England secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Iceland in Reykjavík on Friday evening, maintaining their three-point lead over Spain in Group A3 of Women’s World Cup qualifying. Alessia Russo’s first-half strike proved decisive, but the Lionesses were indebted to goalkeeper Hannah Hampton for a series of crucial saves after the break.
The win follows Tuesday’s 1-0 triumph over world champions Spain at Wembley, and keeps England on track for automatic qualification. Only the four League A group winners will avoid the play-offs and book a direct place at the 2027 tournament in Brazil.
Manager Sarina Wiegman praised Hampton’s performance, saying: “It’s really nice to have a goalkeeper that stops the ball going in – especially when it’s really hard for the team. She showed again that she is a world-class goalkeeper.” Hampton herself remained modest: “It’s my job, isn’t it? We win as a team and that is what we pride ourselves on.”
The opening goal came in the first half after Iceland were dispossessed on a rare attack. Lauren Hemp raced through the middle and found Russo, who turned and fired low into the far corner. England dominated possession but struggled to break down a resolute Iceland defence, and had to withstand pressure after half-time as the hosts went in search of an equaliser.
Wiegman acknowledged the performance was not perfect: “Today, if you only consider the second half, it wasn’t so beautiful from our side, but it was very important.” The result leaves England top of the group with a perfect record heading into the next round of fixtures in June.
