England women 4-1 France women
- Published
2018 SheBelieves Cup, United States |
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Remaining England fixtures: v Germany (Sunday, 4 March, 20:00), v USA (Thursday, 8 March, 00:00) |
Coverage: Watch on BBC Red Button, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website |
England women dismantled France 4-1 in the SheBelieves Cup in the United States to give Phil Neville the perfect start to his reign as head coach.
Goals from Toni Duggan, Jill Scott and Jodie Taylor underpinned a fluent first half for the Lionesses in windy conditions in Columbus, Ohio.
Fran Kirby added a fourth before Gaetane Thiney's consolation.
England, however, saw Chelsea defender Anita Asante limp off in her first start since 2015.
England's impressive opening was rewarded when Barcelona forward Duggan swept Kirby's pass beyond goalkeeper Karima Benameur.
France, ranked sixth in the world, struggled to contain the movement and slick interchanges of Neville's team throughout.
Taylor's precise chip bounced back off the crossbar before Scott doubled England's advantage with a placed effort into the bottom corner.
Nikita Parris' incisive pass released Taylor for the third and Kirby rounded off England's scoring.
Asante's injury was the only downside, although it did allow Manchester City defender Abbie McManus to make her England debut.
New dawn under Neville?
Neville said before this match that some of those who criticised his appointment would be happy to see the team "lose all three games" in this tournament.
Neville made five changes to the side that thrashed Kazakhstan 5-0 in November - some, like injured captain Steph Houghton, were enforced, but form was also a factor in his selection.
Duggan, restored to the starting XI, underlined all that was good in England's display. She was nimble and neat in possession and capped her performance with a goal.
While England's victory was resounding, they will have to eradicate complacency and mistakes from their performances - such as the sloppy period of play before France's consolation - if they are to overcome Germany and hosts USA.
'I had butterflies but the players didn't'
Afterwards, England boss Neville said: "I was a little bit nervous before the game, I had a few butterflies, but my players didn't, that's the most important thing.
"There is great expectation and I love that expectation. On the bus on the way to the ground it felt right.
"It felt right standing in the technical area and the most important thing is the players are enjoying the raised expectations and the higher profile."
What's next?
England return to action against Germany on Sunday (20:00 GMT) before facing the USA next Thursday (00:00 GMT).
- Published2 March 2018