England vs Belgium LIVE: Euro 2022 warm-up result, final score and reaction as Lionesses cruise to win
England 3-0 Belgium: Chloe Kelly scored the Lionesses’ first before Rachel Daly and an own goal secured victory
Chloe Kelly marked her England comeback with her first international goal as the Lionesses beat Belgium 3-0 at Molineux in their first warm-up match ahead of next month’s home Euros.
Having come on at the break for her first international appearance since returning to action from an ACL injury in April, winger Kelly put Sarina Wiegman’s side ahead with a deflected shot in the 62nd minute.
Fellow substitute Rachel Daly added a strike four minutes later to double the lead, and the third then came with seven minutes of normal time remaining when skipper Leah Williamson hit the bar and the ball went in off goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.
It proved a comfortable victory in the end after a first half that had seen the hosts fail to make a breakthrough despite creating a flurry of chances, which included Williamson being denied by a goal-line clearance.
England, playing the day after Wiegman named her final 23-player squad for this summer’s tournament, will now face the Netherlands at Elland Road in eight days and then Switzerland in Zurich before opening their Euros campaign by taking on Austria at Old Trafford on July 6.
Follow reaction after England beat Belgium at Molineux:
Chloe Kelly marks international comeback with first England goal in comfortable win over Belgium
Chloe Kelly marked her England comeback with her first international goal as the Lionesses beat Belgium 3-0 at Molineux in their first warm-up match ahead of next month’s home Euros.
Having come on at the break for her first international appearance since returning to action from an ACL injury in April, winger Kelly put Sarina Wiegman’s side ahead with a deflected shot in the 62nd minute.
Fellow substitute Rachel Daly added a strike four minutes later to double the lead, and the third then came with seven minutes of normal time remaining when skipper Leah Williamson hit the bar and the ball went in off goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.
It proved a comfortable victory in the end after a first half that had seen the hosts fail to make a breakthrough despite creating a flurry of chances, which included Williamson being denied by a goal-line clearance.
Kelly marks international comeback with first England goal in big win over Belgium
England 3-0 Belgium: Kelly scored the Lionesses’ first before Rachel Daly and an own goal secured victory in the Euro 2022 warm-up match
Post-match thoughts of Sarina Wiegman
England boss Sarina Wiegman spoke to ITV after the match saying: “We dominated the game. We created lots of chances but didn’t score in the first half. We gave them one chance. We said at half-time we wanted more runs in behind, keep our patience and score some goals.
“I’m very happy for her [Chloe Kelly]. It’s nice she scored a goal after what she’s gone through. You could tell it means something to her and the team.
“[We should have had] at least one [penalty] but we didn’t get it. It shows how the depth in the team is. We wanted to win but we wanted to try other things.
“They gave us loads of information we can continue working on tomorrow.”
Reaction from Chloe Kelly
Chloe Kelly spoke to ITV after the match and addressed her return from injury and what Sarina Wiegman told her before she came on as a substitute.
“No it couldn’t [have gone better]. It was brilliant to be back out there. To get a goal was an amazing experience. I said from the start I wanted to be at the Euros. I worked hard each day. I realise how much hard work I put in in my rehab.”
And what was she told by the manager before coming on? “To be an attacking player. To get balls in the box and enjoy myself. I tried to get my player one v one and enjoyed every minute of being out there.
“Each challenge gets us ready for 6 July.”
England 3-0 Belgium
The Lionesses have two more warm-up games before the start of Euro 2022. Next up are the Netherlands who will pose an even sterner test for Sarina Wiegman’s women.
If they come through that with another victory there’ll be a real belief that they can achieve something special in the upcoming tournament.
England 3-0 Belgium
Sarina Wiegman will be pleased. She wanted a competitive match for the team and they got one. Belgium offered only a few fleeting moments in attack but they made England work hard to score their goals.
Two were deflections and one was a fine finish from substitute Rachel Daly.
Full-time: England 3-0 Belgium
90+3 mins: England start their Euro 2022 warm-ups with a victory over Belgium at Molineux! They were made to wait over an hour for the breakthrough but were never under pressure of conceding.
It always felt like a matter of time before they scored and once Chloe Kelly’s deflected effort found the back of the net, the Lionesses put the hammer down.
Rachel Daly added a second and Leah Williamson secured the win even though her effort will probably go down as a Nicky Evrard own goal.
England 3-0 Belgium
90 mins: Three minutes of added time to play to close out the game. Wullaert curls a cross into the England box and Mary Earps is called into action for the first time tonight when she grabs hold of a soft headed effort.
England 3-0 Belgium
86 mins: What seemed to be a tricky affair for England after the first half has turned out to be a regulation victory for the Lionesses. Sarina Wiegman’s changes upped the tempo of their play and the home side settled down after Chloe Kelly’s opener.
GOAL! England 3-0 Belgium (Williamson, 83’)⚽️
83 mins: England have another and it’s the captain who scores! Kelly swings a corner into the middle of the box and picks out Parris who fires a header at goal. Vangheluwe only manages to clear it as far as the England captain who picks her spot and lifts the ball towards goal. It hits the underside of the bar, bounces into Evrard and crosses the line!
England 2-0 Belgium
79 mins: Lauren Hemp receives a very warm reception as she is subbed off the pitch. She’s been exceptional tonight and did everything but score for England.
Nikita Parris replaces her.
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