London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

England finish group stage in style as NI bow out

England finish group stage in style as NI bow out

England wrapped up an impressive group stage at Euro 2022 as they comfortably beat Northern Ireland having already qualified for the quarter-finals.

The Lionesses, who finish top of Group A, will go into the last eight having not conceded a single goal and with three wins from three games.

Tournament top scorer Beth Mead extended her tally to five goals, while substitute Alessia Russo scored two goals in five minutes after the break.

Northern Ireland, who were competing in their first women's major tournament, finish bottom of the group without a win.

It was not a home nations derby with much on the line but England were heavy favourites and were expected to demonstrate why in Southampton.

With manager Sarina Wiegman absent after testing positive for Covid on Friday, England were frustrated in the early stages at St Mary's Stadium but soon imposed their quality.

Chelsea's Fran Kirby produced a piece of magic to break the deadlock when she expertly curled the ball into the top corner, before Mead precisely drilled in a low strike to make it 2-0 before half-time.

Russo came off the bench to score for the second consecutive game, nodding in Mead's chipped cross, before spinning away and slotting in a second goal in five minutes.

An own goal from Northern Ireland's Kelsie Burrows, who flicked Mead's cross over goalkeeper Jackie Burns, completed the rout.

Northern Ireland struggled to compete after the break but had shown glimpses of threat in the first half - Lauren Wade tested goalkeeper Mary Earps from close range, while Rebecca Holloway played some teasing through balls.

Kenny Shiels' side leave the tournament with plenty of lessons to learn, but their fans were in celebratory mood as they chanted, banged drums and stood for almost the entirety of their final game at Euro 2022.

For England, a quarter-final against Spain or Denmark awaits next Wednesday, and they strengthened their status as a team few will want to face en route to the final.


England in perfect shape for quarter-finals


Wiegman said beforehand not to expect changes as she wanted England to continue their "rhythm" and build momentum for Wednesday's quarter-final.

It was the same starting XI who ruthlessly thumped eight goals past Norway on Monday, and though they took time to settle they became more familiar as the game went on.

Those connections have been getting stronger each month under Wiegman and as England extend their unbeaten run to 16 matches, conceding just three goals in 11 months, they could not be in better shape for the knockout stage.

Mead and Russo could have bagged hat-tricks, while Lauren Hemp produced arguably her best performance at Euro 2022.

The introductions of the substitutes did not disrupt England's intensity either, adding threats in other areas and emphasising the depth of quality available to Wiegman.

England were favourites to top Group A, and have done so very comfortably.


Northern Ireland celebrates team who defied the odds
Northern Ireland fans were in fine voice as 30,785 attended England's victory at St Mary's Stadium


Northern Ireland's exit from the competition was already confirmed but their fans, draped in green, poured into St Mary's ready to party.

This was a celebration of a team who, ranked 47th in the world, were only introduced into a full-time set-up seven months ago.

They defied the odds to qualify for their first major tournament, and though they were unable to make a dent on Group A, they gave their supporters plenty to cheer.

"Northern Ireland" chants were heard throughout the 90 minutes - heard most loudly after their side conceded - and it was the visitors who were dancing at full-time, arm-in-arm, as England's players calmly applauded fans in a low-key lap of honour.

Flags with 'GAWA' - green and white army - on them were laid before Northern Ireland's players, who stood in a huddle in the corner posing for photos with their supporters.

This will not be a tournament for them to forget, despite results not being kind. Shiels had hoped his players would "make the nation proud", and the outpouring of appreciation from their supporters at full-time suggested it was mission accomplished.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
×