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England national football team
Women's Football Friendly
Oct 7, 2022 at 8pm UK
 
USA national football team

2-1

Hemp (10'), Stanway (33')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Smith (28')

Sarina Wiegman calls on England to "dominate" world champions USA

Sarina Wiegman calls on England to
© Reuters
England Women manager Sarina Wiegman says that she wants her side to not only beat USA Women, but to "dominate" the world's top-ranked side in their friendly on Friday.

England Women manager Sarina Wiegman has said that she wants her side to not only beat USA Women, but "dominate" the world's top-ranked side in their international friendly on Friday.

The Lionesses welcome USA to Wembley in a glamour fixture which pits the newly-crowned European champions against the reigning World Cup holders.

USA have traditionally dominated women's international football down the years, winning four of the eight previous World Cups and never finishing worse than third, while they currently sit comfortably clear of the rest at the top of the FIFA world rankings.

England are fourth in those rankings, behind Germany and Sweden, but Wiegman has called for her side to make a statement on Friday night.

"We need these games to see where we are. We can player lower-ranked teams but it doesn't give you the picture you need to prepare for the World Cup. You always want to win and then after the game we always look at the moments and see what we could do better. That's how we approach it," she told reporters.

Sarina Wiegman in charge of England Women on July 20, 2022© Reuters

"What we have seen in Europe is the improvement of the game. You can see the difference between the Euros 2017 and 2022. The game has improved so much tactically and technically with many different styles of play. The Americans have improved to and brought in some younger players and newer players.

"I am really looking forward to it. The team is doing well. We had a few late injuries obviously, but now everyone who is here is available and it is looking good. USA are one of best teams in the world, they are ranked number one. I think, everyone in the USA team is very excited to come to Europe and play top-level teams.

"It is a great test for us. We are not only thinking about the result, we don't only want to win, we want to dominate the game. That is what we will try to do and what we hope to do. We are a team that everyone expects to win. We play USA who are very good.

"There are some top level teams that we are part of that when you play you don't know if you are going to win. We put pressure on ourselves. We want to win every time we go on the pitch."

England won the European Championships for the first time in their history during the summer, winning all six of their matches including victories over both Germany and Sweden.

However, the Lionesses have only won four of their previous 18 meetings with USA, including defeat in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals.

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Barney Corkhill
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