England Women 4-0 South Korea: Lionesses begin cup defence in style despite boggy pitch

England began their Arnold Clark Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over South Korea but had to endure boggy conditions in Milton Keynes.

Georgia Stanway scored from the penalty spot in the first half before goals from Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Lauren James made it a comfortable evening for Sarina Wiegman’s side.

James was the star of the show with an eye-catching performance in what was only her sixth cap. The forward’s goal, her first in an England shirt was the pick of the bunch and it was her pace and power that won England’s penalty in the first half. The 21-year-old is surely a shoo-in for a place in Wiegman’s 23-player squad for the World Cup, should she stay fit.

But off the pitch the talking point surrounded the playing surface at Stadium MK.

The turf was heavily cut up before the earlier game between Italy and Belgium and had only worsened by the time England had taken to the field.

The Lionesses managed the conditions well but surely deserve to be playing on a better surface.

The venues and opposition teams for this year’s competition are lower in quality than last year. Two Premier League stadiums and one Championship ground hosted games against Canada, Spain and Germany in 2022. All three of those nations were in the top 10 FIFA-ranked teams. South Korea, Italy and Belgium are all ranked lower. 

Coventry and Bristol City are the other two hosts. It will be hoped they provide a smoother experience than Milton Keynes’ League One ground offered here.

England are expected to win each of these games but their status as European champions means teams will set up to frustrate them. 

They will have to expect this at the World Cup and in that respect these three fixtures will serve as vital preparation.

England dominated possession from start to finish but had to be patient to breakdown a more than capable South Korea side.

James created an opening mid-way through the first half but slipped as she went for goal, though goalkeeper Jung-Mi Kim only just kept her effort out. Georgia Stanway then headed over an Alex Greenwood corner on the half hour mark before Millie Bright fired a shot just wide.

England’s pressure was mounting as Russo rattled the post with a fierce effort from the edge of the box.

The breakthrough moment finally came just before half-time as referee Andreza Ferreira awarded a penalty after James was tripped in the box. The ever-reliable Stanway converted emphatically into the left corner to give the hosts a deserved lead.

A second goal came seconds after the re-start as Euros hero Kelly saw a deflected effort loop into the top right corner. Any chance of a South Korea comeback was then quashed as Russo made it 3-0 shortly after. The forward showed her quality to meet Alex Greenwood’s cross with a flicked finish at the near post.

Stanway was inches away from a second as she fired a shot against the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Wiegman made several substitutions as the half wore on, with Rachel Daly given a rare chance up front. Daly has mainly played at left back under Wiegman but operates as a striker for Aston Villa and is the joint-top scorer in the Women’s Super League. Laura Coombs was also given her first cap since 2015 after being called up to the squad following her impressive form for Manchester City.

But the night belonged to James who capped off a fantastic performance with a deserved goal in the 78th minute. 

The forward picked up the ball just inside the box, took a touch to steady herself, then fired an emphatic shot into the right corner of the net.

Belgium, who beat Italy 2-1 earlier in the day, may prove to be the toughest test England will face at this competition. 

But barring a slip-up they look on course to remain unbeaten under Wiegman ahead of the next international camp in April.