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Sarina Wigman has urged her players to ‘stick together’ after suffering their biggest defeat in 17 years.
The Lionesses were beaten 4-0 by Spain in Mallorca which means automatic qualification to the 2027 World Cup is now out of their hands.
Goals from Pati Guizarro, Claudia Pina and a double from Alexia Putellas put England to the sword, moving them second in Group A3 with just a game to play.
The result was the biggest defeat by an England team since the Euro 2009 final (6-2 v Germany) and Wiegmann admitted the manner of the result hurt both him and his players.
“Obviously it hurts,” Wiegmann said in the post-match press conference.
“I expected a completely different game. I was expecting a tough game, a very competitive game. But tonight was a difference.
“We wanted to press high at the moment, but they played straight through our press and even if we dropped a bit they would play.
“They got their first goal which was a deflection, we lost the ball where you don’t want to lose it. After that, we had no momentum.
“We were really struggling to hold onto the ball and find long passes or play back. They played really well and we didn’t play that well.
“We were really struggling to keep compact without the ball in our own half.
“What I’m trying to do now is why it happened. What really went wrong, did we execute our game plan really well? I don’t think so. Caused by Spain as well.
“I’m disappointed and very disappointed but so are the players. It hurts because we’ve lost a few times but never conceded more than once.”
Chances of qualification are slim but England must respond against Ukraine
Sarina Wigman begged her lioness to stick together after the biggest defeat of her tenure
With a path to Brazil next year now out of their hands, Wiegmann isn’t fazed by talk of automatic qualification or the play-offs. Instead, he’s focused on watching his team’s response Tuesday night at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“If we qualify, we have a different preparation than if we don’t. First of all, we are really focused on Tuesday. We want to have a good performance in that game and win – that’s the most important thing.
“After that, we know what it is. Spain also have to go to Iceland, we saw how difficult that game is. Let’s see what happens on Tuesday. The first possibility is that we qualify, depending on Spain, and the other is that we are in the play-offs.
“I want a reaction, we are a team, a strong team and on Tuesday we will play a strong team and stick together. That is the most important thing.”
Stanway ‘very, very disappointed’ with England performance
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England midfielder Georgia Stanway reacts to the 4-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA qualifiers
England midfielder Georgia Stanway on Sky Sports News:
“The good team won. We can’t say much, we lacked quality and were a bit late in everything. We missed time, we were late to the ball, their quality was stronger than ours.
“We are disappointed, Spain beat us at home, we beat them at home. We are equal on points and there is a lot to play for in this group. Our whole focus is on Tuesday.
“We have to go through it, analyze it and separate it. Of course, being a midfielder is difficult, you are always in the mix.
“It will be interesting to see how we can change our shape or change those different components to hit those targets.
“We knew it was going to be tough coming here. They’ve got a really good home record, we said before the game that they’re one of the best teams in the world and they stop you from playing your game, but can also take possession.
“We are very, very disappointed today but we want to thank the fans for coming – and now the whole focus is on Tuesday.”
What’s next for lionesses?
Sarina Wigman’s side will look to win against Ukraine in their final 2027 World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Tuesday at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, kick-off at 8pm.
