England women face familiar finishing questions before Greece second leg
England lead Greece 3-1 after the first leg but wasteful finishing has renewed focus on their ruthlessness in front of goal ahead of Tuesday's decider in Leicester.
England take a two-goal advantage into Tuesday's Women's World Cup qualifying play-off second leg against Greece at Leicester, but their 3-1 first-leg win in Crete left room for improvement. Sarina Wiegman's side dominated with 74% possession and 26 shots yet only scored three times, while Greece hit the bar in the first half and pulled a goal back after the break.
Wiegman has called for greater ruthlessness, highlighting the need for better final passes, crosses and decisions in the box, as well as stronger connections between players. Midfielder Keira Walsh described the hesitancy as frustrating but pointed out that England are still reaching the final third consistently, which she sees as the more important foundation.
The issue is not new. Since finishing runners-up at the 2023 World Cup, England have often edged past lower-ranked opponents without convincing scorelines. In this qualifying campaign they have beaten Iceland and Spain narrowly and under-fired against Greece, despite creating plenty of chances.
Arsenal's Georgia Stanway has been an exception, scoring 10 goals since Euro 2025 and ranking among Europe's most prolific internationals. However, regular starter Lauren Hemp has only two goals in 687 minutes, and Lauren James has not scored in her past 425 minutes. Injuries to Aggie Beever-Jones and Michelle Agyemang have limited competition for Alessia Russo up front.
Former England striker Ellen White stressed the importance of building rhythm and connections, particularly between a number 10 and a number nine. Ex-midfielder Fran Kirby added that movement around the box must be unselfish and controlled, noting that England looked rushed against Greece. Both spoke on the Women's Football Weekly podcast.
England have shared goals around the squad, with 11 different scorers since Euro 2025, including defenders Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter and Maya Le Tissier. Yet they have not won any match in which they trailed since that tournament, losing to Brazil and Spain. Breaking down deep defences remains a challenge, and Tuesday's second leg will test whether they can convert dominance into a more comfortable result.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
