England secured a valuable 3-1 first-leg lead over Greece in their Women's World Cup qualifying play-off in Crete, keeping their Brazil 2025 hopes alive.
Maya le Tissier stepped up in Lucy Bronze's absence, making her 15th cap and scoring her first international goal in the 63rd minute. Sarina Wiegman praised her performance, noting the defender's positioning and crossing, while also highlighting the need for improvement ahead of Tuesday's second leg in Leicester.
Despite the win, Wiegman expressed frustration at conceding goals and sloppy defensive moments that allowed Greece to create chances. Ioanna Papatheodorou hit the crossbar and set up Kallisti Brouksair's goal from England errors. "We want to show more than winning, we want to play really well too," Wiegman said.
The victory allowed Wiegman to hand debuts to 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson and Liverpool captain Grace Fisk, both adding to the squad depth. Parkinson, who recently joined North Carolina Courage from Valadares Gaia, impressed in her brief appearance, with teammate Esme Morgan praising her intelligence and movement.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing