England scores six after the break to beat Ukraine

England began its Women's World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-1 victory over Ukraine in Antalya. Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park each scored twice after a goalless opening half, securing three points on the route to the 2027 tournament in Brazil.

Coach Sarina Wiegman said England had controlled the game before half-time but needed better execution around the penalty area. Fourteen first-half attempts had produced only three shots on target, with crosses, finishing and the connections between players requiring improvement.

Wiegman explained that swapping the wingers and moving them inward helped create cleaner attacking opportunities after the interval. She also praised England's response whenever possession was lost. The result left the team preparing for its next qualifier against Iceland at a sold-out City Ground in Nottingham.