News Focus
- England suffered their worst defeat in 16 years against Spain in Mallorca
- Lionesses must beat Ukraine and hope Spain drop points against Iceland
- Sarina Wiegman demands a strong reaction from her players
- Lauren Hemp reveals players struggled to sleep after the 4-0 thrashing
- Automatic qualification for the World Cup in Brazil hangs in the balance
Sarina Wiegman wants her England team to bounce back strongly after losing 4-0 to Spain. The defeat in Mallorca was the worst result for the Lionesses since 2009. It has put their place at the World Cup in danger.
Player Lauren Hemp said some team members could not sleep after the match. She explained that the loss hurt deeply because they did not follow their game plan against the world champions.
The result leaves England in a difficult position in Group A3. Both England and Spain have 12 points. However, Spain are top because they have a better goal difference and beat England in their recent clash.
England now play Ukraine on Tuesday. They must win this match. They also need Spain to fail to beat Iceland. If Spain win, England must go through a play-off competition to reach Brazil next year.
Wiegman says she is not thinking about the other match. She wants her players to focus on their own performance. “Friday night was painful,” she said. “But we have moved on. We stick together when things are hard. We want to show our true character.”
The manager will send a staff member to watch Spain against Iceland. But she will not tell the players what is happening during their own game. “We want to know the result, but we will not share it with the team,” she explained. “We must concentrate on winning our match.”
Hemp believes the team spirit remains strong. “It was hard to sleep after the defeat,” she said. “But we have stayed positive. We know we did not play well against Spain. Now we want to get back on the pitch and improve.”