England have won their second Arnold Clark Cup trophy in back-to-back years after a seven-goal thriller at Ashton Gate against Belgium.
Goals from Chloe Kelly, Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze and an own goal from Belgium’s Janine Biesmans fired England into an emphatic 6-1 win to retain their Arnold Clark Cup title.
But it was the manner in which England so coolly dispatched Belgium that felt most daunting, another foe easily checked off a long but increasingly shortening list of opponents on the road to the summer’s World Cup.
While Wiegman will more than likely temper any suggestions of a procession heading into July, England’s final Arnold Clark Cup match had all the look and feel of such. By the match’s end, England boasted 71% possession and 30 shots, with 12 target, keeping Belgium to a measly two.
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For all the talk of needing to see what options Sarina Wiegman has at her enviable disposal, Wednesday night’s line-up suggested the Dutch manager prioritised claiming another piece of silverware over gleaning lessons as she named the strongest line-up of the tournament.
For Belgium, it meant a difficult night ahead. Before the fifth minute, the cries for “Shooot!” had become a chorus as England settled into their usual gameplan of possession domination. Georgia Stanway obliged the cries early on, but whistled a shot wide, while Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood both took pops of their own but were blocked by an already concerningly deep Belgium defence.
It was only a matter of time before the cries would be satiated, and after Lauren James and Kelly missed an early chance to put the Lionesses a goal up in the eighth minute – James blazing a close-range effort over the bar – there was little chance the pair would do be so frivolous so again.
Three minutes later, Kelly was there to poke home James’ cross and send the crowd into early spasms.
The goal saw the Red Flames forced into what felt like a potentially perennial episode of defending as the Lionesses continued to hunt for another goal, doing well to spread the game through Kelly and James on the flanks.
Ella Toone very nearly sent Kelly on her way with a cheeky backheel, and just before the half hour mark, Greenwood’s corner found Millie Bright but the defender’s header cushioned the top of the netting.
England would find their second goal three minutes from the interval as Lucy Bronze picked out Williamson at the back post to fire a bullet header beyond goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.
And the second half saw more of the same. Kelly needed just four minutes to extended England's lead after the restart, this time latching onto Evrard’s spillage from Toone’s initial shot and firing in at the back post.
There was no remorse from the Lionesses, much to the delight of the home crowd who, shortly after the hour mark, acknowledged their Mexican wave duties. And so it seemed Belgium had wearily relented to their fate after failing to muster a shot in the entire second half as the match crested into its final 20 minutes, with the team’s all-time leading goalscorer Tessa Wullaert casting a dejected figure up top.
Evrard was forced into a series of saves as Toone rattled the post in search of a fourth, while Russo and substitute Lauren Hemp added to the havoc, but it was defender Julie Biesmans who would final give England their fourth as her block from Stanway's fizzed cross skipped past Evrard.
Shortly before the final whistle, it was Bronze's turn to get in on the action, piling a fifth onto the swelling scoreline. Moments later, Belgium managed a consolation goal through Elena Dhont, who fired from range into the top corner beyond Earps.
But Williamson smothered what little joy Belgium could relish seconds later as she returned England's five-goal buffer on the stroke of full-time with a low strike into the bottom right corner.
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