That’s all for tonight. I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s report – goodnight.
Sarina Wiegman’s reaction
We’re very happy with the win, especially after the last game. We played with lots of energy. We really wanted to dominate the game and I think that’s what we did. We hoped to score more goals because then it becomes easier. You could see that on counter-attacks they were sometimes very dangerous. But overall I’m very happy with our performance.
We started the game really well with a lot of pace, then it dropped a little bit. At first they didn’t step in with the centre-back, then later on they did, and then we needed more runs behind. It’s just a lot easier if we score a second goal. But I was pleased with our performance.
We said after the World Cup we sometimes lose the ball in dangerous moments, and we were a lot more secure on the ball today. The decision-making needs to be right.
I was very happy to see Fran Kirby back. She did well; Ella [Toone] played well too.
"We need to score more!" ⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 27, 2023
Sarina Wiegman is pleased with the @Lionesses after their win over Belgium but insists they need to be more clinical in front of goal... 🏴
🎙️ @seemajaswal | @IanWright0 pic.twitter.com/w5qGtOgZou
Updated
Full time: England 1-0 Belgium
Peep peep! England make it two wins out of three in their Nations League group, though Belgium made them sweat. It was a strange game, in that both a 3-0 England win and a 1-1 draw would have made sense. In the end England did enough to protect Lauren Hemp’s early goal and move above Belgium ahead of the return match on Tuesday.
Netherlands beat Scotland 4-0 in the other group game, so this is how the table looks at the halfway point.
Netherlands 6pts (+4)
England 6 (+1)
Belgium 4 (0)
Scotland 1 (-5)
Updated
90+2 min The return game in Leuven on Tuesday will be good. Belgium are a better team than I realised.
90+1 min Four minutes of added time. Park produces a lovely bit of footwork in the area but runs out of room and shoots wide from a tight angle.
90 min A speculative header from De Caigny bounces gently through to Earps. England are nearly there.
87 min: Belgium substitution Jill Janssens replaces Kassandra Missipo.
85 min Greenwood’s angled free-kick is headed back across goal by Bronze towards Daly, who hooks an adroit shot that is well blocked on the six-yard line.
84 min: England substitution Jess Park replaces her Manchester City teammate Chloe Kelly, who was as busy and progressive as ever.
Updated
83 min Kelly’s long-range shot is blocked. This game is too open for England’s liking.
82 min Daniels is fouled by Daly on the left wing. Belgium are a threat from set-pieces and again they pin England in their box. Eventually Wijnants’s cross is headed down and claimed by Earps.
78 min Hemp plays a one-two on the right, charges into the area and rifles a low drive that is kneed away at the near post by the keeper Evrard. It was unorthodox but a good bit of improvised goalkeeping.
Updated
77 min England’s lead feels increasingly precarious. Belgium have done this before – last month they were 1-0 down to the Netherlands, who had 76 per cent of the possession, and came back to win the game in injury time.
Updated
75 min: Double substitution for Belgium Yana Daniels of Liverpool and Jassina Blom replace Feli Delacauw and the excellent Marie Detruyer. She looks a serious prospect, with lovely vision and weight of pass.
Updated
74 min Hemp’s cross just evades the head of Daly before Evrard punches it away. England are having their best spell in a while.
73 min Netherlands are hammering Scotland 4-0 in the other game in this group. That means, as things stand, they and England top the group with six points (though Netherlands are first because of the head-to-head).
71 min Greenwood curls a fine free-kick over the wall, and Evrard flies to her left to punch it away. It was a fairly comfortable save in the end.
70 min Kelly’s cross is punched away dramatically by Evrard, then Stanway is fouled 30 yards from goal. This might be a chance for Greenwood.
67 min England have taken control again after that good spell for Belgium, but 1-0 doesn’t feel like a safe lead. And yes, I know that sounds idiotic but there are times when it does feel safe, for example when Manchester City’s men’s team are 1-0 up and have the ball.
64 min: Double substitution for England Rachel Daly gives Fran Kirby a hug before they come on to replace Ella Toone and Alessia Russo. It’s a really nice moment for Kirby, who missed the World Cup through injury.
Updated
60 min Stanway is lucky not to be booked for a foul on Deloose. Belgium are having more of the ball than at any stage of the match.
57 min This is a good spell for Belgium. The impressive Detruyer, only 19, threads a terrific ball to find Cayman on the right side of the area. Her cutback bounces awkwardly in front of Wullaert, who mishits a shot that is cleared by Bright.
Updated
56 min Earps makes another good save. A free-kick was cleared as far as the substitute Wijnants, 25 yards out. She took a touch and leathered a shot that was punched away by Earps, flying to her left. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as her earlier save but it was another excellent, decisive bit of goalkeeping.
