Report as Ellen White, Alex Greenwood and Millie Bright score doubles to help England Women win 10-0 in Luxembourg; Nikita Parris, Rachel Daly and substitute Bethany England also on target for visitors, plus Jessica Berscheid own goal; Lionesses stay top of World Cup Qualifying Group D
Wednesday 22 September 2021 09:34, UK
England Women thrashed Luxembourg 10-0 to stay top of World Cup Qualifying Group D, with Ellen White, Alex Greenwood and Millie Bright all scoring twice.
White gave the visitors the perfect start at the Stade de Luxembourg by poaching two goals in the opening 17 minutes, the striker's 42nd and 43rd for her country.
Nikita Parris headed in a third just before the half-hour mark, before Greenwood's two goals (37, 47) either side of half-time gave Sarina Wiegman's side complete control of the game.
An own goal from Luxembourg defender Jessica Berscheid put the Lionesses 6-0 up and Bright then got on the scoresheet with a double (79, 90+1) - the defender's first-ever goals for her country on her 40th appearance.
Two more goals in injury time from right-back Rachel Daly and substitute Bethany England rounded off the scoring for the Lionesses, who stay top of the group after two matches on the road to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Four days on from beating North Macedonia 8-0 at St Mary's in their first match under Wiegman, the Lionesses scored four times in the first half in another excellent performance.
Demi Stokes, Greenwood, White and Parris had already had efforts saved when White put England - wearing black armbands as a tribute to the late Jimmy Greaves - ahead in the 12th minute, stretching to touch in Lauren Hemp's cross from the left.
Five minutes later, White was on the scoresheet again to make it 2-0, shooting low into the corner after being teed up Fran Kirby to take her to 43 England goals, three shy of Kelly Smith's record.
Kirby, having seen a shot kept out by goalkeeper Lucie Schlime, then delivered a corner in the 27th minute that Luxembourg failed to clear and Parris headed in for number three.
Ella Toone was denied by Schlime and Kirby lofted an attempt over as the one-way traffic continued, before the fourth arrived with eight minutes of normal to go to the interval - another Kirby corner being headed by the hosts only as far Greenwood, who volleyed in.
It took only two minutes of the second half for the visitors to score again, Greenwood notching her second with a deflected strike.
Wiegman replaced White, Greenwood and Hemp with England, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Beth Mead, and Mead swiftly made her mark as a firm strike was diverted into her own net by Luxembourg by defender Berscheid in the 62nd minute.
Bright subsequently shot over the bar, then registered her first England goal with a 79th-minute header following Mead's free-kick.
In the late flurry that saw Wiegman's side surpass their tally from Friday, Bright nodded in another, Daly - whose father died a few days before the North Macedonia match - made it 9-0 and England's tap-in completed the rout.
England manager Sarina Wiegman: "I'm really happy with the overall performance. In the second half we had 21 players in the final third, that's so hard with the small spaces you get.
"As a team, we have tried to create many chances, through the middle, out wide from crosses, and if you score 10 that's okay.
"We had one or two mistakes but everyone worked in transition to win the ball back in a few seconds, and that's what it's all about. I really enjoyed that."
Millie Bright on ITV:
"[Those were] my first and second goals for England, so I'm ecstatic and really proud of the team. But I think I'm more proud of my best friend Rachel (Daly), scoring and playing after what she has been through and I'm just delighted for everyone really.
"[It is] a new journey, [I'm] really proud of the team. Sarina [Wiegman] wanted 10 goals and we got her 10 goals, I felt we pushed on from the previous game performance-wise. Everyone is eager to win and we are here to develop as a squad and just really proud of everyone.
"I feel like the curse has been lifted, so I'm absolutely delighted to get one and two. It is massive.
"Everyone knows we are here to win, but it is the process in which we do that. We are on a new journey with Sarina, we have implemented so much already and hopefully everyone back home can see the improvements we've made. We are eager to win and we just want to continue on this winning streak and get better each camp as a group."
England Women take on Northern Ireland in their next World Cup Qualifier at Wembley Stadium on October 23, with the game kicking off at 5.15pm.
October 23: England vs Northern Ireland (kick-off 5.15pm)
October 26: Latvia vs England (kick-off TBC)
November 27: England vs Austria (kick-off TBC)
November 30: England vs Latvia (kick-off TBC)
April 8, 2022: North Macedonia vs England (kick-off TBC)
April 12, 2022: Northern Ireland vs England (kick-off TBC)
September 3, 2022: Austria vs England (kick-off TBC)
September 6: England vs Luxembourg (kick-off TBC)
