England Women Beat Ukraine In World Cup Qualifying After A Dominant Second Half

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England began their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a dominant 6-1 win over Ukraine at Mardan Stadyumu, as Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park all struck twice to move the Lionesses top of Group D on goal difference.

All six goals arrived after the break. England went in level at half-time despite clear pressure, then Sarina Wiegman’s side produced a ruthless second-half display which overwhelmed Ukraine and turned an initially tight contest into a one-sided scoreline.

Wiegman changed the game at half-time with a double substitution, which gave England fresh energy and pace in attack. Two minutes into the second half, Russo ran onto Kiera Walsh’s throughball and finished calmly for the opener, sparking England’s sudden surge.

England’s second followed just four minutes later. Lauren Hemp cut in from the right and slipped a pass across goal. Russo timed the run perfectly and flicked a smart finish behind the defender to complete a quickfire brace and establish a firm grip.

Ukraine briefly changed the mood in the 58th minute. A free-kick caused confusion in the England area and Yana Kalinina reacted first, turning a loose ball past Hannah Hampton with Ukraine’s first meaningful attack to make it 2-1 and reintroduce tension.

England hit back within six minutes. Hemp drove into the penalty area and was brought down by Kateryna Korsun. Stanway stepped up from 12 yards and converted confidently, then added England’s fourth in the 70th minute with a powerful shot into the top-right corner from the edge.

England Lionesses stars Russo, Stanway and Park shine in World Cup qualifier

Park then took over the scoring duties in the closing stages. In the 78th minute, Park escaped a marker and reached Stanway’s low cross, prodding the ball in from close range. With one minute of normal time left, Park cut inside from the left and lifted a looping effort over Kateryna Samson.

The emphatic scoreline came after a frustrating opening period for England. Laura Blindkilde Brown went closest when a long-range strike deflected onto the crossbar. Soon after, Lotte Wubben Moy almost scored with an inventive backheel, which a Ukraine defender scrambled clear off the line.

Data from the match underlined England’s attacking dominance throughout the World Cup qualifier. Russo produced nine shots, worth 1.91 expected goals, and had 19 touches in the Ukraine box. Park attempted six shots, while Stanway took five and continued a strong personal scoring run.

Stanway reached a significant England milestone in the process. The midfielder moved past 50 goal involvements for the Lionesses, reaching 51 in total, with 31 goals and 20 assists, and scored in a fourth straight England appearance as pressure in the final third finally told.

Across the full match, England’s control of the World Cup qualifier was clear. The Lionesses produced 31 shots to Ukraine’s four and created high-quality chances, with constant attacks, heavy pressure around the Ukraine box and decisive contributions from Russo, Stanway and Park securing an authoritative opening win.