Lionesses put on a show in dream send-off for Euros

There were fireworks over Leicester.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

The Lionesses will hope they see more over Basel in four weeks’ time. The tests will only get tougher, starting against France in their Euro 2025 opener on Saturday, but England ensured they enjoyed their send-off with a thumping win over Jamaica at the King Power.

It can sometimes be hard to tell just how much to take from a friendly of this nature, and what was clear from this 7-0 win was that a depleted Jamaica provided a demonstration to anyone at Euro 2025 of how not to play against England. The European champions and holders, though, displayed just how much quality they possess when they are allowed time and given options. “We should take a lot of confidence [from the result],” Leah Williamson said. “We wanted to move the ball, put on a show.”

With heavyweights in France and Netherlands up first at the Euros, the only opposition England are likely to face in Switzerland who would potentially mirror Jamaica’s approach is Wales, who sit deep in an organised block and look to counter with pace. Jamaica, though, were missing a number of key players, including record scorer and captain Khadija Shaw and goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, and, while they indeed set up ina defensive 4-4-2, it provided little resistance to England surging forward.

Keira Walsh might have thought her days of being able to sit in front of England’s centre-backs and spray passes from holding midfield were over, given the careful attention opponents usually allocate to shutting down the reliable dictator of England’s rhythm. Not here, with Walsh able to face forward, look up, pull out a lawn chair and gaze at the options in front of her. Unsurprisingly, when Walsh is afforded that time on the ball and Williamson can also thread passes through the lines from defence, England’s threats begin to spring up from all angles.