da betsul: James' switch of positions was one of the bright sparks for Sarina Wiegman as the coach experimented with her selection on Saturday afternoon
da fazobetai: England were held to a goalless draw by Portugal in their Women's World Cup send-off on Saturday afternoon. Coach Sarina Wiegman will have taken a lot from the game even if the final result proved frustrating for the Lionesses, who dominated and really should've grabbed the win.
The Dutch coach opted to try out a few new things in her team's final game on home soil before flying to Australia, including an inexperienced centre-back partnership of Esme Morgan and Jess Carter which moved Alex Greenwood out to left-back.
Rachel Daly got the nod up front after a stellar season for Aston Villa and she had two great early chances, one of them particularly well saved by Portugal goalkeeper Ines Pereira. The closest England came in the first half, though, was when Georgia Stanway hit the crossbar from close range after a corner caused problems in the box.
After the break, the hosts ramped things up, with one half time sub, Chloe Kelly, denied by Pereira early on before another, Alessia Russo, saw three big chances go amiss. However, the breakthrough just would not come as the Lionesses signed off with an underwhelming draw.
GOAL rates England's players from Stadium MK…
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Mary Earps (5/10):
Had a shaky moment in possession in the second half but otherwise commanded her area well in a game where she had very little to do.
Lucy Bronze (6/10):
Got forward a lot to support the attack but wasn't as influential as often.
Esme Morgan (6/10):
Dealt well with the pace of Portugal's attack when they threatened to expose England.
Jess Carter (6/10):
Showed good strength and anticipation to ensure she wasn't caught out by Portugal's speedy forwards.
Alex Greenwood (5/10):
Got forward a lot but wasn't able to have as much influence on England's build-up from a left-back role before coming off after 45 minutes. Set pieces were not as good as usual, either.
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Keira Walsh (6/10):
Solid in possession to help England dominate.
Georgia Stanway (7/10):
Did her bit to help England control the game and got into advanced positions, most notably hitting the bar at the end of the first half. Created a lot for others, too, and delivered good set pieces once Greenwood left the field.
Ella Toone (5/10):
Got close to Daly to offer her support and showed flashes of being a goal threat before being subbed off at the break.
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Lauren James (8/10):
One of England's liveliest performers in the first half, gliding past markers, then went up another level in the second half when moved into the No.10 role and was extremely creative. Made a case to start there this summer.
Rachel Daly (6/10):
Made some excellent runs but wasn't always found. Had two great chances early doors – one very well-saved and another she could've done better with. Came off at half time.
Lauren Hemp (8/10):
Another of England's most creative outlets for large parts of the match, putting some great crosses into the box and causing a ton of problems.
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Niamh Charles (5/10):
Came on at left-back at half time. Struggled defensively at times but did well to get forward and support the attack.
Alessia Russo (6/10):
Came on at the break and had three huge chances, one that was cleared off the line and another two that she really should've hit the target with.
Chloe Kelly (5/10):
Completed the half time triple sub. Had a good early chance that was well-saved by Pereira and delivered a good cross for Russo but was otherwise quieter than usual.
Katie Zelem (6/10):
Came on with just less than half an hour to go and assumed her role well, breaking up play and keeping things ticking over in midfield.
Laura Coombs (5/10):
Had a great chance shortly after coming on just past the hour mark but her first touch took it away from her.
Katie Robinson (N/A):
Came on for the final 10 minutes and couldn't impact the game much.
Sarina Wiegman (7/10):
Used the match as an excellent opportunity to try out a few things, getting a look at several players in different positions. Might not have seen her team produce a statement performance or great result but will have collected a lot of important information going into the World Cup.