England thrashed Belgium 5-0 at Ashton Gate to top League A3 in 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League.
Lucy Bronze’s 21st-minute header opened the scoring for England before Millie Bright doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time, having turned in Bronze’s header from a corner-kick.
Aggie Beever-Jones achieved her first goal on her fourth senior cap with a close-range strike from Beth Mead’s 67th minute cross.
Late strikes from Jess Park and Keira Walsh wrapped up a comfortable home win.
England’s win put them top of League A3 ahead of Spain by one point after the reigning world champions won 4-2 away to Portugal, whilst Belgium remained rock bottom of the group and four points adrift of third-placed Portugal.
Speaking to ITV post-match, Walsh was “super happy” to finally score her first senior goal for England, having previously played a huge role in their UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 plus consecutive Arnold Clark Cup successes in recent years.
“I’m really excited. It took a big deflection but a goal is a goal. All the girls are super happy for me which is a nice feeling. A few of them like to remind me how long it’s taken me but it’s great to be off the mark.”
Sat joint-top of League A3 alongside Portugal at kick-off, England began on the front foot with a series of corners in the knowledge that victory in these two games against Belgium could put them on course for the knockout stages.
England’s early pressure almost paid off in the tenth-minute after Leah Williamson’s knock-on header nearly got volleyed onto goal by a Belgium player, yet Nicky Evrard was alert to crucially keep the ball out of her own net and spare the visitors’ blushes.
Lauren James proved a live wire on the left flank with her crosses but she almost broke the deadlock with a 18th-minute free-kick following Justina Vanhaevermaet’s foul on Grace Clinton, but James curled the set-piece marginally wide of the top-left corner.
Alessia Russo was the next England player to experience frustration as she converted Mead’s 20th-minute pass onto the right post.
Belgium’s resistance eventually was broke from a corner just a minute later as a corner was cleared and played around the box, until James picked up possession and played in a cross which Bronze nodded in from close-range to put the Lionesses in control.
Mead nearly added a second goal from Russo’s 24th-minute cross but she flicked wide from an offside position, as England controlled the game and soaked up Belgium’s counter-attacks until half-time, whilst Russo again flicked another pass from Mead onto the right post in the 42nd minute.
Belgium however failed to hold out until the break as Evrard deflected Mead’s 45th-minute shot behind, from which Bronze nodded the subsequent set-piece towards the right corner which Bright prodded in past Evrard’s reach to double England’s lead.
Any hope of a comeback from the visitors were almost extinguished five minutes into the second half but Grace Clinton curled over with a rebound shot.
England eventually made sure of victory through a close-range strike in 67th-minute as Beever-Jones turned in from Mead’s low cross to score her maiden senior goal at international level, having beaten Russo to the ball into the box.
Beever-Jones nearly added her second just a minute later but this time flicked another low cross from Mead wide of the left corner.
Mead continued to prove a nuisance for Belgium’s defence as she teed up Keira Walsh in the 72nd minute, but Walsh couldn’t end her hunt for a first Lionesses goal as she hit the left post with her low shot.
England further wrapped up their win with a 77th-minute strike from Park after she intercepted Cayman and burst in from the right, with a calmly slotted shot past Evrard’s grasp.
Walsh eventually put the seal on a comfortable result with a low 87th-minute rebound strike from a clearance to net her first senior goal on her 83rd cap at international level, albeit via a deflection from Vanhaevermaet.
What’s Next?
England head to Belgium on Tuesday 8 April for the away leg at Den Dreef, Leuven, at 8:30pm CEST (7;30pm UK Time).
Teams
England: Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson (Morgan 73′), Millie Bright (Carter 80′), Niamh Charles, Grace Clinton, Keira Walsh, Ella Toone (Park 60′), Beth Mead, Alessia Russo (Parris 73′), Lauren James (Beever-Jones 46′)
Substitutes: Aggie Beever-Jones, Jess Carter, Mary Earps, Maya Le Tissier, Anna Moorhouse, Esme Morgan, Jess Park, Lucy Parker, Nikita Parris, Maisie Symonds, Millie Turner
Belgium: Nicky Evrard, Jill Janssens, Amber Tysiak, Isabelle Iliano, Janice Cayman, Davina Philtjens (Deloose 76′), Jarne Teulings (De Caigny 84′), Kassandra Missipo (Delacauw 62′), Justina Vanhaevermaet, Mariam Toloba (Detruyer 62′), Hannah Eurlings (Blom 84′)
Substitutes: Femke Bastiaen, Jassina Blom, Tine De Caigny, Feli Delacauw, Laura Deloose, Marie Detruyer, Elena Dhont, Nia Elyn, Lisa Lichtfus, Sarah Matthys, Ella Van Kerkhoven, Sarah Wijnants
Referee – Marta Huerta de Aza
