Arsenal Women and England Women forward Beth Mead has written her name into the history books with her opening strike against Northern Ireland in Saturday's World Cup Qualifying battle.
Sarina Wiegman's side dominated proceedings against their counterparts in front of the Wembley crowd but were somehow shut out for the opening hour of the contest.
However, within 20 seconds of her introduction as a substitute, Mead was on hand to acrobatically volley home following a corner scramble and propel the Lionesses into the ascendancy.
Our first of the night - an instant impact from @bmeado9! 😍
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) October 23, 2021
Watch the #Lionesses on @ITV. pic.twitter.com/3InctFvrS8
By drawing first blood on the night, the 26-year-old became the first-ever player to score for England Women in a competitive match at the new Wembley Stadium.
Mead's opener in the English capital was her 10th goal for the Lionesses across all competitions, and the floodgates opened thereafter with Bethany England's finish in the 72nd minute.
Hotshot Mead would proceed to chalk up her hat-trick by the 78-minute mark as England ultimately ran out comfortable winners, with that 4-0 success seeing them regain top spot in the Group D rankings ahead of Austria.
Ben Knapton
