Key events
31 min: A smart free-kick routine by England. James is slid in on the right, thanks to a beautifully weighted pass by Beth Mead. She digs out another excellent cross. But no one in the middle can make meaningful contact. It’s Russo at the far post but the ball is just above her.
29 min: Now Bronze escapes into space on the England right. Her cross isn’t met by anyone in the middle and ends up on the other side of the pitch. There are concerned faces among the Belgian defenders, some of whom look to be tiring a bit already. It’s going to be a long night for them.
26 min: Belgium threaten the England goal momentarily, after Bright gives the ball away, but a shot is blocked by the hosts’ back line, and normal service can be resumed with England on the front foot.
Just after the opening goal, Russo played an excellent ball over for Mead, from left to right, but she was offside.
Goal! 21 min: England 1-0 Belgium (Bronze)
James floats a good cross over from the England right, and Bronze is there to divert a header into the net! I think goes in off Amber Tysiak’s hand but the crowd don’t care – and Bronze will hope she’s credited with that one because her initial header was on target. It was a fine delivery by James with plenty of quality on it.
20 min: A decent set-piece routine for Belgium with a ball whipped to the back stick. But it’s out for a goal kick.
Quick as a flash England are down the other end … Mead manages to stab a cross towards the penalty spot, where Russo smacks a superb first-time shot against the near post! That was an instinctive effort from a player who is bang in form.
18 min: Clinton ghosts away from Vanhaevermaet with a lovely turn close to the edge of the visitors’ penalty area. The Belgium midfielder isn’t having it, though, and yanks her opponent’s shirt. It’s a free-kick and a yellow card for Vanhaevermaet.
Lauren James clips a nice swerving free-kick which is close to the top corner but never looks likely to dip in time to hit the target.
16 min: Mead bursts down the right and crosses, the Belgian defence looking disorganised. It’s a good cross and Niamh Charles hits a shot from the edge of the area that is blocked.
14 min: Davina Philtjens goes in with studs showing on Grace Clinton in midfield. That looks a painful one. It’s a free-kick and Clinton is thankfully OK.
12 min: Another corner! This one’s for Belgium though. Cayman floats it in from the Belgium left, but England clear their lines.
9 min: Another England corner. Mead drills it towards the far post. Millie Bright holds her head in her hands after failing to connect.
8 min: Bronze and Russo try a one-two on the England right. Bronze runs to the byline. Vanhaevermaet coughs up a corner under pressure from the Chelsea right-back. So that’s four England corners in the first nine minutes and five in total … what’s the world record? From the set-piece, Bronze glances a header goalwards but it’s wide.
7 min: As Wiegman predicted and as you would expect, Belgium are sitting deep in defence and inviting England to try and play through them. This will be a night requiring a bit of creativity in midfield and up top to find a way through.
6 min: Now England build down their left wing. Russo chases a ball towards the corner but the visitors manage to clear the danger.
4 min: Now Belgium win a corner of their own which is dealt with efficiently by the English back line after it’s hit to the near post.
2 min: England threaten immediately. They win two corners quickly… no, three corners. The Belgians are working hard in defence already. Lauren James bends a good ball in from the third set-piece and it curls just wide of the far post. Wiegman is animated already on the bench.
First half kick-off!
Here we go.
England’s players wear black armbands tonight after the tragic death of Poppy Atkinson last month, a 10-year-old footballer and Lionesses fan who was struck by a car on a pitch in Kendal.
The teams are out on the Ashton Gate pitch. And the packed house is being treated to come pyrotechnics before the anthems.
“There was a lot of thinking,” Wiegman tells ITV of the decision to replace Park with Mead in the starting lineup. “Because I think we have many opportunities in that position … we expect Belgium to drop deep. I think they both can play there … we made the decision to start Beth.
“It’s really disappointing [that Chloe Kelly has dropped out of the squad with a foot injury]. “She was in a very good position, happy, and in training she did well. So unfortunately Tuesday will be too early, too. So now she continues at her club.
