England open Nations League campaign with draw
Russo turned in Bronze's cross to put Lionesses ahead
Substitute Nazareth scored superb equaliser for hosts
Next up for England is Spain, who came from 2-0 down to beat Belgium
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FT: Portugal 1-1 England
That's all from us tonight as England start their Nations League campaign with an entertaining draw with Portugal.
Up next for the Lionesses is a tie at Wembley against world champions Spain.
Join us on Wednesday evening for that one. See you then!
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
Well, things don't get any easier for England as they welcome world champions Spain to Wembley on Wednesday night.
Spain came from 2-0 down to score a 96th-minute winner against Belgium earlier tonight.
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
England
Finally, here's what England boss Sarina Wiegman said to ITV about Luis Rubiales' guilty verdict: "That we have to talk about this again is good because it changes society and I stand with the Spanish players.
"They have so much courage to do this and it does make change, but more change needs to be made. They are still in it and it’s just really unfortunate that we can’t talk about – well we are talking about football but we also have to talk about this."
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Estadio Municipal de Portimao
Sarina Wiegman tells BBC Radio 5 Live that Lucy Bronze's substitution was a precaution and she should be fine to face Spain.
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
England
England boss Sarina Wiegman, speaking to ITV: "I'd hoped to come with more. We played a very good first half but we could've got more goals. The second half we had to adapt to their change in shape. They brought more players on up front and we were figuring that out.
"They scored a great goal but we could've done better there. Then we got the organisation better but couldn't get another goal.
"I'm not thinking about the Euros. I'm just thinking about next Wednesday against Spain. It will be a tough game and we'll try to win it."
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
Karen Bardsley
Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live
In the first-half I thought Grace Clinton was great. She looked really confident, she was getting in between pockets of space, receiving on the back foot and linking play. She was getting forward like she's confident doing.
That box-to-box role is different to what she's been doing for Manchester United.
There's bags of potential there, it just needs some refinement. I think she's in the right environment to be doing that and she'll learn a lot from that performance.
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
England
England defender Millie Bright speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think a game of two halves really. I think first half we had better quality on the ball, a little bit more control. I think [there's] lots of work to be done. Obviously, never happy conceding a goal, especially in that manner when it was preventable. Listen, they're a strong team, they tested us tonight. There's a lot to work on ahead of the game on Wednesday.
"I think when it's just 1-0 you keep a team in it and the longer it stays 1-0 the more the opposition gets confidence and tired legs out there towards the end of the game. We definitely need to be more ruthless in front of goal and take our chances. As we know, the game is so competitive and I think we need to create a few more as well. Essentially, when we do get those chances we need to put them in the back of the net.
"I don't think we shy away from that, I think we're the first to analyse our performances. I think consistency is something we need, a few changes within the team. A lot of work there to be done but the main thing is we didn't lose the game.
"We need to be confident, we didn't win the game but equally we didn't lose the game. I think you have to draw out the positives from the performance. It's small margins in football, I think if we make those tweaks it takes us to another level."
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
We're about to hear some reaction from the England camp. Stay with us!
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We're not going to retain the Euros. The FA need to start planning for the World Cup build without Wiegman, she's stagnated since the 2023 Final.
Martin
To all of the people saying “Sarina out”, who would you have come in for her??
Hannah
FT Portugal 1-1 England
Ian Wright
Former England striker on ITV
Nazareth had a massive impact. The culture must've been a bit more defensive minded to leave her out at the start.
It was a learning curve for Grace Clinton, dealing with a player of that calibre. I'm hoping she'll learn from that because she had a great game.
FT Portugal 1-1 England
Karen Carney
Former England midfielder on ITV
I was disappointed we didn't make it more than one. The second half I was scratching my head thinking it's a different team. The basics went and that's when you get punished. There are lessons to be learnt.
Nazareth is a beautiful player, so technically gifted. That was a wonderful finish.
Image source, PA MediaFT: Portugal 1-1 England
Kika Nazareth was the gamechanger for Portugal. Makes you wonder how the game would've gone had she started.
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
Karen Bardsley
Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live
Again, great start for England, really front-footed but it slipped through their fingers as the second half started.
They were fortunate, there were some great blocks by Leah Williamson but they need to have that killer instinct, that edge in front of goal. I wonder, with Lucy Bronze coming off, if that was something Sarina Wiegman will regret.
FT: Portugal 1-1 England
England were brilliant in the first half and could have been in front by more than a goal but that second half performance was a real shock. How does Sarina Wiegman correct that before Spain visit Wembley on Wednesday?
Portugal 1-1 England
That is that and the points are shared. A disappointing second half for England as Portugal looked the more likely to secure the three points.
Image source, Getty ImagesPortugal 1-1 England
Ella Toone breaks and shoots on the edge of the box but she's tripped as she shoots. The referee doesn't give a free-kick and Toone is furious.
Can't believe that wasn't a foul!
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No chance of England retaining their crown. Every other nation has moved forward yet England seem to have stood still.
