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England were caught out against Brazil at the Etihad Stadium, Georgia Stanway’s penalty not enough to cancel out first-half goals from Bia Zaneratto and Dudinha, but it was far from a performance to worry about.
Shortly after taking a two-goal lead, the visiting team were down to 10, Angelina receiving a straight red for bringing down Ella Toone, but despite a gutsy and fiery battle to the end, Sarina Wiegman’s side couldn’t find the equalising goal.
We knew England’s starting XI would look quite different to the team that lifted the Euros trophy for a second time in Basel in July. Leah Williamson remains sidelined with an injury the captain picked up in Switzerland, while Lauren Hemp and Lauren James are also long-term absentees. Williamson’s club replacement Arsenal, Katie Reid, and Manchester City’s Grace Clinton were forced to withdraw from this camp through injury, while Lotte Wubben-Moy left for home with an illness, Jess Park withdrew under the concussion protocol and Hannah Hampton was not included in the squad to face Brazil because of an elbow injury.
The backline to face Brazil in the Lionesses’’ first outing since that historic penalty shootout win over Spain was where most of the changes fell as a result. Khiara Keating was handed a first start in goal, becoming England’s first black goalkeeper to receive a cap. The Manchester United centre-back Maya Le Tissier deputised for he right-back Lucy Bronze, who is being eased back from the tibia fracture she infamously played on with during the Euros, while Esme Morgan and Jess Carter partnered up in the centre of defence and Alex Greenwood was shifted to left-back.
The defence struggled against the Copa América champions in front of a crowd of 37,460, the pace of Ludmilla, Zaneratto and Dudinha particularly troublesome against the slower centre-back pairing.
Ludmilla fired the first warning shot on behalf of the visiting team, shooting wide of Keating’s far post in the third minute, and their opening goal came in the ninth. Carter was unable to halt Zaneratto after Morgan was drawn out of position and the forward powered the ball into the bottom corner. The celebrations from the Brazil bench were wild, a testament to the scalp England are viewed as.
Wiegman’s team had chances to level, Angelina getting in front of Alessia Russo to clear Le Tissier’s ball in and Toone firing straight at Lorena for her side’s first shot on target.
The task got greater in the 18th minute. Toone lost possession in the middle and the visiting team were away, Dudinha flicking the ball goalwards with the outside of her foot to send it in off a post.
The hosts had their best chance of the half soon after: Greenwood’s free-kick came back off the bar and Carter’s follow-up header flew over after Angelina had been shown a straight red for bringing down Toone.
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England’s fortunes shifted after the break: Mead was caught by Zaneratto as she went to shoot and Stanway converted from the spot.
Reinforcements arrived just past the hour, with the Lionesses on the front foot as they hunted an equaliser. Bronze, England’s player of the year, replaced Carter with Le Tissier shifted centrally and Aggie Beever-Jones came on in place of Chloe Kelly.
It was all England in the second half, as Brazil failed to maintain the intensity of their press and Stanway rattled the bar in the best chance for an equaliser. The Euro 2025 hero Michelle Agyemang was sent on late but, despite intense pressure, England couldn’t find the breakthrough they were looking for.
No team wants to lose but England have suffered worse and more consequential defeats. Given the volume of injuries plaguing Wiegman’s squad this is unlikely to be the starting XI we see at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil – pending qualification. It was a chance for new starters to show what they can do, for new relationships to be forged and positions to be toyed with.
