England cruise to dominant Nations League win over Belgium as two stars score first goals

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Aggie Beever-Jones of England celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal. — Aggie Beever-Jones of England celebrates with teammates during the UEFA Women’s Nations League match between England and Belgium at Ashton Gate (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

England enjoyed a statement victory over Belgium in their latest Nations League clash as the action arrived at Ashton Gate. Five goals from five different goalscorers secured the win for the Lionesses, who move to the top of their group.

Sarina Wiegman’s side continued their unbeaten run, building on their most recent win over world champions Spain. Here’s how the action unfolded in Bristol, featuring goals from four Chelsea stars.

Starting lineups

England

Hampton; Bronze, Charles, Walsh, Williamson, Bright, Mead, Clinton, Russo, Toone, James

Belgium

Evrard; Philtjens, Tysiak, Iliano, Eurlings, Vanhaevermaet, Cayman, Toloba, Janssens, Teulings, Missipo

England dominate Belgium in latest Nations League showdown

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England dominated possession early on as multiple chances fell to Alessia Russo, who hit the post twice after some great passing between her and Arsenal teammate Beth Mead.

The Lionesses started brightly with a 4-3-3 formation, featuring an attacking front line of Lauren James, Russo and Mead. The latter two showed how they’ve begun to understand each other’s movement from at club level. Russo hit the post twice, and Mead forced a good save from Nicky Evrard.

However, it was the link up between James and Lucy Bronze that made it 1-0. The match continued to be there for the taking for England and Millie Bright grabbed her first international goal since the World Cup Qualifiers after confusion in the box. Bright was the first to react and made it 2-0 at half time.

Lionesses put Ashton Gate clash to bed

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England mixed up the attack with Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park coming on to freshen things up. It took until the 63rd minute for Belgium to liven up — the closest test for Hannah Hampton was a high effort that she parried to safety.

The game was put to bed after 66 minutes when Beever-Jones coolly slotted beyond Evrard to make it 3-0. There was some additional individual brilliance from Park as she put the Belgium backline under pressure. The Manchester City star gained possession, sprinted into the penalty area and shot beyond Evrard to well and truly extinguish the Red Flames. England weren’t done there though. Keira Walsh, cheered on by the crowd, shot from the edge of the area and the deflection beat Evrard for the midfielder to claim her first England goal.

Belgium finished the match without a shot on target, while England top their Nations League group thanks to a 5-0 showcase.

The sixth biggest cheer of the night, aside from goals, saw Mary Earps warming up on the touchline. The fan favourite must be wondering if Hannah Hampton keeps getting clean sheets, will she get a look in at the Euros in what could be her last major international tournament?

After the match, Wiegman said: “I’m very happy with the win and how we showed up. It was a nice evening with defence also.”

The England boss also praised Beever-Jones’ efforts, stating: “She’s really good at picking up positions to score goals, her overall game in possession was really good. The experienced players who have played tournaments and been around for some time are pushing the younger players to progress.”