England beat Greece 5-0 in Leicester on October 13 to reach the second round of the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying playoffs. England Football and Sky Sports reported that the 8-1 aggregate victory set up a tie with Ukraine for a place at the finals in Brazil.
Alessia Russo and Lauren James scored twice each at King Power Stadium, with Georgia Stanway adding the other goal. England had already won the first leg 3-1 in Crete, and a four-goal first half put the return match firmly in the hosts’ control.
The official match report recorded Russo’s opener after three minutes from a James pass. James scored in the 16th minute, Stanway headed in Lauren Hemp’s cross on 30 minutes and James struck again four minutes later, also from a Hemp delivery.
Russo completed the scoring in the 75th minute after a pass from Keira Walsh. England Football also reported senior debuts for starter Lexi Potter and substitute Freya Godfrey. Potter had a goal disallowed for a foul in the buildup, while VAR ruled out a Stanway effort for offside.
Coach Sarina Wiegman told ITV, in comments carried by Sky Sports, that England had improved on the first leg and wanted to keep developing their style. She said the early goal helped against Greece’s high press and welcomed the quality of the goals, while identifying room for improvement.
Ukraine advanced by beating Slovakia 4-1 on aggregate, according to Sky Sports. England will play away in the first leg and at home in the second, with the ties scheduled between November 26 and December 5. Victory over Greece therefore leaves another two-leg contest before World Cup qualification can be secured.
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