England vs Austria LIVE: Result and reaction after Russo and Mead strike twice and Lionesses score seven
Follow all the live action from the Lionesses match in Marbella
England bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on Olympic qualification in their last match with a 7-2 thrashing of a sub-par Austria.
In the first match of their February training camp in Marbella, the Lionesses stormed to victory, with Alessia Russo and Beth Mead both finding the net twice in the emphatic victory.
Russo opened hers and England’s account after just three minutes when she capitalised after the goalkeeper did not deal with the niitial shot and she was ideally placed to tap the ball home.
Grace Clinton then capped off her debut with a goal in the 19th minute. Austria briefly threatened to turn the tide of the game when Virginia Kirchberger headed one back for Austria, but Beth Mead’s first goal of the evening soon restored England’s advantage.
In the second half it was all England, first Russo’s second, then Jess Carter’s improvised backheel established a strong lead.
Kirchberger left England puzzling over how they had allowed the forward to score twice from set pieces, but Mead hit back almost straight away before Rachel Daly’s stoppage-time strike in a one-on-one situation wrapped up the win.
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Sarina Wiegman continued
“The issue of injuries is a bigger picture and it’s about the load on the players. The calendar we talk about a lot, that we really have to address the calendar. I spoke up about that last week - we really ask FIFA and UEFA to change things.
“But we are doing a job as good as possible with all the expertise we have in our team and staff. We have a programme and we monitor the players really well.
“You’re in an environment where an injury can happen because it’s a physical sport, but if you can diminish the risk of injuries as much as possible, that’s also what we try to do.”
Sarina Wiegman on the demands on players
Asked if club coaches had requested a limit on player minutes amid a three-way Women’s Super League title race and a spate of high-profile injuries, Wiegman said: “Not this time.
“We are in contact with each other all the time, we update each other and of course we know how important the Women’s Super League is too but also the German League for Georgia [Stanway] and the Spanish league for the players who play in Spain at the moment.
“Of course, we want to take care of the players but we want to do lots of things. We play to win but we also have the opportunity now to try out things and also manage minutes. With a busy calendar I think that’s something to be aware of.”
Squad update
A small squad update ahead of the game tonight: Aggie Beever-Jones has joined the seniors from the under-23s for the first time.
Sarina Wiegman spoke ahead of the match
“This is really the start of our Euros campaign and after the very disappointing result of not qualifying for the play-offs to qualify for the Olympics we moved on,” said Wiegman ahead of the match.
“This is the start, with two friendlies which is really good for us because we can try out some things.
“We are also very close to the Under-23s [also training in Spain] so we can see them, we can connect with them and we get a lot of players that we can see where they are at this moment.
“This is a great start because in April the Nations League starts which are the qualifiers for the Euros.”
Sarina Wiegman insists Lionesses have left previous heartbreak behind them
England head coach Sarina Wiegman believes her side have “moved on” from the heartbreak of missing out on Olympic qualification.
The Lionesses face Austria on Friday and Italy next Tuesday in a pair of friendlies which have replaced what they hoped would be Nations League semi-finals.
A 6-0 thrashing of Scotland looked to have secured top spot in Group A1 in December, only for the Netherlands to score twice in added time against Belgium to pip England on goal difference and end Team GB’s hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024.
Leah Williamson out of England squad after injury setback
Leah Williamson has withdrawn from her first England women squad since last April due to injury, with Millie Turner called up in place of the Euro 2022-winning captain.
Arsenal described the 26-year-old’s problem as a “minor hamstring injury” ahead of Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, less than a month after Williamson returned to action for the Gunners following a nine-month recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
Leah Williamson out of England squad after injury setback
Williamson picked up a ‘minor hamstring injury’ and has been replaced in the Lionesses squad by Millie Turner
When is England vs Austria and how can I watch it?
England Women are back in action on Friday for the first time since December when they take on Austria in Spain as attention turns towards building a new team capable of winning Euro 2025.
The likes of Mary Earps and Rachel Daly return to a squad with a familiar feel. Head coach Sarina Wiegman has opted not to bring any newcomers into the group for this training camp in Spain.
Is England v Austria on TV? Channel and how to watch the Lionesses
Everything you need to know about the women’s international friendly
England vs Austria
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of England vs Austria, the first of two international friendly matches the Lionesses will play in Spain.
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