England enjoyed some magical nights here in Brighton during their march to Euro 2022 glory, but this clash with the Czech Republic is not one that will live long in the memory.
Perhaps it should be expected that there would at some stage be a dip from the Lionesses given the high standards they have set themselves.
England became European champions this summer and beat world champions USA last Friday, and this game against the Czech Republic felt like a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show.
Part of that was down to the Czechs, who came to the Amex looking to frustrate. There were certainly successful in that, sitting deep and using their physicality to stifle England.
It meant Sarina Wiegman’s side - who are, we should not forget, now 24 games unbeaten since she was appointed - created very little and they had to settle for a 0-0 draw.
There was the odd bright spark with Lauren James hitting the post and looking good on her first start, while Alex Greenwood performed well at centre-back in the absence of captain Leah Williamson.
Even with the result it was a successful night off the pitch for England. Over 20,000 turned out at the Amex for this friendly, while the FA’s Let Girls Play campaign was given the chance to get some exposure as the Lionesses continue to fight for equality.
As we saw during Euro 2022, Wiegman isn’t one for mass team changes and she made just three for this clash as Demi Stokes, Ella Toone and James all came in.
James, the brother of England defender Reece, was making her first start for the Lionesses and she impressed. The winger caused the Czechs problems all night with her pace and power, and she struck the post inside three minutes.
That was the closest England really came to scoring in the first-half as they struggled to break down their stubborn visitors.
Lauren Hemp, who was once again playing upfront, had a tame shot on goal and Chloe Kelly flashed a header wide. Other than that, England created little and the Czech’s physicality made them hard to break down, with striker Andrea Straskova leading well from the front.
In an attempt to change things, Wiegman threw on Beth Mead at half-time in place of Kelly - who struggled to make an impact. Mead looked bright and sharp, and within minutes she found Hemp with a cross, but the Manchester City forward headed over.
Moments later Mead was in behind again, this time from a Millie Bright through ball, however the Czechs recovered well to stop her.
There was more scrambled defensive work shortly after as somehow the ball didn’t cross the line, despite Hemp dinking it over the goalkeeper.
England kept pushing for a winner and both Mead and Kirby went close late on, but the Czechs held out to claim a draw.
