By Laura Howard
Under the Wembley arch, where the Lionesses first wrote their names in history, they showed exactly why they are capable of replicating such performances this summer.
A 1-0 victory over reigning world champions Spain may not have been the easiest on the eye but as Leah Williamson was keen to stress, it got the job done and was another important step on a journey which is far from over.
It has been a feature of Sarina Wiegman’s sides that while they may not dazzle, they find a way and a gritty defensive display and tactical nous provided such a result on Wednesday.
“You want to win. We’re in a competition, it’s not a friendly and it sets us up for the future. You want to top everything that you can,” said Williamson.
“We do have a plan and we are on a journey, it sounds cliche but we are. We know what we’re doing and hopefully with performances like that and wins like that it’s clear.
“But, naturally, it takes a lot of pressure off. We dropped points the other day and we needed points today.”
As the autumn friendlies fade out of mind, and spring ushers in a new urgency to England’s preparations for Switzerland, implementing a winning plan becomes increasingly important.
While Wiegman was willing to experiment with her tactics and starting XI prior to Christmas, as the home straight looms England are looking to secure consistency in all aspects of their game.
“We just wanted to do a lot better than Friday [a 1-1 draw with Portugal]. We had momentum and then we lost momentum. We wanted to prove we could do better,” said Wiegman.
“We knew we had to step up because you can’t be slow when you play against Spain, because then they are gone.
“It gives us a boost, we showed ourselves again that we can compete with the best. We have shown that before and it was really good to show that again.”
Jess Park’s 33rd-minute winner, as she pounced first in the box on a rebound from Alessia Russo’s shot, proved the pivotal moment in restoring that momentum, but it was a solid showing in defence that provided the foundations for England’s success.
“The fight and the togetherness, that’s the most important thing. It always starts with that,” added Wiegman.
“When everyone has each other’s back it helps. To improve your game, it starts with working really hard.
“It gives a boost when you win, but at the same time you want to see improvements in possession, out of possession and that’s what I saw today.
“Out of possession, we were a little bit deeper on the pitch today taking out their super strengths, their tight and quick rotations.
“We showed tonight our fight. We can play different things; we can play a possession game when necessary but we can also play in behind quicker.”
It was that willingness to sacrifice aesthetic football for the three points that proved England’s route to victory.
The Lionesses reverted to playing longer balls over the top, a complete antithesis to their short-passing opponents, but it was successful in bypassing a strong Spanish press.
At times, though, that approach appeared to dull the spark of a team that seemed reliant on the flare of Lauren James to reignite impetus.
It was James that came closest to a second when she found space at the top of the box on the counter and was centimetres from seeing her shot cross the line as Cata Coll scrambled to recover her spill.
Ultimately, though, wherever that spark or goal comes from, a win against a team of Spain’s calibre is a sign of journey heading in the right direction on the way to the Swiss mountains.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to do the job that’s in front of you,” summed up Williamson.
“We want to play great football and in the first half especially there were some lovely, lovely passages of play and the goal is still us. But we’re English too and English football fans know what that means.
“To come out at Wembley and get three points, it’s a good feeling and that’s who we are and we’re prepared to be what we need to be.”
