Steph Houghton double helps fire England past Bosnia & Herzegovina in World Cup qualifier
England 4 Bosnia & Herzegovina 0: The hosts cruised past their opponents to stay hot on the heels of Group One leaders Wales
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Skipper Steph Houghton fired a double as England Women beat World Cup qualifying rivals Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-0 at the Bescot Stadium.
Defender Houghton struck either side of Manchester City team-mate Nikita Parris's early second-half effort and Chelsea's Fran Kirby converted a late penalty.
Victory keeps England hot on the heels of Group One leaders Wales, who beat Kazakhstan 1-0 to stay one point ahead having played one game more.
It also represents a first win for Mo Marley, in caretaker charge since the sacking of Mark Sampson.
Bosnia forward Lidija Kulis had gone closest to opening the scoring when forcing goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain into a decent save, but Houghton headed England into a 19th-minute lead following Alex Greenwood's corner.
England's Barcelona striker Toni Duggan was denied by the woodwork midway through the first half and Bosnia goalkeeper Almina Hodzic twice denied Kirby as the home side chased a second goal.
Danielle Carter squandered a golden chance to make it 2-0 shortly before half-time when she missed an open target and Hodzic did well to keep out further efforts from Duggan and Kirby before the interval.
England had hogged 82 per cent of first-half possession and gave the scoreline a truer reflection less than a minute into the second period when Duggan set up Parris to make it 2-0.
Houghton fired her second direct from a 54th-minute free-kick to put the game beyond Bosnia and after Aida Hadzic fouled Carter in the area, Kirby completed the scoring from the spot.
PA
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