It was a mixed night for the Lionesses at Coventry Building Society Arena on Tuesday, as they edged out South Africa 2-1 with a squad featuring eight changes from Friday’s clash against Germany at Wembley.
England captain Leah Williamson celebrated her 50th cap in style, opening the scoring in the 12th minute. After a challenging match under the arch, Williamson linked up with Spurs’ Jessica Naz to give England an early lead.
But soon after, the Lionesses’ defence found themselves under pressure as Mary Earps scrambled to deny South Africa an immediate equaliser. The PSG keeper clashed with Hildah Magaia on the line before Grace Clinton managed to clear the ball to safety.
Clinton then doubled England’s lead in the 23rd minute, heading powerfully into the net after an assist from club teammate Maya Le Tissier. The Manchester United midfielder impressed throughout, using the opportunity to make her case for the Euros and potentially add to Sarina Wiegman’s selection dilemmas.
The Lionesses were particularly effective down the right flank, showcasing the attacking style fans had hoped to see against a South African side that recently fell 5-0 to Denmark.
Defensive lapses, however, gave the visitors a few clear-cut chances that a more clinical opponent might have punished by halftime. Just before the break, England nearly paid for another misstep, as Williamson narrowly beat Magaia to clear a dangerous header in front of goal.
England’s clean sheet didn’t last much longer, though, as sloppiness reappeared in the second half. Less than ten minutes after the restart, Williamson’s misplaced pass failed to reach a slow-reacting Georgia Stanway, gifting the ball to Chrestinah Kgatlana. The South African forward capitalised, driving at Earps and slotting the ball confidently into the bottom left corner.
On the hour mark, Chloe Kelly nearly restored England’s two-goal cushion with a long-range effort that rattled the crossbar, but Kgatlana continued to exploit gaps in England’s defence. She even found the net again, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside—a call that spared England further defensive blushes.
Late on, Ella Toone’s strike from outside the box was denied, while Earps remained steady at the other end to prevent a late equaliser for the visitors. Kgatlana was through time and time again for South Africa, raising questions once again at England’s growing defensive insecurities.
Starting XIs:
England: Earps (GK), Le Tissier, Morgan, Stanway, Williamson (C), Greenwood, Kelly, Clinton, Naz, Park, Mead
South Africa: Swart (GK), Ramalepe, N.Cesane, Dhlamini, Magaia, Motlhalo, Kgatlana (C), S.Cesane, Mbane, Makhubela, Motau
Featured image courtesy of Emilie Mwanza.