Sarina Wiegman expressed her satisfaction as England secured their first qualifying victory for the 2025 European Championship by beating the Republic of Ireland 2-0, but admitted there was room for improvement.
Following their 1-1 draw with Sweden at Wembley four days ago in their opening Group A3 match, the reigning European champions took an early lead thanks to an early goal from Lauren James. Alex Greenwood extended the advantage with a penalty in the 18th minute, while she also hit the post with another attempt before half-time.
In the second half, Fran Kirby’s shot was brilliantly saved by Courtney Brosnan, while England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, selected against Mary Earps, made a vital save from Caitlin Hayes’ header.
Wiegman, as quoted by Reuters, said: “I think we totally dominated the first half.
“We were leading 2-0 but I think we should have led more. I think at times we should have been tighter with the ball, more secure to really create the big chance, and just before the chance sometimes we were a little bit sloppy, although I think we played well.
“I think in the second half, at times, we did well too, but then they gained momentum and we struggled a little bit and they made it a real fight.
“But I think what we showed was that as a team we really wanted to keep a clean sheet and we were also capable of fighting. That’s what we take with us to the next matches, so I’m really happy with the victory.
“We know they (France) are at the highest level, so we have to be at our highest level. We have to improve all the time, firstly because we want to, and secondly, because if we We want to stay at the top, so we have to develop.”