53 min Hemp, who has started the second on the right, beats Deloose with ease but her cutback is headed away at the near post.
50 min Another chance goes begging. Kelly surges thrillingly into the area from the left and has a shot blocked. It ricochets to Russo, who volleys over from eight yards. The ball was slightly behind her, but it was still a terrific opportunity.
Updated
50 min England look like they want to put this game to bed as soon as possible. They’ve made a ferocious start to the second half, as they did the first.
48 min: Chance for Bronze! The next corner, swung in from the right by Greenwood, is headed just wide of the far post by the unmarked Bright. That was an excellent chance.
48 min Hemp wins an early corner for England on the left. Kelly’s inswinging corner is half cleared and comes back to her on the left. She stands up a lovely cross that is met powerfully by Bright, 10 yards out. Her header hits Vanhaevermaet and brushes the roof of the net.
46 min Peep peep! Belgium begin the second half, and they’ve made a substitution: Sarah Wijnants has replaced Jody Vangheluwe.
Half time: England 1-0 Belgium
Peep peep! England lead deservedly through Lauren Hemp’s goal. They’ve had over 75 per cent of the possession and look much better for the return to a front three. It wasn’t entirely comfortable, though: Mary Earps made a spectacular save at 0-0 and Belgium were a semi-regular threat both on the counter-attack and from set-pieces.
Updated
45+1 min The resulting corner is met by De Caigny, who hooks an adroit volley into the side netting at the near post.
45 min A Belgium free-kick leads to a bit of a scramble in the England area. Eventually De Caigny’s snapshot is crucially blocked by Bronze.
43 min Kelly plays a one-two on the left with Toone and pokes the ball off to Russo, whose swept shot is too close to Evrard.
Updated
40 min Detruyer guides a fine pass down the inside-right channel to Wullaert. She has no support so takes the shot on from the right edge of the area. It hits Bright and rebounds for a throw-in.
37 min With Belgium camped in their own third, Bright moves forward and thunders a long-range shot that is deflected behind for another corner.
34 min Although they have dominated throughout, England won’t feel comfortable at 1-0. Belgium have shown enough in attack, Wullaert in particular, to ward off any complacency.
31 min “England have three goalkeepers on the bench?” says Andrew Sherman. “I suppose this is to give Khiara Keating a taste of the action?”
I think all the available players are on the bench – Lauren James and Lucy Parker have pulled out. The days of two subs, if you’re lucky, are long gone.
Updated
30 min Bright belts a crossfield pass to Charles, who heads it cleverly back inside to Hemp. She draws the keeper and knocks the ball across the face of goal, but Russo can’t quite get there under pressure from De Neve. Shame as that was an excellent move.
Updated
28 min The resulting corner is headed on and reaches Missipo beyond the far post. She chests the ball down but slices wide under pressure from Charles. Good defending rather than a bad miss.
Updated
28 min The wily Wullaert pulls out left to receive a long pass forward. She moves into the area and hits a cross that deflects off Bright and spins just wide of the far post.
26 min Russo is first to Greenwood’s near-post corner, but her header hits a challenging Belgian defender and goes behind for another.
Updated
25 min Greenwood tries to hold off Missipo but ends up elbowing her on the nose. The referee settles for a word, though it could easily have been a yellow card.
23 min Every time I say England are on top, Belgium create something. After a game of head tennis on the edge of the area, Walsh miskicks a clearance straight to Vangheluwe, but she doesn’t connect properly with a first-time shot and Earps saves easily.
23 min Greenwood pings a sweet long-range drive that is pushed away by Evrard, jumping to her left. England are well on top.
20 min Belgium are defending very deep, looking for counter-attacks. That one early chance aside, it hasn’t worked thus far.
Updated
19 min Greenwood’s sliderule pass towards Charles is cut out on the edge of the area. The ball runs to Toone, who cracks a first-time shot that is well held by Evrard.
17 min England look relaxed and confident going forward, which hasn’t always been the case in the past year or so. A 4-1-2-3 formation feels right for this team, though it’s not a straightforward decision because Lauren James is most dangerous at No10.
15 min That’s Lauren Hemp’s 15th goal for England, which is pretty good going for a 23-year-old.
Chloe Kelly’s inswinging corner from the left was met by Millie Bright, whose backheader bounced off the far post. The ball bounced back towards Hemp, who snapped a volley into the net from close range.
Updated
GOAL! England 1-0 Belgium (Hemp 13)
At one end or another, a goal was coming.