“I hope we are seeing a more ruthless edge. Not only Alessia [Russo] but I think the whole team. We want to play well, have the ball, create chances and score goals. Tonight I expect that to be tough, because they defend very close to each other, deep, and they play physical too. We need to do it together. And hopefully we can “show” and do well.”
What is Jess Park’s best position for England, she is asked in a pre-recorded interview on ITV.
“That’s a hard question. I’d like to say midfield I think …
“The win against Spain was my best moment for England. It was an amazing moment.”
And if you’d told her, some time ago, that she’d be scoring a winner for England against the world champions at Wembley?
“I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“They had to hang in there, they had to show some quality,” the ITV pundit Ian Wright says of February’s win over Spain. “I liked it because it was the kind of performance I’ve seen England do in tournaments, and go very far.”
“You want to show the rest of Europe that you mean business, we’ve attacked 2025, and we are coming for our trophy,” Karen Carney adds.
“Like Wrighty said, it’s that tournament mentality starting to kick in.”
Biiiig Belgium-themed football news from today:
Feel free to email me with your hopes and expectations.
Tom Garry
Leah Williamson has praised the form of Alessia Russo before England’s No 9 spearheads the Lionesses’ attack in their Women’s Nations League double-header against Belgium, starting in Bristol on Friday.
Arsenal’s Russo has scored 14 goals in her past 21 games for club and country, including two in last week’s Champions League second-leg comeback win over Real Madrid. Her clubmate, the England captain Williamson, praised Russo’s character, saying at St George’s Park on Thursday: “Everyone will always say how nice a person Alessia is and everyone wants to see her do well for that reason. But to be a No 9 you do have to have that sort of – not arrogance – but confidence about you.
Kelly ruled out by foot injury
Chloe Kelly has been ruled out of England’s Women’s Nations League games against Belgium with a foot injury.
Kelly – who joined the Gunners on loan from Manchester City on transfer deadline day – was already confirmed as an absentee from Friday night’s League A3 fixture in Bristol, but will now play no further part in the Lionesses’ camp.
An FA statement read: “Chloe Kelly has returned to Arsenal for treatment on a foot injury and will not participate in the forthcoming Uefa Women’s Nations League fixtures against Belgium.
“Yesterday Sarina Wiegman confirmed Kelly’s withdrawal from tonight’s fixture and following further assessment it has now been decided that she will return to her club to aid her rehabilitation.” The Lionesses will travel to Leuven for the return fixture against Belgium on April 8. (PA Media)
Teams news
Sarina Wiegman makes one change from the England side that beat Spain in February, with Beth Mead coming in for Jess Park. For Belgium, who have a new coach in the form of Elisabet Gunnarsdottir, the headline is that Tessa Wullaert of Inter Milan misses out with an ankle injury.
England (4-3-3): Hampton, Bronze, Williamson (capt.), Bright, Charles; Clinton, Walsh, Toone; Mead, Russo, James. Substitutes: Morgan, Earps, Le Tissier, Carter, Park, Parker, Beever-Jones, Parris, Moorhouse, Symonds.
Belgium (3-5-2): Evrard; Tysiak, Iliano, Cayman; Janssens, Teulings, Vanhaevermaet, Philtjens, Missipo; Toloba, Eurlings. Substitutes: Bastiaen, Blom, De Caigny, Delacauw, Deloose, Detruyter, Dhont, Elyn, Lichtfus, Mathys, Van Kerkhoven, Wijnants.
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza (Esp)
Preamble
In three months and one day, the Lionesses will begin their European Championship defence against France in Zurich. Between now and then Sarina Wiegman’s side have two matches against Belgium – home tonight and away on Tuesday – before a Wembley date with Portugal next month, and a trip away to Spain in June.
This Women’s Nations League, for England, is partly about preparation for the summer’s Euros and partly about positioning themselves nicely for the World Cup 2027 qualifying draw.
February’s 1-0 win against Spain saw the reigning European champions produce a suitably “English” performance to get the better of the world champions: Portugal host Spain in tonight’s other fixture in League A, Group A3.
England and Portugal are joint-top with four points from two matches apiece. Play their cards right and Wiegman’s side could be top of the pile in a few hours. Let’s go!
