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When England captain Leah Williamson produced a cool finish just 12 minutes into Tuesday’s clash with South Africa, it looked like the Lionesses were going to enjoy a much calmer and more comfortable evening than Friday night, when they were beaten 4-3 in a chaotic and concerning meeting with Germany. But this fixture ended up resembling their last in some worrying ways, as Sarina Wiegman’s team just about saw out a 2-1 victory.
The relief on Williamson’s face was palpable when she found the back of the net early on, the frustration of some difficult recent form all released with an almighty roar and a fist pump. Shortly after, Grace Clinton, England’s best player for the hour she was on the pitch, made it 2-0 with a great header as she staked her claim to start ahead of next summer’s European Championships.
But after the break, it all went a little bit wrong. Williamson’s misplaced pass let Thembi Kgatlana race away and pull one back for South Africa and that sloppiness appeared to be contagious, as Lioness after Lioness gave the ball away to hand the African champions chances to level. Fortunately for England, either the visitors did not take them or substitute Lucy Bronze appeared to block, allowing the hosts to see out a win – one that will have given Wiegman plenty more information about what there is to work on.
GOAL rates the Lionesses’ players from the Coventry Building Society Arena…
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Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Mary Earps (6/10):
A commanding presence when called into action. Little she could do about the goal.
Maya Le Tissier (7/10):
Was solid for an hour at right-back, then for half an hour at left-back. Provided a great cross for Clinton’s header.
Leah Williamson (5/10):
Mixed night. Marked her 50th cap with a great opener and some sloppy moments, including a big error that let South Africa score.
Alex Greenwood (6/10):
Was less culpable for some bad defending and added something to England’s build-up play with her clever passing.
Esme Morgan (5/10):
Another right-footer at left-back, she struggled in possession at times.
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Getty ImagesAttack
Chloe Kelly (7/10):
Shook off a lack of club minutes with a good all-round display. Unlucky not to score when her wicked effort hit the bar.
Jess Naz (7/10):
Lacked end product but caused plenty of problems with her energy up top and calmly recycled a corner to set up Williamson to score.
Beth Mead (6/10):
Had some nice moments without stealing the show.
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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Fran Kirby (5/10):
Worked hard but just could not get into the game.
Ella Toone (6/10):
A mixed half an hour, with a sloppy pass letting South Africa launch an attack but a great strike forcing the opposing goalkeeper into a top save.
Alessia Russo (6/10):
Didn’t have a lot of the ball given the pressure England were often under but did good things with it when she could.
Lucy Bronze (7/10):
Immediately came up with a couple of big blocks to stop South Africa from equalising.
Millie Bright (5/10):
Never easy to come into the centre of defence midway through a game, not least when England were already defending chaotically, and she struggled doing so.
Lauren Hemp (6/10):
Gave South Africa something to think about with her direct and positive play.
Sarina Wiegman (6/10):
She is often criticised for not giving chances to enough players but that wasn’t the case here. However, that the sloppiness at the back continued from Friday’s loss to Germany was a real concern and, in truth, England were lucky to win here. There are still a lot of issues for her to address before the Euros next summer.
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