Mark
If anyone has any doubt that Lucy Bronze is the GOAT of English football, look what happens when she’s not on the pitch. Less drive, less width. Less killer instinct.
Anon
Portugal 1-1 England
Corner for England is sent towards Leah Williamson. The skipper gets a good head on it but she's going backwards and can't get the power needed.
Portugal 1-1 England
Karen Bardsley
Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live
We've seen a really bright start and the momentum fading in the second half.
England are vulnerable to a quick switch of play and they find it difficult to break down a low block. These are the themes we're seeing.
Image source, Getty ImagesPortugal 1-1 England
England come forward through Jess Carter as she looks to find Aggie Beever-Jones but she gives away a soft free-kick.
Alessia Russo has scored eight goals in 14 league matches for Arsenal this season
England's worrying form continued as their Women's Nations League campaign began with a 1-1 draw in Portugal.
Sarina Wiegman's side, who will attempt to defend their European title in Switzerland this summer, have won just two of their last six matches.
Alessia Russo gave the Lionesses an early lead, poking home Lucy Bronze's delivery within 15 minutes on a wet evening in the Algarve.
But Portugal substitute Kika Nazareth capitalised on a period of pressure from the hosts, finishing off a brilliant team move and firing the ball into the top corner midway through the second half.
Russo's early goal had seemed to settle England and they could have doubled their lead when Grace Clinton's shirt appeared to be tugged back in the box, but referee Ivana Projkovska waved away appeals for a penalty.
Asked if she thought it was a penalty, Wiegman said afterwards: "Honest answer, yes. There is only one honest answer but you can't change it anymore.
"You have to move on with the game. I felt we had other opportunities to score a goal."
Wiegman's side were in full control as the half-time whistle went, but standout performer Bronze was substituted at the break as a precaution for a knock she picked up and England's momentum dipped massively in the second half.
Clinton, who had performed well in the absence of injured midfielder Georgia Stanway, began to struggle and England's defence was heavily tested.
Francisco Neto's Portugal side came into this game unbeaten in their last 10 matches, having not tasted defeat since a narrow 1-0 loss to France in December 2023, and they proved their quality in a tenacious second-half display.
The drop-off in intensity will concern manager Wiegman as England's preparations for Euro 2025 continue to appear rocky.
Pressure was on England to deliver an improved performance and to show what they had learned in friendly matches last year where they looked defensively vulnerable and far from their best.
Several key players were missing through injury including Stanway, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead and Alex Greenwood, but Wiegman named a strong starting XI.
Manchester United midfielder Clinton was trusted to fill the void left by midfielder Stanway and she excelled initially, switching play effectively and linking up nicely with club team-mate Ella Toone.
They combined early on when Clinton's through ball found Toone, but she dragged the ball inches wide of the far post with Russo unable to get on the end of it.
Minutes later, Bronze's brilliant delivery found Russo unmarked a few yards out and the Arsenal striker made no mistake, continuing her goalscoring form to give the Lionesses a deserved lead.
England looked much more assured in possession in the first half but once again, they allowed their opponents back into the game.
Portugal, who had showed glimpses of attacking threat with pace in wide positions during the first half, began to open the game up and capitalised on the visitors' dip.
The midfield trio of Clinton, Toone and Keira Walsh struggled to handle Nazareth when she was introduced – the Barcelona youngster was a surprise omission from Neto's team selection.
Midway through the half Nazareth found a pocket of space and drove towards the box before firing the ball superbly past goalkeeper Mary Earps for the equaliser.
"I felt the result was really fair for us. In the second half when we changed the formation, we were better," said Portugal boss Neto.
"When Kika [Nazareth] and other girls came in, they helped. This is something we want from all our players, to improve the team."
With the crowd buoyant and momentum clearly shifting in Portugal's favour, England were hanging on for the final whistle and despite a late header from Leah Williamson, were perhaps relieved in the end to come away with a point.
The result leaves them behind Nations League champions Spain, who came from 2-0 down earlier on Friday to beat Belgium 3-2 in the other match in Group A3.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Austria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
2 Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
|
3 Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
2 Iceland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
3 Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
4 Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
3 Portugal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
4 Belgium | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Sweden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
2 Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
3 Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Bosnia-Herzegovina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
|
2 Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| |
4 Romania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Slovenia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
3 Greece | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
4 Turkey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Hungary | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
2 Serbia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
3 Finland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
4 Belarus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
|
2 Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
3 Albania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
4 Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
|
2 Moldova | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
3 Gibraltar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
|
4 Faroe Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Cyprus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
2 Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
|
3 Andorra | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
4 Malta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Armenia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
|
2 Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
|
3 Luxembourg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
|
4 Liechtenstein | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Azerbaijan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
2 Montenegro | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|
3 Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
2 Estonia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
3 Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Kosovo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
|
2 Latvia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
3 North Macedonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
Manager: Francisco Neto
Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2
Manager: Sarina Wiegman
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Francisco Neto
Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2
Manager: Sarina Wiegman
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
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