England vs USA LIVE: Result and final score as Lionesses seal Wembley win
The European champions mry the world champions as England’s Lionesses returned to Wembley for the first time since glory over Germany in July
England claimed victory in the clash of European and world champions as Sarina Wiegman’s side beat the United States 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley.
The Lionesses went ahead through Lauren Hemp’s 10th-minute finish before Sophia Smith equalised in the 28th minute after Georgia Stanway lost possession near her own box.
England then benefited from two VAR checks - one resulting in the penalty from which Stanway restored their lead after 33 minutes, and another soon after that saw Trinity Rodman’s strike for the visitors disallowed, with Smith ruled to have been offside.
VAR also ensured a late penalty award against England for handball, with the ball having struck Hemp’s legs, was overturned as they saw out only a third victory in their last 17 meetings with the US.
It is the first time they have beaten the world number ones since 2017 and represents yet another big plus for the team under Wiegman - whose undefeated tenure now shows 21 wins from 23 games - as they work towards next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
A crowd of 76,893 was in attendance for England’s return to the scene of July’s historic Euros triumph, and those present included a host of former Lionesses as the team’s 50th anniversary was marked.
Miguel Delaney’s report from Wembley
A game that had almost everything was, rather appropriately, many things at once. It was a celebration, a show of solidarity for much more serious issues, and a marker for the World Cup through another England win.
The players will of course say that 2-1 victory doesn’t matter too much given everything else going on around this landmark match, but the competitors in them will also know it will frame much of what is to come on the pitch over the next few months.
It was an issue dominating the present that framed the game itself, with both teams wore armbands to stand in solidarity with sexual abuse survivors, as the USA team so creditably played amid the fall-out from the Sally Yates report detailing emotional and sexual abuse in the country’s domestic league.
This itself came amid a celebration of the past, as England celebrated 50 years of the national team. As Megan Rapinoe said before the match, though, a natural love for the game and competitiveness takes over.
That’s what was so visible here, in a fine England victory. It was a superb game between the two best sides in the world, the first half especially enchanting, as Sophia Smith again showed she may just be the best player in the world right now.
The fact it was even better than expected also made it all the more unpredictable, so fittingly going right to the end.
England edge Wembley thriller with USA to lay down World Cup marker
England 2-1 USA: The Euro 2022 champions beat the world champions but rode their luck in an entertaining match in front of more than 70,000 fans
Full-time: England 2-1 USA
It wasn’t a totally dominant display but England did enough to get the win and beat the world champions and world No1 side.
England 2-1 USA
90+2 min: Final throw of the dice for the US with a corner curled into the box, but it’s well cleared, and Smith’s subsequent shot is off target.
England 2-1 USA
Not quite a full house at Wembley tonight but not far off, for a game played out in a fantastic atmosphere.
England 2-1 USA
88 min: England are steadying the ship with some good passing around at the back, taking the sting out of the game.
England 2-1 USA
85 min: England continue to create more threatening situations without scoring, as the US ring the changes in search of an equaliser.
England 2-1 USA
81 min: Penalty to USA! Or is it? The referee thinks the ball hit Lauren Hemp’s hand in the box, but the replay shows it struck her backside as she tried to block a shot. VAR suggests a check of the monitor, and the decision is rightly reversed.
England 2-1 USA
79 min: Hemp surges upfield and sparks a threatening English counter-attack, but it runs out of steam when Mead miscontrols.
England 2-1 USA
76 min: A chance for Stanway to seal it as she shifts on to her left foot and unleashes a shot from the edge of the box, but it’s wayward.
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