England Women vs Czech Republic Women. Women's International Friendlies.
Amex StadiumAttendance21,222.
Match report as Lauren James and Lauren Hemp both hit the post against the Czech Republic; Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby also see chances pass them by as England draw for the first time since February
Wednesday 12 October 2022 06:19, UK
A misfiring England were held to a 0-0 draw by the Czech Republic in Brighton - bringing an end to their 15-match winning run and leaving Sarina Wiegman to reflect on "a good learning moment".
The Lionesses have racked up some big results under Sarina Wiegman - including an 8-0 win against Norway at the Amex Stadium during the Euros - but were unable to find a way past a stubborn Czech Republic defence on Tuesday.
"We are absolutely disappointed because we think we could have won," Wiegman said in her post-match press conference.
"We knew the Czech Republic were a tough opponent, very physical, direct, good in small spaces, they drop a little deeper. That's exactly what they did and we have to do that better.
"We got a couple of chances - in the first half, we hit the post and in the second half, we had three opportunities to score and we didn't.
"Then they stayed in the game and counter-attack a couple of times and were very dangerous. So for us, a very good learning moment."
It is their first goalless draw since they faced Spain in the Arnold Clark Cup in February, and although they remain unbeaten under the Dutch manager, it does bring a halt to their impressive victorious streak.
England had their chances to win it too, being guilty of some inaccurate finishing as well as facing a well-drilled Czech side. Lauren James hit the crossbar inside four minutes, before the Chelsea forward picked out Lauren Hemp later in the half, but England's first shot on target from the latter was straight at the goalkeeper.
The two best chances of the half though came late on. Some really nice play between James and Lucy Bronze on the left saw the Barcelona right-back loft the ball into the area. Chloe Kelly met it at the back post, but just diverted her header wide.
At the other end, Mary Earps made her first save of the game. The impressive Andrea Staskova was afforded far too much space to drive into the area, scuffing her shot at the goalkeeper as Alex Greenwood slid in.
While the Czech Republic continued to look dangerous on the counter - Chelsea's Katerina Svitkova also a menace throughout - it was England who kept seeing chances fall their way in the second half.
Shortly after the break, Bronze picked out half-time substitute Beth Mead down the right of the area, with the winger finding Hemp with her cross. However, the Man City forward could only loop it onto the top of the net.
Hemp was involved again on the hour as England were kept out quite incredibly. A ball over the top sent her away down the left, but her ball through the six-yard box pinged off the far post. Fran Kirby and Demi Stokes were both lurking for the rebound, but both saw their attempted efforts well blocked.
There was then a long stoppage around the 70-minute mark as Czech defender Gabriela Slajsova was stretchered off after catching her ankle underneath her while chasing down Hemp, later emerging towards the end of the game with the joint heavily strapped.
As Wiegman continued to introduce new players - Esme Morgan making her England debut and Ebony Salmon earning her second cap - England kept seeing chances pass them by. Kirby saw a wonderful, dipping shot pushed over the crossbar by Olivie Lukasova, before Mead sent a curling effort past the post.
The Czech Republic had a few nerve-jangling breaks of their own in a frenetic ending, and celebrated their draw against the European Champions at full time. For England though, not the result they would have wanted to end their October camp with.
England manager Sarina Wiegman:
"You want opponents who are hard to beat. Last Friday [against the USA] was a totally different game and was equal. We knew we were going to be in possession a lot more than that game, but also you want to break down an opponent.
"We can expect that, in the future, sometimes we will have opponents like this who are very tight and very physical and drop a little deeper, which is really hard to break down and we have to find ways to do that too.
"So in all our spaces, we need to be tighter, we need to be connected even better. And yes, we can easily play other teams that, ahead of the game, we know we're going to [be connected] but we have to be uncomfortable sometimes too.
"Today, in that part of the game, being in possession and not having that many chances, that was really uncomfortable for us and we learnt from it.
"We saw them [the Czech Republic] against the USA, against the Netherlands twice in the qualification round and we saw how tight they are, how physical they are and how dangerous they can be on the counter.
"We knew that, but I hoped we would have broken down their defence quicker because when you score the first goal, it gets easier. Today, we tried to do that but we didn't. In the worse case scenario, you even concede one and we didn't so that's good.
"We just needed to be tighter on the ball and it was all about us because we had to make the game. So we had to do better, be tighter on the ball and sometimes keep things simple.
"We were already better towards the end of the first half, so it would've been really nice if Lauren James' shot that hit the post, if that had gone in, it would've been easier. At the end of the game, we tried to get an extra striker but we didn't great any more opportunities."
Sky Sports' Charlotte Marsh at the Amex Stadium:
"After beating the USA on Friday, Wiegman spoke about this international break being a reset for England. After easing through World Cup qualification in September, sights are now firmly set on preparations for next summer's tournament.
"This match against the Czech Republic will have been a learning curve. England faced a battling, well-drilled Czech Republic side and a kind of defence that they haven't faced too much recently. Usually, it has been an equally-talented attacking side who offer different prospects or a team who have crumbled under the pressure.
"On this occasion though, England could not find the key for that lock - but it's hardly a disaster. This is what friendlies were built for and Wiegman arguably targeted the Czech Republic for exactly this kind of test.
"Let's not forget too that England were without captain Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway just to name a few. They are all nailed-on starters heading into future international matches.
"Lauren James also gave Wiegman something to think about in terms of team selection, looking lively once again. Lucy Bronze has had a good October camp too, driving the Lionesses forward in both games.
"While Wiegman was loath to give anything away as to her plans for the next 10 months, there is plenty for her to continue working on as she targets World Cup glory next summer."
England's next international keep will take place next month. They will head to Murcia, Spain and play Japan on Friday November 11 before facing Norway on Tuesday 15 November. Both kick-off times are yet to be announced.
