Alessia Russo and Lauren James reiterated their importance to England as both scored twice in a 5-0 win against Greece in the second leg of their World Cup play-off first-round tie, winning 8-1 on aggregate.
Russo, the Arsenal No 9, was supplied for an early opener by Chelsea forward James, a crucial moment after a laborious 3-1 win in Crete on Friday had given the Lionesses plenty to consider. Once England took the lead at the King Power Stadium, they never looked back. James doubled the hosts' lead with a rocket effort, before Georgia Stanway's bullet header made it three after a cross from Lauren Hemp.
James scored her second of the evening four minutes later, again assisted by Hemp, but was rested for the second half and replaced by Beth Mead. Manchester City winger Hemp spurned two glorious early chances, while Stanway thought she had scored her own brace five minutes after the break, only for VAR to rule out her volley for offside by a shoulder. England continued to create chances as Sarina Wiegman tinkered with her team, handing debuts to Freya Godfrey and Lexi Potter, before Russo spun her defender and finished on a tight angle to complete a dominant performance.
England now advance to the second round of the World Cup play-offs, where they face Ukraine over two legs in November and December.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing