England have made it two wins out of two in their February camp after defeating Italy 5-1 in a friendly in Algeciras this evening.
The Lionesses made easy work of an Italian side that looked a little off-colour from the very first whistle.
An England corner produced the opening goal inside the first minute. The ball found the head of defender Lotte Wubben-Moy and she was able to net her first goal for the Lionesses. Wubben-Moy almost netted a second goal five minutes later but opposition keeper Laura Giuliani pushed her headed effort to safety.
Giuliani was partially at fault for England’s second goal on the 20-minute mark. She failed to clear the ball from a corner and Lauren Hemp bundled in.
Grace Clinton then fired an effort straight at Giuliani before Hemp scored England’s third goal with a looping header from a Georgia Stanway cross.
England could have had a fourth goal just before the break but Giuliani denied both Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo in quick succession before Michela Cambiaghi pulled one back for Italy at the other end with a low shot from close range.
The Lionesses were the dominant attacking force again early in the second half. Clinton sent a bullet header wide from a Kelly cross while Giuliani was required to claw away a powerful shot from substitute Lauren James.
England netted their fourth goal in the 69th minute when James delivered a ball onto the boot of Ella Toone who made no mistake in finding the top corner of the net.
At the other end, Italy should have responded immediately, however, Cambiaghi fired well wide when in a great position to score. The Italians then made a horrendous defensive error as a back-pass to Giuliani was too short, allowing Rachel Daly to nip in and score.
The Lionesses almost ended the game with a sixth goal but Giuliani denied James with her boot as the scoreline remained 5-1.
England return to action in April when they begin the qualifiers for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.
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