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The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Beever-Jones hits rapid hat-trick as England pummel Portugal 6-0 in Nations League
It doesn't matter how you get your chance to shine, what matters is you take it, and on Friday night at a balmy Wembley Stadium Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones did just that in a 6-0 defeat of Portugal. Alessia Russo has nailed down the No 9 shirt following the retirement of Ellen White after the Euros in 2022, but a fitting substitute and challenger to her has been missing. Beever-Jones staked her claim in front of 48,531 fans, her hat-trick in a five-goal first-half blitz coming in only her second England start. It was a heartening win for the Lionesses as they focus all eyes on the Nations League and this summer's Euros in Switzerland. It also keeps England two points behind Spain in Nations League Group A3 before the rivals go head to head on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman's England ship, so used to sailing under clear skies, hit choppier water this week, the retirement announcement of Euro 2022 winner Mary Earps, just 39 days out from the team beginning their title defence, sending shockwaves through St George's Park. Wiegman implied in April that Hannah Hampton had leapfrogged Earps in the pecking order, when she described the Chelsea goalkeeper as being 'a little bit ahead'. It was hoped that Earps would act as the elder stateswoman of a group of young keepers and provide substantial backup to Hampton, with Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating currently uncapped. Earps' exit is undoubtedly a blow, as was the absence of Millie Bright, unavailable through choice for being 'mentally and physically at my limits'. However, nothing buries bad news as well as good news and an emphatic win over Portugal, with five first-half goals from a starting XI looking a little different from how it will shape up in Switzerland. Spain, who beat Belgium 5-1 on Friday night, will offer a far greater test in Barcelona of where England are before their European title defence but, on the evidence here, the squad depth at Wiegman's disposal is a major advantage. It took just three minutes for Beever-Jones to put the home team ahead. Jess Park's dogged pressure on Andreia Norton forced the ball free from the feet of the wing-back and Beever-Jones pounced, putting it coolly beyond goalkeeper Inês Pereira. Two minutes later and England had their second. Jess Carter, fresh from a Concacaf Champions Cup win with Gotham FC, won the ball and fed Lauren Hemp on the left and it was worked from Beever-Jones to Mead. Her shot was blocked but the ball fell to Lucy Bronze, who headed into an empty net. Beever-Jones' second arrived courtesy of Bronze, the latter's cross into the middle turned in by the head of the unmarked forward. Mead joined the party for England's fourth. Park shrugged off Dolores Silva before releasing the Arsenal forward, who nutmegged Catarina Amado and fired in. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Beever-Jones's hat-trick was completed in the 33rd minute, making her the second England women's player to score a Wembley treble after Mead. A long ball from Leah Williamson, one of five of Arsenal's Champions League winners in the squad, alongside Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, found the forward, who took a couple of touches before firing in low at the near post. It would be easy, and a little lazy, to describe Portugal, ranked 22 in Fifa's world rankings, as pushovers. They were poor defensively but this is a team who have been a small thorn in the side of Wiegman's England side. The Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in February and a 0-0 draw in a friendly on the eve of the World Cup in July 2023. In fact, England's last victory against the Portuguese came towards the end of Phil Neville's tenure, a sloppy 1-0 win amid a sea of draws and defeats in October 2019. England calmed down a little in the second half, but three changes around the hour re-energised the players, who have clawed their way to the end of a long season only to be straight back in with their national team. Kelly added the team's sixth, fellow substitute Alex Greenwood sending a pinpoint pass from back to front to Mead, whose cross was headed home. There were no more goals but it was an emphatic and entertaining performance, the off-pitch drama comfortably excluded to leave England focused on preparing for the Euros.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Beever-Jones' rapid hat-trick as England dismantle Portugal in Nations League
Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates her first goal, with Beth Mead and Jess Park (right), in a dominant first half for England at Wembley. Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates her first goal, with Beth Mead and Jess Park (right), in a dominant first half for England at Wembley. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images It doesn't matter how you get your chance to shine, what matters is you take it, and on Friday night at a balmy Wembley Stadium Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones did just that in a 6-0 defeat of Portugal. Alessia Russo has nailed down the No 9 shirt following the retirement of Ellen White after the Euros in 2022, but a fitting substitute and challenger to her has been missing. Beever-Jones staked her claim in front of 48,531 fans, her hat-trick in a five-goal first-half blitz coming in only her second England start. Advertisement Related: England v Portugal: Women's Nations League – live It was a heartening win for the Lionesses as they focus all eyes on the Nations League and this summer's Euros in Switzerland. It also keeps England two points behind Spain in Nations League Group A3 before the rivals go head to head on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman's England ship, so used to sailing under clear skies, hit choppier water this week, the retirement announcement of Euro 2022 winner Mary Earps, just 39 days out from the team beginning their title defence, sending shockwaves through St George's Park. Wiegman implied in April that Hannah Hampton had leapfrogged Earps in the pecking order, when she described the Chelsea goalkeeper as being 'a little bit ahead'. It was hoped that Earps would act as the elder stateswoman of a group of young keepers and provide substantial backup to Hampton, with Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating currently uncapped. Advertisement Earps' exit is undoubtedly a blow, as was the absence of Millie Bright, unavailable through choice for being 'mentally and physically at my limits'. However, nothing buries bad news as well as good news and an emphatic win over Portugal, with five first-half goals from a starting XI looking a little different from how it will shape up in Switzerland. Spain, who beat Belgium 5-1 on Friday night, will offer a far greater test in Barcelona of where England are before their European title defence but, on the evidence here, the squad depth at Wiegman's disposal is a major advantage. It took just three minutes for Beever-Jones to put the home team ahead. Jess Park's dogged pressure on Andreia Norton forced the ball free from the feet of the wing-back and Beever-Jones pounced, putting it coolly beyond goalkeeper Inês Pereira. Two minutes later and England had their second. Jess Carter, fresh from a Concacaf Champions Cup win with Gotham FC, won the ball and fed Lauren Hemp on the left and it was worked from Beever-Jones to Mead. Her shot was blocked but the ball fell to Lucy Bronze, who headed into an empty net. Advertisement Beever-Jones' second arrived courtesy of Bronze, the latter's cross into the middle turned in by the head of the unmarked forward. Mead joined the party for England's fourth. Park shrugged off Dolores Silva before releasing the Arsenal forward, who nutmegged Catarina Amado and fired in. Beever-Jones's hat-trick was completed in the 33rd minute, making her the second England women's player to score a Wembley treble after Mead. A long ball from Leah Williamson, one of five of Arsenal's Champions League winners in the squad, alongside Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, found the forward, who took a couple of touches before firing in low at the near post. It would be easy, and a little lazy, to describe Portugal, ranked 22 in Fifa's world rankings, as pushovers. They were poor defensively but this is a team who have been a small thorn in the side of Wiegman's England side. The Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in February and a 0-0 draw in a friendly on the eve of the World Cup in July 2023. In fact, England's last victory against the Portuguese came towards the end of Phil Neville's tenure, a sloppy 1-0 win amid a sea of draws and defeats in October 2019. England calmed down a little in the second half, but three changes around the hour re-energised the players, who have clawed their way to the end of a long season only to be straight back in with their national team. Kelly added the team's sixth, fellow substitute Alex Greenwood sending a pinpoint pass from back to front to Mead, whose cross was headed home. There were no more goals but it was an emphatic and entertaining performance, the off-pitch drama comfortably excluded to leave England focused on preparing for the Euros.
