In their first match since winning Euro 2025 in the summer, England got off to a disastrous start, losing 2-1 to a 10-man Brazil side.
There was a sense of celebration ahead of the friendly as Salina Wiegmann’s Lionesses paraded the European Championship trophy, but the atmosphere quickly turned sour as South American champions Brazil opened up a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes.
It showed that England’s defense was ad hoc, with injuries to Leah Williamson and Hannah Hampton, plus the retirement of Millie Bright and the sitting of Lucy Bronze on the bench. Ludmilla ran in front of goal and fired a shot wide of the target within the first three minutes, leading to a booking, but England continued to seize their chances five minutes later.
Beatriz Zanerat puts Brazil ahead at the Etihad Stadium
England had sloppy possession in midfield, but Beatrice Zanerat evaded the challenge and beat debutant Chiara Keating, the first female goalkeeper from an ethnic minority in England’s women’s first team.
The second goal was similar, with Ella Thun giving the ball away and Zanerat teeing up Dudinha, who fired in from the near post.
England coach Wiegmann was visibly furious at the start of the match, but his team was almost immediately put on a lifeline as Thune darted in front of goal, only to be brought down by Brazil captain Angelina, who had received her marching orders.
Alex Greenwood hit the bar from a free-kick, which made Brazil a little shaky, but apart from that, the Lionesses posed little threat, with Jess Carter and Toon missing good opportunities in the box.
England received further support from the referee after half-time as Beth Mead fell under a challenge from Zanerat after the Lionesses winger took a shot inside the area. The referee took his time and awarded a penalty, which Georgia Stanway converted to halve the difference.
Georgia Stanway pulled one back for England from the penalty spot.
England then created chances with Stanway hitting the bar, Alessia Russo heading home and substitutes Aggie Beaver-Jones and Lucy Bronze going close to scoring, but despite Wiegman’s late introduction of super-sub Michel Agyemang, Brazil dealt with the one-man disadvantage with relative ease.
England need to work on this before they face Brazil in the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Wiegman talks about what England were missing
England head coach Sarina Wigman told ITV Sport:
“They started the way we expected and as soon as we found Alessia Russo we were good.
Alessia Russo goes for the ball
“But as soon as we played short, they were really good at winning the ball and counter-attacking, which hurt us twice.
“It was exactly what we didn’t want to do, so it was a struggle, but we had a lot of opportunities.
“Then they got a red card and we were unlucky for the ball (from Greenwood’s free kick) to hit the top of the crossbar.
“From then on, we dominated the game. Where we were lacking was at the end. They play good defense and have very physical players. We were a little unlucky at times, but we could have been better in our decision-making, in our execution.”
“We didn’t give that much, but we wanted it too.”
Analysis: England have forced themselves into a corner.
Charlotte Marsh of Sky Sports:
This was a litmus test of sorts for England. They don’t often play teams outside of Europe, and each time they leave the continent, you can gauge where the Lionesses actually sit in the international pecking order.
Of course, there are some caveats to Saturday’s game. They started without Leah Williamson, Lauren Hemp, Hannah Hampton and Lucy Bronze, with the front three out due to injury.
This could then prove to be a great opportunity for young talents like Grace Clinton, Jess Park and Katie Reid to earn playing time in England. However, they are also absent.
Playing against Brazil at this point, who have admitted to having injury concerns, has to be taken with a bit of a grain of salt.
But, as they often did at the Euros, England got themselves into trouble.
Where have I ever heard that both goals were scored early? -They got robbed too easily in midfield. Defense also remains a big concern, and with Millie Bright now retired, her absence clearly leaves a big hole.
But England never gave up and pressed on in search of that elusive equalizer. The spirit of the Euros was not fully reflected in their performance upon their return, with no extra time or penalties.
Despite the extra play, there was a lack of passing pace as England dominated. Things weren’t coming together the way they had hoped.
However, it is clearly too early to talk about setbacks and worries. Wiegman will have a lot to think about ahead of Tuesday’s game against Australia and fans will be looking for signs of improvement.
Stanway: I was disappointed in the first 20 minutes
England midfielder Georgia Stanway commented to ITV Sport:
“This is one of those games where you get beaten up and bruised. We’re not used to playing teams from different continents so we have to adapt to that.
“It was difficult to find space. There was a lot of movement and running. There was a lot to take away from there. Thanks to the red card, we were able to find a few more free players.”
“The first 20 minutes were disappointing for us. It put us behind, but in the second half we had a lot of chances and could have put them in the back of the net. On another day they could have scored it. We can look back on it and we have a lot of time.”
“We’re not taking a step back. We came in front of our home crowd with the European trophy and we’ll continue to show that to our fans and thank them for their support. Today was a chance to celebrate with them. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but we had time to work on it and build on it. It was disappointing, of course, but now it’s time to celebrate the Euros.”
