England Women 7 - 2 Austria Women

Grace Clinton scored on her international debut and Alessia Russo and Beth Mead each struck twice as England hammered Austria 7-2 in a friendly.

Twenty-year-old Clinton, the Man Utd midfielder on loan at Tottenham, seized her chance with a standout performance in a rain-soaked Marbella, heading in from Lauren Hemp’s cross, moments after smashing a shot against the inside of a post.

By that point, England were already a goal to the good, thanks to Russo reacting quickest to tuck in the rebound to Mead’s cross-shot from close range with just three minutes on the clock.

That fast start was undermined when Virginia Kirchberger headed in from Austria’s first corner of the game on the half-hour and she would nod in a late consolation, too. But England’s response was good to that first setback, with Mead bending in a swift response.

Russo’s second of the night – courtesy of England winning the ball back high up the pitch – underlined the European champions’ dominance as they kept the pressure on in the second half before Jess Carter flicked in a wonderful fifth.

There was a late flurry of goals with Mead and Rachel Daly striking on the counter-attack after Kirchberger’s second of the night gave Wiegman something to think about on the training ground next week.

But after a frustrating 2023, which saw England lose in the final of the Women’s World Cup and miss out on Olympic qualification with their Nations League performance, this win and performance was a welcome boost, with qualifiers for Euro 2025 to come later in the year.

More to follow…