England manager Sarina Wiegman has explained her choice not to introduce new players during the Lionesses' emphatic 8-0 friendly victory over China at a packed Wembley Stadium.
Ruthless Attack Seals Dominant Win
The match on Saturday 29 November 2025 was a one-sided affair from the outset, with Georgia Stanway scoring a stunning hat-trick, including a penalty. Beth Mead ignited the rout with two rapid-fire goals in just three minutes, setting the tone for a dominant performance.
Lauren Hemp found the net in her first England appearance since Euro 2025, while Ella Toone and Alessia Russo added their names to the scoresheet late on. The Lionesses were an astonishing 5-0 up by half-time after racing to a 3-0 lead within the first 16 minutes.
Wiegman's Substitution Strategy Explained
At half-time, with the result beyond doubt, Wiegman made three alterations. However, she opted to bring on established members of her Euro 2025 squad—Chloe Kelly, Jess Park, and Lotte Wubben-Moy—rather than hand first international caps to newcomers like Freya Godfrey and Anouk Denton.
Following her 50th win in charge, Wiegman defended this approach. "We take every game seriously," she stated. "When we sub three players at half-time, I think that's enough."
She elaborated on her squad management philosophy, highlighting the intense competition for places. "We have a squad of 25 and there's many players that are really knocking on the door. Everyone wants to play. Some players are just coming into the squad and they're really finding their feet."
A Memorable Day for a Packed Wembley
The match was played in front of a bumper crowd of over 70,000 fans at the national stadium. Wiegman expressed her gratitude for the incredible support, noting she never takes it for granted.
Reflecting on the performance, she said, "What we really wanted to do was start well... After that, I thought we started playing really well. We were really connected and created chances very well and I thought we scored some really good goals."
The Lionesses will now prepare to round off their year with a final friendly against Ghana at St Mary's on Tuesday, continuing their build-up towards next year's World Cup qualifiers.
