Football Union of Russia Ladies vs England Women. Women's World Cup Qualifying Group A.
Lokomotiv-2Attendance1,859.
Friday 8 June 2018 22:36, UK
England Women kept their hopes of qualification for the 2019 Women's World Cup firmly on track with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Russia in Moscow.
Phil Neville's side started the day in second place in Group 1 after Wales' 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday evening but they were soon back on their way to top spot after goals from Nikita Parris (22) and Jill Scott (27).
Elena Danilova (31) pulled a goal back for the hosts but Scott (36) grabbed her second of the match to secure a comprehensive victory.
The three points moves England, who remain unbeaten in qualifying, two points clear at the top of the table and keeps qualification in their hands with trips to second-placed Wales (August 30) and Kazakhstan (September 3) to come.
Phil Neville made six changes from the side that beat Bosnia 2-0 back in April with Millie Bright, Rachel Daly, Keira Walsh, Fran Kirby, Parris and Scott all returning to the starting line-up.
Lionesses captain Steph Houghton was the big absence for England, missing the game to have surgery on a knee injury but it didn't seem to affect Neville's side as they raced into a two-goal lead thanks to a pair of close-range headers from Parris and Scott within five minutes of each other.
Four minutes later, the visitors switched off at the back to hand Russia a way back into the game. Stand-in captain Lucy Bronze's poor touch gifted possession to Elena Morozova and her cross picked out Danilova, who guided a free header past Carly Telford and into the far corner.
In what was a frantic 14 minutes of action, England restored their two-goal advantage in the 36th minute when Walsh spotted the run of her Manchester City team-mate Scott, who made no mistake from close-range to grab her second of the game.
After the break Russia got numbers behind the ball, making life difficult for England's attackers.
However, the visitors could have added to the score but for a fine save from Julia Grichenko to keep out Toni Duggan's deflected free-kick.
Chances kept falling England's way but Ellen White and Duggan both failed to test Grichenko, while Fran Kirby's powerful late drive was smartly saved by the Russian goalkeeper.
There was a late scare for Neville and his side when Scott's wayward back pass gifted possession to Ekaterina Sochneva, but the substitute's tame shot was easily saved by Carly Telford as England held on for a valuable victory.
