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Clinton delivers early to give experimental England edge
The Guardian
|December 04, 2024
An experimental England side recorded a slender win over next summer's European Championship hosts Switzerland as Sarina Wiegman gave youth a chance to impress in the Lionesses' last friendly for at least six months.
The Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton's early goal proved enough to earn England their second victory in this autumn's four friendly fixtures, as Wiegman locked her eyes firmly on next summer's major tournament and her squad selection.
On Friday Wiegman had declared she would be making "a lot of changes" for this fixture and she was true to her word, making no fewer than 10 alterations to her starting lineup from Saturday's goalless draw with USA, to such an extent that this was one of the most youthful teams the Lionesses had seen for many years.
With an average age of 23.9, significantly lower than the average for all teams participating at the most recent Women's World Cup (26.8), this was a side that included four 21-year-olds, two of whom - Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown - were making their senior international debuts.
Before last night's game, England's starting XI had accumulated just 127 senior international caps between them, 83 of which belonged to the Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright. The second-most experienced player in the team was the Manchester City playmaker Jess Park, who was earning her 13th cap yesterday.
This story is from the December 04, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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