Updated
11 min Belgium, in the parlance of our time, are growing into the game. We haven’t seen a replay of that Earps saved but live it looked sensational.
9 min: Brilliant save by Earps! Yeah, I went too early with the whole mismatch thing, because Belgium should be ahead. The corner was only half cleared, back out to Wullaert on the right. She lobbed a dangerous cross towards Vanhaevermaet, whose powerful header was saved spectacularly, two-handed to her left, by the flying Earps. I thought she would only be able to push it into the net, given the lack of reaction time, but somehow she kept it out.
Updated
8 min That’s more like it from Belgium. Wullaert breaks forward and plays a nice reverse pass to Delacauw, whose shot from the edge of the area hits Bright and goes behind for a corner.
7 min You can never be sure in sport, but at the moment this looks like a mismatch. In fact, based on the first seven minutes it’s hard to fathom that Belgium beat the Netherlands last month. Maybe they’re a stronger side at home.
6 min England have made an impressively fast start, just like the old days. Stanway wins the ball high up the field and finds Hemp on the left side of the area, but her chipped cross is too deep for Kelly at the far post.
Updated
3 min Belgium are struggling to get out of their half. Russo’s cutback from the right breaks for Hemp, whose rising drive is clawed away by Evrard. Toone is first to the rebound but heads wide from eight yards. She looked conscious of Evrard charging towards her, and in fairness Evrard did collide with her after the ball had gone. It was a really good chance.
Updated
2 min Charles is so polished when she attacks from left-back, particularly when she cuts inside on her right foot.
1 min A fast start from England. Charles makes a thrilling run into the area before being tackled. That leads to a bit of a scramble until eventually Charles, who stayed up, hooks a bouncing ball over the bar from 12 yards.
1 min Peep peep! After the players take a knee, England kick off from left to right as we watch.
Full time: Republic of Ireland 5-1 Albania Ireland’s flawless Nations League campaign continues: P3 W3 D0 L0 F12 A1. They’re heading for promotion to League A, or whatever we’re supposed to call it.
The players walk out to a rapturous reception from a sell-out crowd at the King Power Stadium. English football is in a pretty healthy place right now.
Katie McCabe has scored a hat-trick for the Republic of Ireland, who now lead Albania 5-1. Kyra Carusa is also on a hat-trick.
“Hi Rob!” writes Ruby Gough. “This match is an interesting one for me and my family. We were born and live in England but I’m 1/8 Belgian so supporting both sides today. Excited for the match!”
It’s a win-win situation, unless they draw I suppose.
The other home nations are all in action today. You can get all the results and latest scores on our live scores page.
Group A1
Netherlands v Scotland (7.45pm)
Group A3
Germany 5-1 Wales (FT)
Group B1
Republic of Ireland 4-1 Albania (68’)
Hungary 3-2 Northern Ireland (FT)
Suzanne Wrack’s preview
The growth of the women’s game means new pressures for the players, including the onerous task of being famous in a world full of poison.
Team news
Sarina Wiegman reverts to a back four, which means three changes from the defeat to the Netherlands. The in-form Niamh Charles and Chloe Kelly come in for Rachel Daly and Jess Carter, while the fit-again Keira Walsh replaces Katie Zelem in midfield.
England (4-1-2-3) Earps; Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh; Stanway, Toone; Kelly, Russo, Hemp.
Substitutes: Hampton, Roebuck, Keating, Morgan, Kirby, Carter, Zelem, Wubben-Moy, Clinton, Daly, Le Tissier, Park.
Belgium (possible 5-2-2-1) Evrard; Vangheluwe, Cayman, De Caigny, De Neve, Deloose; Vanhaevermaet, Missipo; Detruyer, Delacauw; Wullaert.
Substitutes: Lemey, Lichtfus, Philtjens, Van Belle, Brackman, Wijnants, Iliano, Daniels, Blom, Fon, Janssens, Littel.
Referee Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)
Updated
Preamble
Right, where were we? Ah yes, the inaugural Nations League. It got under way last month, when England beat Scotland and lost the Netherlands. Now they have a double-header against the surprise group leaders Belgium, with tonight’s game at Leicester followed by a trip to Leuven on Tuesday.
England need to finish top of Group A1 qualify for the finals in February, so they’ll want at least four points from these two games, ideally six. They are without Lauren James, who is resting after suffering concussion in training, but Fran Kirby and Keira Walsh return to the squad after injury. The exciting Khiara Keating and Grace Clinton have been included for the first time.
Belgium are a decent side who made the quarter-finals of Euro 2022 and stunned the Netherlands with a late winner last month. But they haven’t beaten England since 1980, and it will be a big surprise if that changes tonight.
Kick off 7.45pm.
