July 01, (THEWILL) – Sarina Wiegman, the famed head coach of England’s women’s national football team, was disappointed at the team’s failure to win in their goalless draw against Portugal.
Despite creating numerous opportunities, England could not find the back of the net in their last home game before heading to Australia and New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup. The match at Stadium MK saw Georgia Stanway and Lucy Bronze hitting the woodwork, while Alessia Russo’s attempt was thwarted by a goalline block. Reflecting on the performance, Wiegman acknowledged the missed chances but stressed the importance of learning from the experience.
She said: “I think the first half we were a little bit too slow, the ball tempo was, and we had too many players behind the ball or very close to it. And then, when we did break lines, we didn’t have enough numbers higher up the pitch. I think we did that a lot better in the second half.” She, however, commended the team’s improved performance in the second half, with players positioned higher up the pitch and creating more chances.
Wiegman remained positive about the team’s ability to create scoring opportunities, noting that England had an impressive total of 23 shots on goal. Her squad will now travel to Australia for the tournament, where they will play a closed-door warm-up match against Canada on July 14 before their opening game against Haiti in Brisbane.
As for a decision on the starting lineup, Wiegman stated: “No. I’m not closer now. I’m not sure if we get closer than this though. In the end, you have to make decisions. I think in some positions it’s really tight. We have some time now. So, no, I’m not sure, and this is not the time to make the final decision because we still have a couple of weeks to go.” She was, however, certain that the team remains focused on their preparations and aims to make a strong impact in the upcoming World Cup.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
