England stormed past Belgium with an emphatic 5-0 victory in the UEFA Women’s Nations League at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate Stadium.
Chelsea Football Club hosted the scoresheet activities on the occasion, with four of the five goals coming from west London stars. Jess Park was the other Lioness to add a score to the tally, slotting home a cool strike to provide England with their fourth.
The victory in Bristol keeps the Lionesses in the top spot of the Group A3 standings. England will have a chance to solidify their margin at the top of the ladder rungs as they face Belgium once again on Tuesday evening.
The Lineups
ENG: Hampton; Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Charles; Walsh, Clinton, Toone; James, Russo, Mead
BEL: Evrard; Tysiak; Iliano, Cayman; Philtjens, Missipo, Vanhaevermaet, Teulings, Janssens; Eurlings, Toloba
The Action
Lauren James tried to capitalise on an opportunistic set piece on the edge of the area, as Beth Mead’s overrun allowed the Chelsea star to curl a shot toward the top corner. Evrard breathed a sigh of relief as the strike was denied by the crossbar.
Awarded acres of space in the left of midfield, James curled a brilliant ball into the penalty area before Lucy Bronze’s header was re-directed by the arm of Amber Tysiak into the back of the net.
A clever inverted run from Bronze opened up Mead on the right side, before her direct cross was met by Alessia Russo at the front post. What looked to be a sure goal rattled the post much to the relief of the dismantled Belgium defence.
England were able to double their advantage just before the stroke of half time as Mead swung in a clever cross from a corner. Bronze’s header allowed Millie Bright to meet the ball and find the back of the net at the far post.
The Lionesses put the game to bed in the 67th minute as clever footwork between Mead and Walsh opened up the cross for the prior. A well-worked ball from Mead found the feet of half time substitute Aggie Beever-Jones who found the back of the net with ease.
A long ball from Hannah Hampton forced Belgium to cough up possession at the back, as Jess Park picked the pocket of Isabelle Iliano before streaming goalward and sinking her strike past Evrard and into the back of the net.
Keira Walsh topped off a five-star England performance in the dying moments, scoring her first goal for the Lionesses in 83 appearances. Mead’s free kick was initially diverted, before Walsh’s strike from distance was deflected into the back of the net by the passing Belgian defender.
England Player Ratings (4-3-3)
Hannah Hampton – 7/10 – Lower scoring as she had little to do but read the game well and came out to collect when called upon.
Lucy Bronze – 9/10 –Really strong performance from the Chelsea defender. Worked brilliantly to invert and work the midfield tempo with Walsh, driving forward when necessary. Another strong 90 minutes from Bronze.
Millie Bright – 8/10 – Reliable and back at her best, Bright’s goal was a deserved cherry on top for a strong performance.
Leah Williamson – 8/10 – A strong showing from the England defender, but had very little to do. Drove forward with possession well when she saw the spaces.
Niamh Charles – 7/10 – Not a standout display, but made no real mistakes.
Keira Walsh – 9/10 – Authoritative and strong, Walsh was everywhere. The midfield maestro connected the lines with composure, catalysing nearly every attacking motion for the Lionesses.
Grace Clinton – 8/10 – A strong display across the board, tracking back when called upon and splitting the lines well.
Ella Toone – 7/10 – A quiet outing, but made no real mistakes.
Lauren James – 8/10 – Had the game on her own string, James was playing her own match. Silky in possession and much improved in her defensive discipline. A classy assist to set up England’s first. Taken off at half time due to a thigh injury, thus would have scored higher.
Beth Mead – 9/10 – One of her strongest showings in 2025. Mead was everywhere in the first half, and nearly bagged herself with a brace of assists if Russo wasn’t denied by the woodwork. Hungry to storm the channel, and impressive when on the ball.
Alessia Russo – 8/10 – Deserved a goal for what was a stellar showing from the Gunners striker. Dropped back to aid the attacking midfield when England needed help controlling the possession, but was intelligent enough to analyse the game state and remain in the box when needed.
Aggie Beever-Jones (46′ for James) – 8/10 – An extremely bright showing from the Chelsea starlet. Beever-Jones showed what she can do in the channel, but also dropped into the central areas when she deemed appropriate. An instinctive forward’s run to bag her goal.
Jess Park (60′ for Toone) – 7/10 – Played her role well, and got a strong goal as a result.
Nikita Parris (72′ for Russo) – N/A
Esme Morgan (72′ for Williamson) -N/A
Jess Carter (80′ for Bright) – N/A
The Halfway Line Player of the Match – Keira Walsh
Had the fixture on a string. Walsh controls the game state and dictates the tempo, allowing England to operate at their highest level. A well deserved goal to mark her first in 83 appearances.
