Russo and Stanway doubles power England to big win | OneFootball

England made an emphatic start to their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign, beating Ukraine 6-1 in Antalya.

With Ukraine unable to host matches on home soil, the fixture was staged in Turkey, where the Lionesses initially struggled to break down a stubborn defence.

Despite controlling possession and creating several openings, Sarina Wiegman’s side went into the interval frustrated after a scoreless first half. Alessia Russo was denied early on, Laura Blindkilde Brown rattled the crossbar and Lotte Wubben-Moy saw a clever effort cleared off the line. England also felt they should have had a penalty when Georgia Stanway was tugged back, but play continued.

The breakthrough arrived swiftly after the restart. Keira Walsh slipped Russo through, and the striker kept her composure to finish low into the corner. Within minutes, Russo struck again, turning in Lauren Hemp’s cut-back to put England firmly in control.

Ukraine briefly responded through Yana Kalinina after England failed to clear a set-piece, but any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Hemp was fouled in the box soon after, and Stanway converted from the spot before adding a fine second from distance.

Jess Park completed the scoring late on with two well-taken goals, sealing a dominant result and an ideal opening to England’s qualifying campaign.