England kick-started their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign in perfect style with an emphatic 6-1 win against Ukraine in Turkey. The Lionesses had been left frustrated by a resilient defensive performance from Ukraine in the first half but came out with fresh impetus after the restart, scoring six goals to cruise to victory in their first competitive game since winning the Euros in July 2025.
Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park all netted doubles at the Mardan Antalyaspor, the neutral location chosen to host Ukraine’s designated home game due to the ongoing war with Russia.
Russo’s two goals in just four minutes provided a comfortable and deserved lead but Yana Kalinina’s effort with Ukraine’s first attack of the game hinted at a shift in momentum in the fixture.
Why was Ukraine vs England played in Turkey?
Ukraine played their designated home match against England in Turkey due to the ongoing war with Russia in their home country.
There were safety concerns surrounding the fixture due to Turkey being in close proximity to the conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, US and Israel.
The Lionesses were given “safety assurances” ahead of the fixture and were in constant contact with the UK government.
However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished when Lauren Hemp was brought down in the area just after the hour mark.
Stanway stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick and would then double her tally for the evening moments later with a thumping effort into the top left corner.
A tap-in from Park and a well-taken curling effort capped off an impressive start for the Lionesses in Group A3 ahead of their meeting with Iceland in their next fixture on March 7 at the City Ground in Nottingham.
2026-03-03 19:00:00
