England Do Just Enough As Russo Seals Women’s World Cup Qualifying Win Over Iceland

Snow-capped mountains provided an idyllic backdrop to a little awesome performance, but England’s 1-0 triumph complete Iceland ensured they maintained a three-point spread complete Spain successful their bid to gain an automatic spot successful nan 2027 World Cup.

Only nan 4 League A teams who apical their groups will debar nan playoffs and suffice automatically and pinch nan European and world champions drawn successful nan aforesaid group, 1 will beryllium near disappointment and pinch much games required to book their travel to Brazil.

Sarina Wiegman did not make important changes to nan starting XI that earned an important 1-0 triumph complete Spain astatine Wembley connected Tuesday evening. Iceland whitethorn beryllium classed 16 places beneath Spain, nan world No 1, and airs little of a threat successful 1 consciousness but they presented a different situation successful another.

It had been tricky for England successful nan reverse fixture successful Nottingham, Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway scoring either broadside of nan break arsenic nan Lionesses were forced to beryllium diligent against a squad that sat deep.

Wiegman had said England needed a triumph successful Reykjavík to make nan conclusion of Spain an “even much valuable” one. Anything less, and nan three-point advantage successful Group A3 earned via nan triumph against nan world champions would beryllium lost.

Lotte Wubben-Moy and Lucia Kendall were nan 2 players to make way, pinch nan captain, Leah Williamson, making her return to action pursuing a thigh wounded suffered successful mid-March, and Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown besides starting.

The head said nan midfield switch was because Kendall plays a “little deeper” and that was needed against Spain. “Today successful nan really tight spaces we request much numbers higher up nan transportation successful nan centre and that fits Laura better,” she told ITV anterior to kick-off.

Alessia Russo steers location nan only extremity of nan game. Photograph: Hulda Margret/Getty Images

The visiting squad were ascendant successful Reykjavik, nan somesthesia 6C but nan sun bright. They accrued complete 70% possession successful nan first half and had 34 touches successful nan guidance container to Iceland’s two.

That power only yielded nan 1 extremity though, Wiegman’s charges forced to probe and probe astatine nan defensively resolute hosts.

The extremity came arsenic a consequence of a uncommon breach of that discipline. The location squad was dispossessed successful a uncommon foray guardant which allowed Lauren Hemp to title done nan mediate connected nan break, nan Manchester City guardant recovered Alessia Russo to her correct and nan Arsenal goalscorer collected, swivelled and placed a debased effort past goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir into nan acold corner.

It was a beautiful move and testament to nan electrical shape Russo is successful astatine nan moment, nan 27-year-old having delivered nan assistance for Hemp’s extremity against Spain successful style, keeping clasp of nan shot arsenic she was bundled onto her backmost earlier flicking it to Hemp arsenic she lay. She besides scored doubly against Ukraine successful nan erstwhile camp.

Williamson, apt pinch minutes being managed, was swapped astatine half-time for Wubben-Moy.

The location squad began nan 2nd half connected nan beforehand foot, a throw-in and a free-kick testing England successful nan first 5 minutes arsenic Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s broadside came retired hunting an equaliser.

England's goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who was successful good form, catches nan shot supra Iceland's Sveindis Jonsdottir. Photograph: Brynjar Gunnarsson/AP

It was scrappy from England successful nan 2nd half, and nan presence of Beth Mead and Jess Park aft nan hr people was a refresh they needed.

Mead went closest to doubling nan visiting side’s lead, her close-range header from a Hemp transverse was excellently turned distant by Runarsdottir, but Iceland continued to person opportunity aft opportunity.

Hannah Hampton was captious successful maintaining England’s slender lead. A smart extremity to support retired Sandra Jessen’s effort astatine nan adjacent station was followed by an unthinkable prevention to support retired nan rebound from Dilja Zomers aft nan shot came backmost disconnected a post. Another large prevention from Alexandra Johannsdottir and a stretched parrying of Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir’s header from a area tested nan goalkeeper.

At half-time location was possibly vexation that England hadn’t extended their extremity quality advantage complete Spain earlier nan 2 meet successful Mallorca successful June, but by nan last whistle location was conscionable alleviation that nan European champions had taken 3 points.