England's national women's soccer team faced another setback in their Women's Nations League campaign, drawing 1-1 with Portugal in a match that highlighted ongoing concerns about their recent form. The Lionesses, who have won only two of their last six matches, showed promise early but struggled to maintain momentum throughout the full 90 minutes.
The match began positively for England when Alessia Russo found the net in the 15th minute, capitalizing on a strong opening period. The team appeared to be in control during the first half, with Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton effectively filling in for the absent Georgia Stanway, and Lucy Bronze creating dangerous opportunities from the right flank.
However, the team's inability to extend their lead proved costly. Portugal, undefeated in their previous 10 matches and ranked 18 places below England in the FIFA world rankings, grew in confidence as the game progressed. Their persistence paid off when substitute Kika Nazareth equalized during a period of sustained pressure from the hosts.
England captain Millie Bright acknowledged the team's shortcomings, telling BBC Radio 5 Live, "When it's just 1-0 you keep a team in it and the longer it stays 1-0 the more the opposition gets confidence." She emphasized the need for greater ruthlessness in front of goal and increased chance creation.
The second-half performance particularly concerned former England midfielder Karen Carney, who commented on ITV, "In the second half I was scratching my head thinking it's a different team. The basics went and that's when you get punished. There are lessons to be learnt."
Despite these challenges, manager Sarina Wiegman maintains an optimistic outlook. "It is not July now. I'm not concerned," she stated, emphasizing that the team is still progressing despite recent results suggesting otherwise. "If you look at how we play in the first-half performance, we are definitely moving forwards."
The Lionesses' next challenge comes against world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium, offering another opportunity to demonstrate improvement. With Euro 2025 just five months away, Bright remains positive, noting, "We need to be confident, we didn't win the game but equally we didn't lose. I think you have to draw out the positives from the performance. It's small margins in football. If we make those tweaks, it takes us to another level."
The team's recent form, including a 4-3 defeat to Germany in October and a goalless draw with an injury-depleted United States, suggests there is indeed work to be done. The absence of key players like Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood, Beth Mead, and Lauren Hemp through injury has undoubtedly impacted the team's performance, but expectations remain high for the defending European champions.
