Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp pushed England Women to the brink of the World Cup final after a 5-0 victory in Northern Ireland.

Sarina Weigmann’s side need just one more point in another qualifier against Austria in September to seal their place in the Australian and New Zealand championships next year, but even defeating this match means that they will only have to beat Luxembourg in the final game. advance.

Having scored 10 goals in each of three qualifying matches before heading to packed Windsor Park, the Lionesses felt their hosts were far more stubborn and only managed to get around Jacqueline Burns once before the pause, when the funky Hem finished at close range. hovering over it.

After the break, life got easier as the hosts began to tire as Ella Tone uncontrollably scored her tenth goal for England seven minutes into the second half and she was soon third as Hemp added his second spot after Burns closed.

Stanway then scored the first nine-minute brace with a straight finish after good work from Toone down the left before finishing the scoring with a half shot around Sarah McFadden in the bottom corner.

The hosts’ loss, along with Austria’s second win against Latvia, 8-0, means they can no longer qualify for the final due to poor head-to-head results .

England showed a clinical turn in the second half

Coach Sarina Weigman called England’s performance “mature” in one of the difficult atmospheres they have played in recent years in front of nearly 16,000 fans in Belfast.

Just as vocal team support remained stubborn, the hosts were stubborn in the opening 45 minutes as England enjoyed more than 80 per cent of the ball but found five defenders at times.

Patience proved as important as the quality of the lioness, who once again retained her strength and received fair rewards, while Northern Ireland struggled to keep up.

The second guys owe something to Hemp’s lucky kick which was the perfect puppet for Toone to sneak in and finish, and likewise a third when Leah Williamson’s pass to skid base was broken by McFadden, but Hemp prefers to get closer to Burns and the result. .

An hour ago, the hosts were showing real signs of fatigue and Toone had the chance to spin in from the left and lose control from box to box so the Stanway could collapse. A similar story happened for Game 5, when the Manchester City midfielder took down Hemp at home after a tiring clash from McFadden.

“It was a very mature performance with a great atmosphere and a great opportunity,” Wigman told BBC Sport.

“We wanted to be tougher in the first half, we created a lot of chances, but when I won 5-0 in the second half, we continued, they got tired and the result is really Well.”

Shells in a controversial reaction described the players as ‘more emotional than men’

Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shils drew a controversial comparison between men’s and women’s football in his post-match comments, describing the latter as ‘a more emotional sport’ when discussing the performances of his side – although no England goal came within nine minutes.

He is quoted as saying: “In women’s football, I have noticed that when a team concedes a goal, they concede the second goal in a very short time, throughout women’s football, because girls and women are more emotional only men.”

“So they scored a goal which is not very good.”

Analysis: England’s extra dynamic behind big win

Former Everton and Liverpool striker Courtney Sweetman-Kirk told Sky Sports:

„It wasn’t great in the first half, they could have been more dynamic, but Northern Ireland’s merits hampered the banks and made it difficult so England couldn’t find seats at the start.

“In the second half it was much better to be clinical in front of goal and the movement was much better. You worked for England, better to say that.

“I think Lauren Hemp made a huge impression, not only with the goals but also with her assists and the way she beat England in the second half. Ella Tone was good too, now England are playing with two goals, she had a great game especially the way she scored her fourth goal.

“Being tough and firm in defense and making life difficult for a better team is something you have to do, and the question for Northern Ireland is whether they can do that for longer in the game.”

What future for England and Northern Ireland?

The English will be next in action in June as they play two friendlies in preparation for the European Championship from July. Sarina Weigmann’s side will face Belgium on June 16 and the Netherlands on June 24, before the opener against Austria on July 6.

Northern Ireland, who share the same group with England in the European Championship, will start their tournament with Norway on July 7.