England Women vs Portugal LIVE!
Despite what the 26,000 supporters packed into Stadium MK might have anticipated, England were held to a frustrating goalless draw with Portugal in Milton Keynes. In their final warm-up match on home soil before they jet off to Brisbane for the World Cup this month, the Lionesses hosted Portugal, who are gearing up for their first-ever Women’s World Cup.
Goalkeeper Ines Pereira made a superb, sprawling save inside five minutes to deny Rachel Daly — who was preferred up front to Alessia Russo — a headed opener from Lauren Hemp’s cross. Russo rounded the goalkeeper after coming on at the break but was denied on the line by Ana Borges, From the resulting corner, Lucy Bronze nodded against the post, before Russo twice shot wide — both times assisted by Chloe Kelly, who was magnificent off the bench and is without question England’s most in-form wide player, heading into the World Cup.
Daly and particularly Russo were guilty of squandering a host of chances, and England fans will fear that April’s rain-dampened 2-0 defeat to Australia at Brentford threatens to become more than a mere blip at the worst possible time.