from Sarina [Wiegman] asking me to call her back.
“I was chilling watching Love Island on the flight and when I landed, it was tense waiting for everyone to get off the plane.”
Pattinson’s London Lionesses teammate Freya Godfrey was called up for the second time for these matches, but also has yet to make her debut.
04:32pm
On the scene
Here are the Lionesses arriving at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey.
04:24pm
Winning record
This is the first time England have played Ukraine since 2014 and they have won all four of their previous meetings. Ukraine, ranked 34 in the world, have never qualified for the World Cup.
04:15pm
Ukraine line-up
This is how both teams are lining up – Ukraine look like they are parking the bus with five at the back. Up front, Nicole Kozlova plays for Glasgow City, for whom she has an impressive goal-scoring record.
Ukraine (5-3-2): Samson; Shaynyuk, Kotyk, Petryk, Korsun, Basanska; Andrukhiv, Kalinina, Ovdiychuk; Kozlova, Kravchuk.
England (4-3-3): Hampton; Le Tissier, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Hinds; Blindkilde-Brown, Walsh, Stanway; Park, Russo, Hemp.
04:10pm
Wiegman looking ahead
I would not be surprised if Sarina Wiegman’s team selection has been made with an eye on Saturday’s game with Iceland. Lucy Bronze is only just back from injury and is probably not in a position to start both games. The same can probably be said for Lauren James.
It’s a big chance for Laura Blindkilde-Brown, who looks set to play in the No 10 position. Maya Le Tissier fills in at right-back while Lotte Wubben-Moy, who has been in excellent form for Arsenal, partners Leah Williamson at centre-back. Alex Greenwood misses out with a minor muscle injury so Taylor Hinds gets a chance at left-back.
03:54pm
Greenwood ruled out
Alex Greenwood, a stalwart in defence for England, has been ruled out of tonight’s match with a minor muscle injury. England have said she will continue to be assessed ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Iceland in Nottingham.
03:50pm
Lionesses line-up
03:31pm
Route to Brazil starts now
The road to the 2027 World Cup starts here for the Lionesses as they take on Ukraine in the opening match of their qualifying campaign.
This is England’s first competitive game since winning Euro 2025 after playing four friendlies between October and December.
Sarina Wiegman, the England head coach, will want to take maximum points and the home game against Iceland on Saturday, given they have to face Spain next month.
Only one nation from their four-team group will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, with the rest having to qualify via the play-offs. Wiegman will want to avoid that and so it is crucial her side make a strong start.
Wiegman has captain Leah Williamson and forward Lauren James available for the first time since the Euros final, with both players having missed the winter friendlies because of injuries. There is, however, no Ella Toone, who is injured, so it is likely the in-form Jess Park will get a chance from the start.
Because of the on-going war in Ukraine, this match is being played in Antalya, Turkey. There has been some concern because of Turkey’s close proximity to Iran following air strikes on the country by the US and Israel as well as subsequent retaliatory strikes from the Iranian regime.
Wiegman said on Monday that she and her team have received reassurances over their safety while the Football Association has been in constant contact with the Foreign Office.
England will wear black armbands for this fixture in tribute to Lynda Hale, the former England international who died recently.
Full team news will be coming up shortly.
