The England women’s team, known as the Lionesses, hosted Ukraine in a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifying match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The match, which kicked off at 8pm BST, saw England aiming to secure qualification for the World Cup in Brazil next summer.
The head coach made several changes to the squad following a recent loss to Spain. The starting lineup for England included Hannah Hampton, Maya Le Tissier, Niamh Charles, Keira Walsh (captain), Jess Carter, Esme Morgan, Lauren James, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo, Lauren Blindkilde Brown, and Lauren Hemp.
Substitutes available for England included Lucy Bronze, Anna Moorhouse, Ella Toone, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly, Lucia Kendall, Beth Mead, Jess Park, Sophie Baggaley, Aggie Beever-Jones, and Grace Fisk.
Match Action and Attendance
The game saw England largely dominating possession, with much of the play occurring in Ukraine’s half. Despite the sustained pressure, England found it challenging to break through the Ukrainian defence, which often had many players positioned at the edge of their box. This made it difficult for England to create clear scoring opportunities.
Early in the match, England had a corner on the right, with Le Tissier and James combining, though the play was slow to develop. Later, Le Tissier took another corner, sending the ball into the box, where Charles headed wide. Stanway also won a corner after her cross was diverted, which Le Tissier took short to Mead.
During the second half, Hemp drove down the left side, earning a corner for England. Substitutions were made, with Kelly coming on for Charles and Park replacing Stanway. Towards the end of the match, Mead created an opportunity on the left, passing to Kelly on the right, but the attack eventually slowed.
The attendance for the match was confirmed as 26,065. Over 30,000 tickets had been issued for the game, indicating a number of no-shows. This has been noted as a recurring trend for Lionesses matches, even those that are officially sold out.
The match was described as largely one-sided, with England ahead due to goals from Carter and Stanway. The crowd at the Hill Dickinson Stadium appeared to be enjoying the game, and there were also pockets of Ukrainian fans present.
The Lionesses had previously faced Ukraine, with a past encounter resulting in a 4-0 victory for England in Shrewsbury, where Natasha Dowie and Eni Aluko each scored two goals. Another recent match in March saw England put six goals past Ukraine.
The match was broadcast live on ITV in the UK.
Ukraine Team Profile
The Ukraine national women’s team is known by the nickname Zhinky. Their coach is Iya Andrushchak, and the team captain is Daryna Apanashchenko. The team’s last encounter with England was on 3 March 2026.
During the match, Hlushchenko of Ukraine dribbled into the England box and had a chance to shoot but opted to cross, with the ball going behind her teammate. At another point, Boklach held onto the ball for an extended period, allowing Mead to chase her down, though England did not capitalise on the mistake.
The Lionesses will continue their World Cup qualifying campaign, with an upcoming play-off first round tie against a League C team scheduled for October.
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Source: theguardian.com
