Sarina Wiegman highlighted a few chinks in England’s armour as they squeaked past a resilient Iceland 1-0 during World Cup qualifying.
Days after beating world champions Spain by the same scoreline, Wiegman acknowledged the astrotuf pitch at Laugardalsvöllur played a part in England’s rhythm, but admitted it was more decision-based questions that gave England problems.
“It was a very hard game,” the England boss told ITV Sport. “[There was] a big difference first half [and] second half. Of course, it’s hard to keep the ball moving on this pitch. First half, we played okay.
“Tempo could be a bit higher. Created some opportunities but didn’t convert big chances. The goal was a good goal. Second half, they pressed a little bit higher and I think we had to make some better decisions, especially in these circumstances when we’re struggling.
“And, of course, we know they’re good with their throw-ins and corners – I think that’s what we defended really well. But there were some tricky moments in this game, so I’m really happy that we won it.
“You hope we do that better, and that we make better decisions and stay a bit more in shape. [We] always try to understand what happened and why did it happen to learn from it.”
Wiegman also took time to praise defender Niamh Charles, who returned to the side in a twelve minute cameo that saw her clear an Icelandic effort off the line.
“That’s why we brought Niamh in.
“We know she can defend really well with her head. Defending in the box, she’s really alert, sharp and powerful. We needed that and really happy she showed up.”
It is now four wins from four outings in World Cup qualifying for the Lionesses, whose path to Brazil 2027 already looks secure. Though the Dutchwoman was keen for her side not to rest of their laurels.
“There is no game easy anymore and we don’t take anything for granted.”
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made a number of important saves to keep the home side out. Channelling her inner Roy Keane, she reflected on a hard-fought win.
“It’s my job really, let’s be honest. We’re in it as a team. I can’t be the one scoring goals but I can stop them. We win as a team and that’s what we pride ourselves on.
“Obviously, we would have liked to control the game a bit better than we did but we know they have a lot of threat when they got momentum. Their set-pieces, we know there’s aerial threats.
“We needed to make sure we were solid in defensive areas, and that we were. It was nerve-wracking but it’s a positive result for us.
“We knew what we wanted to achieve this camp, we knew we wanted to get the six points out the two games. We managed that and that’s a big bonus for us.”