England 5-0 Northern Ireland: Lionesses put five past tournament debutants to finish group stage in style

England charged into the knock-out rounds of Euro 2022 with a 5-0 win over a robust Northern Ireland at St Mary’s. As anticipated, the Lionesses dominated possession from kick-off but Northern Ireland were fearless and dogged in sticking to their gameplan. Ad/> The first chance came for the Green and White Army after just two minutes via a quick break.

Euro 2022Wiegman tests positive for Covid ahead of England's Euro 2022 Northern Ireland clash9 HOURS AGO England were awarded a penalty for handball after six minutes but a lengthy VAR review rightly overturned the decision. Beth Mead, Ellen White, and Georgia Stanway each spurned good chances but Northern Irish goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns was commanding her box with impressive intensity. After 40 minutes, Fran Kirby broke the deadlock with a brilliant strike.

After an incisive England move broke down on the edge of the box, Kirby just looked up and pinged it into the top corner. Right before half-time, Beth Mead doubled England’s lead via a slight deflection. A half-time triple sub injected more energy for the Lionesses, but did rule out the possibility of Ellen White breaking Wayne Rooney’s England goal scoring record.

The changes immediately paid off for England as Mead played a slick wall pass off Ella Toone before whipping a cross in to Alessia Russo who headed home the Lionesses’ third goal with her first touch after being subbed on. Four minutes later, it was four for England. Russo received a smart through ball from Toone on the spin, before slamming her finish well beyond Burns.