England secured a 2-1 win against South Africa in a friendly at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Tuesday evening.
The result was an improvement over Friday disappointing loss to Germany on Friday at Wembley, but the performance itself was of a similar nature. England they were sloppy during big spells and gifted their opponents a route back into the game after taking the initiative.
Sarina Wiegman will need to see drastic improvements before the international break in November, as the Lionesses will face both the USA and Switzerland. UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is also only eight months away.
How the game developed
It took just over ten minutes for England to open the scoring after Jess Naz picked out Leah Williamson in the box following a routine corner. The Arsenal defender was able to fire a low shot into the bottom corner.
South Africa almost equalized minutes later after Esme Morgan lost the ball in a dangerous area. It was another defensive mess for England, but Grace Clinton was able to recover and clear the effort off the line.
England’s second goal of the night came in Manchester when a terrific attacking move from the home side ended with Maya Le Tissier picking out Clinton in the box, and the midfielder headed an effort past Kaylin Swart in the South African goal.
The sloppy passing is something Wiegman will be eager to fix before the next international break, having given South Africa a handful of chances in the first half. Stronger teams will certainly punish them, as England found out against Germany on Friday night.
In the second half, England were made to pay for one of those mistakes after Williamson mistimed a simple pass to Georgia Stanway. Thembi Kgatlana picked up the loose ball and charged forward into the slot past Mary Earps.
The English goalkeeper was forced into a great save with just over ten minutes to play to deny a certain draw. The home side struggled to create many clear-cut chances in the second half until substitute Ella Toone pulled off a strong save in the 80th minute.
Despite a handful of chances in the final minutes of the game, England were unable to add to their tally. Subs Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo had chances, but two first-half goals were enough for the night.
GK: Mary Earps – 7/10 – He didn’t have much to do, but he was there to make a handful of stops when needed. He ordered his backline, but could not have done much for the away goal. He made a crucial save at the end to deny a certain draw.
RB: Maya Le Tissier – 7/10 – He picked Clinton for England’s second of the night. He switched to left back when Lucy Bronze replaced Esme Morgan. Decent output.
CB: Alex Greenwood – 7/10 – Strong delivery at set pieces but, like the rest of the defence, was sloppy at times. He struggled when South Africa were on top in the second half.
CB: Leah Williamson – 6/10 – He scored England’s first goal and the emotion underlined how much was needed for the Arsenal star. But, a mistake in the second half allowed South Africa to get back into the game.
LB: Esme Morgan – 5/10 – In the first half, she almost equalized for South Africa, but she was lucky that her teammates were able to recover. It’s fair to say he struggled.
CM: Georgia Stanway – 6/10 – She started in a deeper role tonight in place of Keira Walsh. Careless in possession at times, but his work rate cannot be faulted.
CM: Grace Clinton – 8/10 – He cleared a South African effort off the line in the first half to deny a certain goal. A clean strike for England’s second goal of the night.
CM: Jess Park – 7/10 – An improvement on Friday night’s performance against Germany. Prone to turning the ball over on occasion, but helped dictate the pace of the game before being substituted in the second half.
RW: Chloe Kelly – 7/10 – Their outings in the channels were a strong outing for England. He worked hard and was sharp, despite a lack of game time for his club. He hit the crossbar with a powerful strike in the second half.
ST: Jess Naz – 7/10 – Prepare Williamson for the first time in the first half. He used his pace well to make runs from behind, and his holding game was strong. A quieter game than I would have expected.
LW: Beth Mead – 6/10 – A fairly quiet game from the Arsenal star. She didn’t offer much before being substituted in the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Alessia Russo (60′ by Jess Naz) – 7/10
SUB: Lucy Bronze (60′ by Esme Morgan) – 7/10
SUB: Fran Kirby (60′ for Jess Park) – 7/10
SUB: Ella Toone (60′ for Grace Clinton) – 7/10
SUB: Lauren Hemp (72′ for Beth Mead) – 7/10
SUB: Millie Bright (72′ for Leah Williamson) – 7/10
Subs not used: Hannah Hampton (GK), Anna Moorhouse (GK), Keira Walsh, Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Carter, Lucy Parker
manager
Sarina Wiegman – 6/10 – A win is a win, but the coach will not be happy with the overall performance. He made changes to the starting line-up and wasn’t afraid to try new combinations, and used his substitutions well in the second half. But there is a lot of work to be done if they are to have any hope of retaining their title as European champions.
