Sarina Wiegman hails England 'mentality' after Lionesses put six past Ukraine in opening 2027 World Cup qualifier

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Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park scored twice each to give England an emphatic 6-1 victory over Ukraine in their opening game of 2027 World Cup qualification. The Lionesses had to bide their time after a frustrating first half but the floodgates opened after the break. Head coach Sarina Wiegman hailed the mental strength of her players for an impressive second half performance.

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Sarina Wiegman praised the "mentality" of her England players after a 6-1 win over Ukraine in 2027 World Cup qualifying.

The Lionesses were frustrated in the first half, despite dominating possession and probing against their stubborn opposition.

But there was far more quality in a much-improved second half, with Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park netting a brace each.

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"It was good. We didn't score in the first half when we should have scored," Wiegman told ITV. "We totally controlled the game, but just the final position in the cross and the quality with the shot or final touch wasn't good.

"They dropped so deep and with the crosses from far out we were not able to score.

"We tried to create the chances or get more at the edge, in the half spaces and have shots from edge of box which we did a lot better in the second half."

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Asked if she had tough words with her players at half-time, Wiegman added: "I wouldn't say tough words. We put a lot of effort in and we played the way we wanted to. We just wanted to score more goals.

"From where we had to cross and the kind of cross, we needed to change which helped when we changed our wingers from one side to the other. That made it a bit easier for the team.

"Every time we lost the ball we were so on it and that shows the mentality of the team. We were disappointed we didn't score but you don't need tough words because everyone was giving their best and doing what we wanted to do."

It was the ideal start to World Cup qualification in the end for the Lionesses but patience was required at Mardan Stadium in Turkey.

After England had broken the deadlock and then gone ahead through a quickfire Russo double, Yana Kalinina got one back for Ukraine.

But the Lionesses were too strong, with Stanway scoring a third, then a fourth from the penalty spot, before Park added some gloss with a late brace.

Stanway, who caught the eye in the victory, reflected on the performance, and praised the travelling fans.

"It was good. The first half was a little bit difficult as they sat back and they were in a low block," she told ITV.

"We're very disappointed on conceding, we'll look back and see what the mistake was, potentially it was me, I needed to track her but I need to watch it back but overall a solid start.

"Our fans are so special. We are so grateful for the effort they put in. The tickets were free today, which makes it extra special as it means we can give back."

England host Iceland at the City Ground on Saturday looking to make it two wins from two in qualification.

Wiegman's side then play Spain and Iceland in April.

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