England beat Ukraine 6-1 to deliver ‘clear win’ that Sarina Wiegman demanded
It was a new-look England, with Wiegman overseeing the return of many key players from injury while rewarding those who were in form.
Manchester City’s Laura Blindkilde Brown made a rare start, while London City Lionesses defender Poppy Pattinson made her debut in the second half.
The back four of the starting 11 played less than 100 times in total; captain Leah Williamson won 65 of them; Maya Le Tissier lined up at right-back opposite Lucy Bronze, while Taylor Hinds started at left-back for her third game in four games.
The in-form Jess Park was playing out wide, as he has done impressively for Manchester United this season, rather than the midfield where Wiegman has often used him.
It was an unusually experimental match for Wiegman, given that this was his first competitive fixture since Euro 2025 and took time to shape up.
England touched the opponent’s penalty area 40 times in the first half and had 85% of the ball, but could not score a goal in 15 goals.
The tempo had dropped, Ukraine was defending well and England’s hopes of breaking free from the blocks had not been realised.
“They didn’t quite get it in the first half. They were a bit confused about what to do,” former England midfielder Fran Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live Extra.
“Ukraine defended really well. They were really tight between the lines and made it very difficult for England.
“They had to be a little more cool-headed to get through the penalty area instead of passing inside the penalty area.
“The second half showed they learned from the first half about what didn’t work.”
The two-time European champions responded in the second half with a squad full of quality.
Arsenal striker Alessia Russo scored twice in four minutes to put England under control, while a double from Georgia Stanway put them out of Ukraine’s range.
Wiegman’s “clear victory” was also confirmed when Park scored twice later.
“I think it took the first half to get the better of them. We were still very good in the first half. Defensively they were solid,” Russo said afterwards.
“We tried our luck when places opened. I can’t say there was any relief [when we scored]. We knew we had quality in us and he was just executing it.
“It was finding the last moment, the last pass, the last shot. You saw that in the second half.”