The Star
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Beever-Jones scores hat-trick in England's 6-0 Nations League rout of Portugal
Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - England v Portugal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 30, 2025 England's Agnes Beever-Jones in action with Portugal's Carole Costa Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers LONDON (Reuters) -Aggie Beever-Jones scored a stunning first-half hat-trick as England were ruthless hosts in a 6-0 thrashing of Portugal on Friday at Wembley in their penultimate game of the Women's Nations League group stage. Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly also scored to keep England second in Group 3 of League A with 10 points, behind World Cup winners Spain, who have 12 points after their 5-1 win over Belgium earlier on Friday. Sarina Wiegman's team shrugged off any lingering effects from a tumultuous week that saw goalkeeper Mary Earps' shock international retirement announcement, and were on the front foot from the opening whistle, scoring five goals before the game was 30 minutes old. The 21-year-old Beever-Jones struck her first in the third minute, slotting home from a sharp angle, and Bronze headed home less than 90 seconds later. Lauren Hemp beat a defender to put a cross into the box that led to Bronze heading in after Mead's shot was blocked. With the floodgates opened, England attacked in waves and Beever-Jones completed her hat-trick with goals in the 26th and 33rd minutes, while Mead scored in the 29th and Kelly got on the score sheet in the 62nd. England will be looking for a victory over Spain on Tuesday in Barcelona to secure a spot in the Nations League knockout finals. In other League A matches on Friday, Germany defeated the Netherlands 4-0, Denmark beat Wales 1-0, and Norway and Iceland drew 1-1. (Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Toby Davis)
The Independent
7 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Aggie Beever-Jones nets hat-trick as England thrash Portugal in Nations League
Aggie Beever-Jones scored a hat-trick in her first Wembley start for England as the Lionesses completed a 6-0 Nations League group stage rout of Portugal. The Chelsea forward led the line in place of the injured Alessia Russo, and fired the hosts in front in the third minute before club-mate Lucy Bronze nodded in a second less than two minutes later. Beever-Jones struck twice more either side of Beth Mead's 29th-minute goal to hand England a 5-0 lead in the 33rd minute, and substitute Chloe Kelly added a sixth after the break. The 21-year-old Beever-Jones is just the second Lioness to score a hat-trick at Wembley and third woman on record to have done so, after Mead and Italy's Carolina Morace. England's triumph ensures they are still in contention to advance to the autumn Nations League finals, but will need to beat group leaders Spain on Tuesday night to finish top of their group. News of Euro 2022-winning goalkeeper Mary Earps' retirement from international football just a few days earlier had dominated the Lionesses discourse leading up to the encounter, arguably the first in which Chelsea's Hannah Hampton was – unequivocally – England's number one. Lauren Hemp, who has returned to Sarina Wiegman's squad after recovering from a long-term knee injury, started an England contest for the first time since October 2024, while Arsenal striker Russo was missing, for at least this contest, with a calf issue. Beever-Jones got started early, taking full advantage after Andreia Norton was caught out under pressure, darting around a couple of red shirts before finding the bottom left after a deflection off of a Portugal player. Bronze then quickly made it two, an opportunity facilitated by Hemp's cross and Mead getting a touch before the ball pinged off a Portuguese foot and into the air for the Chelsea right-back to nod home. It was all England – save a Norton header which clipped Hampton's right post – before Bronze turned provider with a pinpoint cross to set up Beever-Jones, whose header caught the underside of the crossbar as she made it 3-0 in the 26th minute. Mead extended England's advantage just before the half hour, latching onto Jess Park's through ball and – after cleverly nutmegging Amado – fluidly finished past Ines Pereira's outstretched leg. Beever-Jones then completed her hat-trick, this time released with a lovely long ball from captain Leah Williamson, and – utterly unfazed as a sea of red closed in – made it 5-0 in the 33rd minute. England boss Wiegman called on three second-half substitutes just before the hour, one of them Kelly, the newly-crowned Champions League winner with Arsenal. The Manchester City loanee – whose contract expires in June – replaced Hemp in the 58th minute and got on the scoresheet four minutes later, nodding in a delivery from fellow Gunner Mead. Alex Greenwood nearly made it seven, clipping the crossbar from a free-kick, before Pereira denied Mead from doing the same with a diving stop late in the half.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- General
- Reuters
Beever-Jones scores hat-trick in England's 6-0 Nations League rout of Portugal
LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) - Aggie Beever-Jones scored a stunning first-half hat-trick as England were ruthless hosts in a 6-0 thrashing of Portugal on Friday at Wembley in their penultimate game of the Women's Nations League group stage. Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly also scored to keep England second in Group 3 of League A with 10 points, behind World Cup winners Spain, who have 12 points after their 5-1 win over Belgium earlier on Friday. Sarina Wiegman's team shrugged off any lingering effects from a tumultuous week that saw goalkeeper Mary Earps' shock international retirement announcement, and were on the front foot from the opening whistle, scoring five goals before the game was 30 minutes old. The 21-year-old Beever-Jones struck her first in the third minute, slotting home from a sharp angle, and Bronze headed home less than 90 seconds later. Lauren Hemp beat a defender to put a cross into the box that led to Bronze heading in after Mead's shot was blocked. With the floodgates opened, England attacked in waves and Beever-Jones completed her hat-trick with goals in the 26th and 33rd minutes, while Mead scored in the 29th and Kelly got on the score sheet in the 62nd. England will be looking for a victory over Spain on Tuesday in Barcelona to secure a spot in the Nations League knockout finals. In other League A matches on Friday, Germany defeated the Netherlands 4-0, Denmark beat Wales 1-0, and Norway and Iceland drew 1-1.
