England's Lionesses delivered a spectacular performance at a sold-out Wembley Stadium, thrashing China 8-0 in a display of attacking brilliance that also marked a significant personal milestone for manager Sarina Wiegman.
Wiegman's Landmark 50th Victory
The emphatic victory represented Sarina Wiegman's 50th win as England manager, a remarkable achievement that was celebrated by players and fans alike. This was the team's first match at the national stadium since their historic European Championship triumph in Switzerland earlier this year.
Arsenal forward Beth Mead, who was instrumental in the victory, paid a heartfelt tribute to the Dutch coach. "Sarina makes coaching look very easy," Mead stated. "She is an amazing coach to play under and work for, and you see that from how the team play under Sarina."
Mead's Milestone and Stanway's Hat-Trick
The match saw a flurry of goals, with Beth Mead scoring twice within three first-half minutes to set the tone for the evening. Her double took her international tally to 39 goals, placing her just one behind Fara Williams who sits fifth on the all-time Lionesses goalscoring list.
Georgia Stanway stole the show with an impressive hat-trick, while Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, and Alessia Russo also found the net in a comprehensive team performance. "I like being in front of goal and getting goals so that was nice," added the 30-year-old Mead. "I thought we put together a lot of good goals and put each other in really good spaces so I am happy to get them too."
A Statement Performance
Mead emphasised the importance of their strong start, noting: "We were very good - we have had a habit of not starting well in games at the moment and we wanted to do that, and we did that." She also highlighted the value of seeing "lots of different goalscorers, lots of people getting minutes, and coming away with a big win."
While acknowledging the quality of the opposition, Mead was pleased with the team's application: "It wasn't our hardest game, we know that, but you play the team that is in front of you, you work hard and we made them look very average."
Wiegman herself praised Mead's development, noting: "I think she has always been a smart player. She picks up positions, she's very calm in the final third and always keeps seeing pictures in the final third." The manager explained they had encouraged Mead to "make more rotations, pick up other positions and feel the freedom to do that, and that's what she has started doing a little bit more."
This performance comes after question marks over Mead's future at Arsenal during the summer, but she is now firmly re-establishing herself as a key figure for both club and country.
