England fired 20 goals past Latvia in a historic World Cup qualifying win on Tuesday as they set a new record for the biggest win in a European competition.
The Lionesses won 20-0 at Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday, making it five wins from as many games to start their qualifying campaign. It was how they did it on Tuesday that was stunning as they scored a record-breaking amount of goals against an overwhelmed Latvia. It took England just three minutes to score their first through Beth Mead, who was one of four England players to net a hat-trick.
She was joined by Ellen White and Alessia Russo on three goals, with Russo netting her treble in 11 minutes while Lauren Hemp fired four goals.
White’s trio of goals saw her become England’s all-time leading scorer on her 101st international appearance, equalling Kelly Smith’s record in the sixth minute before adding two more for good measure to take her England total to 48.
Bethany England netted a second-half brace, with Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Jessica Carter, Jill Scott, and Jordan Nobbs all putting their names on the scoresheet.
In total, England had 63 shots, with 30 on target, while maintaining 86 percent possession and completing 850 passes.
The win is the largest ever in European competition, surpassing Belgium’s 19-0 triumph over Armenia on November 25.
It’s not Latvia’s first lopsided loss to England, having already lost 10-0 to the Lionesses in Latvia last month, while England has also defeated Macedonia 8-0, Luxembourg 10-0, and Northern Ireland 4-0 in qualifiers so far. England currently sits top of the group with maximum points.
Ada Peter
