England captain Leah Williamson joked the best way to stop her Arsenal team-mate Katie McCabe was to make sure she didn’t get the ball, but Ireland’s lack of possession is exactly what the Lionesses are facing on the way to What you do on your way to victory. The 2-0 win started the 2025 European Cup qualifiers.
That dominance was evidenced by Lauren James’ first-half goal and Alex Greenwood’s clinical penalty.
After a tough 1-1 draw with Sweden on Friday night, England need a win to ensure they remain in contention for automatic qualification against Switzerland next year.
It may seem odd to put so much focus on the six group games of the second qualifying round, but the Lionesses compete with Euro 2022 semi-finalists France, World Cup bronze medalists Sweden and the only team to reach Pot Four. Being placed in the “Group of Death” to qualify for the World Cup, the Republic of Ireland has little room for error.
Only the top two teams will qualify for the European Cup, and the third and fourth placed teams will enter the playoffs.
The win means England are second in the group with four points, ahead of France on six, Sweden on one and Ireland bottom of the group with two defeats.
Salina Wigman hinted at some changes following Friday’s draw at Wembley. “Tomorrow will be a very different game, with a different opponent, so we will do some different things,” she said ahead of the game in Dublin, where she made a number of changes, substituting five players from the starting line-up against Sweden.
Hannah Hampton, starting in goal, knocked Mary Earps out of a competitive match for the first time since a 10-0 defeat to Luxembourg in September 2022 in a World Cup qualifier. “Hannah did a great job for Chelsea… this is her moment to shine,” Wigman said before the game. Leah Williamson made her first start since sustaining an ACL injury last April and the captain’s armband returned to her, replacing Lote Ubenmoi.
Meanwhile, Jesse Carter replaces Chelsea team-mate Niamh Charles at left-back, with Ella Toone and Jesse Parker replacing Grace Clinton and Georgia Stanway in midfield.
For Erin Gleeson, the team made two substitutions in the 0-1 loss to France and their defensive performance was impressive, with Emily Murphy and Megan Kang Nolly makes way for Rutha Littlejohn and Lucy Quinn.
If there was any concern that England might struggle against Ireland’s deep blocking, they were quickly thwarted in the first half.
England took the lead after just 12 minutes when Keira Walsh’s ball from the left was headed over by Lucy Bronze at the far post, but Anna A good pass from Anna Patten found its way into the path of James, who tipped the ball past Courtney Brosnan.
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In front of more than 30,000 fans, things went from bad to worse for the home side when Lauren Hemp’s cross was headed into the air by McCabe and into the hands of Park, The latter swung the ball and it bounced off Littlejohn’s raised elbow to earn a penalty. Greenwood stepped up in Stanway’s absence and chipped in coolly, with Brosnan going the wrong way.
With 28% possession in the first half and no shots on goal but struggling to keep possession or create chances, the Girls in Green got some respite when Greenwood’s second penalty was struck off the base of the post. Opportunity. The penalty was harsh and there was little Louise Quinn could do as the ball sailed from Alessia Russo to her thigh and then her arm.
The most jubilant moment for the home fans came in the 77th minute when McCabe’s free kick was hit by Louise Quinn but Caitlin Hayes failed to turn it over . Hayes would test Hampton’s left side on five minutes and her header was blocked by the keeper at the far post.
England almost suffered disaster moments later when Hampton’s lob was saved by McCabe on the edge of the box, the Ireland captain racing towards the loose ball but firing straight at the recovering keeper.
It was a worrying end, but England’s clinical first half was enough.
