Northern Ireland 0-5 England: Lionesses end Euro 2022 group stage in style as NI are eliminated

England completed an impressive group stage at Euro 2022 when they easily defeated Northern Ireland after already qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The tournament’s top scorer, Beth Mead, extended her tally to five goals, while substitute Alessia Russo scored twice within five minutes of the break.

Northern Ireland, competing in a major women’s tournament for the first time, finished bottom of the group without a win.

It wasn’t a home derby with much at stake but England were the big favorites and in Southampton they should show why.

With manager Sarina Wiegman absent after positive test for Covid On Friday, England were frustrated in the early stages at St Mary’s Stadium but soon followed through.

Chelsea’s Fran Kirby magically unleashed the deadlock when she expertly curled the ball into the top corner before Mead’s precision low shot made it 2-0 before half-time.

Russo came off the bench to score in the second game in a row, nodding in Mead’s chopped cross before turning away and scoring a second goal in five minutes.

An own goal from Northern Ireland’s Kelsie Burrows, who flicked Mead’s cross over goalkeeper Jackie Burns, completed the defeat.

Northern Ireland struggled to keep up after the break but had shown signs of threat in the first half – Lauren Wade tested goalkeeper Mary Earps from close range while Rebecca Holloway played some teasing balls.

Kenny Shiels’ side leave the tournament with many lessons to learn, but their fans were in celebration as they sang, banged drums and stood for almost the entire final game at Euro 2022.

England face a quarter-final against Spain or Denmark next Wednesday and cemented their status as a team few hope to face en route to the final.

England in perfect form for quarterfinals

Wiegman said beforehand she doesn’t expect any changes as she wants England to continue their “rhythm” and build momentum for Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

It was the same starting XI that ruthlessly hammered in eight goals against Norway on Monday and although they took time to adjust, they became more familiar as the game progressed.

Those links grew stronger every month under Wiegman and with England extending their unbeaten run to 16 games and conceding just three goals in 11 months, they couldn’t be in better shape for the knockout rounds.

Mead and Russo could have scored hat-tricks, while Lauren Hemp had arguably her best performance at Euro 2022.

The introduction of the substitutes didn’t spoil England’s intensity either, adding threats elsewhere and emphasizing the depth of quality at Wiegman’s disposal.

England were favorites for first place in Group A, easily enough.

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