UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
England women reached the knockouts of the 2023 World Cup with 3 wins out of 3 in the group. After back-to-back drab 1-0 victories the Lionesses woke up for their final group match vs China and roared their way into the last 16 with a thumping 6-1 victory. The hero from game 2 James led the way. Her early goal and 2 assists decided this match even before the interval. She was directly involved in 5 of the 6 goals. England went on to score 3 more in the second half just to announce to the field that the Lionesses enter the knockouts hungry! Here are our England women vs China player ratings and also our Player of the Match.
England’s Lauren James celebrates scoring their side’s third goal of the game during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia. Picture date: Tuesday August 1, 2023. – Photo by Icon sport - Two early assists from James gave England a commanding lead.
- James then scored 2 herself. She did that on each side of Wang’s converted penalty to extinguish any hope for the Chinese.
- Late on England added 2 more goals to gloss things.
The Lionesses Player Ratings: James helps the Lionesses roar
Contents
GK Mary Earps 7/10 – Made 2 saves but failed to keep a 3rd consecutive clean sheet. Solid nonetheless.
DF Lucy Bronze 7/10 – Played well but picked a needless card. Could have done more offensively.
DF Alex Greenwood 8/10 – Very assertive at the back. Her diagonal passes were also very effective.
DF Millie Bright 8/10 – Looked on song all match. Never set a foot wrong. Best defender on the pitch.
DF Rachel Daly 9/10 – Casued endless havoc with her runs. Created 7 big chances. Fittingly scored the final 6th goal.
MF Georgia Stanway 6/10 – The only English player that looked lethargic. The captain was not herself. Worrying, considering she might have picked up an injury too.
MF Katie Zelem 7/10 – Did very well considering she is the third option for the heart of the midfield but due to injuries had to make her first World Cup start.
MF Jessica Carter 8/10 – Very assertive and passed the ball extremely well.
FW Lauren Hemp 8/10 – Played very well all match. Scored the vital 2nd goal. Assisted James for her first soon after.
FW Alessia Russo 7/10 – Opened the scoring early. Had other chances too but after the early goal showed wastefulness.
FW Lauren James 10/10 – It’s hard to say anything but perfect for her. Scored 2 and assisted 3 of England’s first 5 goals. Looked unplayable all match.
Substitutes
MF Laura Coombs 6/10 – Came on at halftime and did relatively well. Made the mistake that gave China their goal though.
The other 4 substitutes were made inside the final 20 minutes, so there was no time for those players to be ranked.
China Player Ratings: Horror show from everyone?
All 13 Chinese players involved in this humbling match for them have been rated with scored 4 or 5 out of 10. Nobody did well. Nobody performed anywhere near the level needed. It seems the Chinese women are really a team ‘in transition’ right now.
Player of the Match: Lauren James
England’s winger James earned our Player of the Match vote for the second game running. Making only her second World Cup start and fresh off scoring a wonder goal in round 2 James was all-purpose from the off. Her 2 early assists garnished by a goal for herself just before halftime gave England the perfect start.
Assertive and full of confidence James didn’t stop there and in the second half, she first scored her second and then produced her 3rd assist. She was taken off the pitch just before Daly scored the 6th goal, probably the only reason why James was not involved in that too.
Already, the powerful winger is making a very strong bid to become the Player of the Tournament!
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
