England 5-0 Greece (8-1 on agg): Women’s World Cup qualifying playoff, second leg – as it happened

9.43pm BST

Match report: England 5-0 Greece (agg: 8-1)

A mercurial Lauren James scored two and provided an assist in a thrilling four-goal first 45 minutes against Greece, as England put themselves two games away from securing their place at the World Cup.

James’s double was matched by Alessia Russo, who scored either side of the break, and her Arsenal teammate Georgia Stanway was also on the scoresheet, with the Lionesses setting up a round two playoff phase double header against Ukraine in November and December. It was a clinical and slick statement from England, albeit against a team they should bypass with ease.

Any Greek hopes of arriving in Leicester and launching a Trojan horse-style smash and grab, after a hugely impressive performance in their 3-1 defeat to an unconvincing Lionesses team in Crete, were quickly dashed.

Related: James and Russo lead rout of Greece as England refind ruthless touch to progress

9.31pm BST

Alessia Russo's reaction We were happy with the score in the first leg but there were some things we wanted to wok on. We were ruthless early on and it was nice for a couple of girls to get their debuts too.

LJ [Lauren James] can play anywhere in the attacking third. She’s so technical; she finds passes in the tightest of spaces and you can see how ruthless she is in front of goal. I’m really enjoying playing with her and building more of a relationship.

[On Lexi Potter] You could tell straight away in training that she’s ready for this level. And she’s learning from the best in Keira [Walsh]. She was so confident, so composed; very happy she’s an England player.

Updated at 9.32pm BST

9.23pm BST

Full time: England 5-0 Greece (agg: 8-1) England are one step away from the World Cup after a comfortable win over Greece. Alessia Russo and Lauren James scored two apiece, with Georgia Stanway grabbing the other goal to continue her outstanding recent form.

Next up: Ukraine in a two-legged tie in November and December. The winners of that will be off to Brazil next summer.

9.20pm BST

90 min Three minutes of added time.

9.17pm BST

88 min The match – and tie – are petering out. The dates for England’s decisive playoff against Ukraine haven’t been confirmed – I think the first leg is in November with the second in December.

Updated at 9.19pm BST

9.15pm BST

86 min Walsh miscontrols the ball, then fouls Drakogiannaki and is booked.

9.14pm BST

85 min “We want six!” chant the home crowd. I’d say there’s a fair chance they will get what they want.

9.11pm BST

81 min Godfrey is put through on goal in the inside-left channel. She shapes a shot towards the far corner but it’s slightly telegraphed and Katergiannaki makes a fine diving save.

Updated at 9.13pm BST

9.10pm BST

81 min: Greece substitution Eleni Saich limps off to be replaced by Panagiota Argyriou. That was a bad tackle from Stanway, even it it was (almost certainly) accidental.

Updated at 9.11pm BST

9.09pm BST

79 min It’s not news, but Alessia Russo is so good. Both her goals tonight have been scored with the relaxed certainty of the superior footballer.

9.06pm BST

77 min A really poor tackle from Stanway, who catches Saich on the achilles with her studs. I assume it was accidental but she could have been sent off for that. She certainly should have been booked.

Updated at 9.08pm BST

9.05pm BST

GOAL! England 5-0 Greece (agg: 8-1; Russo 75) Another expert finish from Maidstone’s finest. Russo adjusted her feet superbly to receive Walsh’s angled pass, touch it beyond the defence and run through on goal. Katergiannaki came out but Russo was unfazed and strolled round her to score. Lovely finish.

Alessia Russo (left) gets past Greece goalkeeper Styliani Katergiannaki (right) and slots the ball home for her second goal and England’s fifth. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA Updated at 9.18pm BST

9.01pm BST

72 min: England substitution Liverpool’s Grace Fisk wins her second cap, replacing Leah Williamson in defence.

9.00pm BST

70 min: Greece substitution Georgia Chalatsogianni replaces Veatriki Sarri.

8.59pm BST

69 min Mead tees up Stanway, whose shot is blocked, and Walsh blooters the rebound into orbit. England are almost trying too hard to score a fifth goal.

8.55pm BST

66 min Greenwood fires a training-ground corner into Park on the edge of the area. Her shot is blocked and Stanway – on a hat-trick – leathers the loose ball just wide.

8.52pm BST

63 min I forgot to say that Freya Godfrey is making her England debut. We take this stuff for granted, but imagine making your debut your country.

8.51pm BST

61 min Scotland now lead Czechia 3-2 on the night, 5-2 on aggregate. They are heading for a playoff decider with Sweden, who sneaked past Lithuania 15-0 on aggregate.

Updated at 8.56pm BST

8.50pm BST

59 min: Triple substitution for England Freya Godfrey, Jess Park and Niamh Charles replace Lexi Potter, Maya Le Tissier and the magnificent Lauren Hemp.

8.48pm BST

57 min Stanway’s cross-shot is kicked away by Katergiannaki, who then hoofs an attmpted clearance against the onrushing Walsh (I think). The ball ricochets behind for a goalkick.

8.43pm BST

53 min Mead, on the left, drives a flat cross that is headed up and over the bar by Hemp. A nice effort from Hemp, which took the keeper out of the game, but she got a bit too much on it.

8.41pm BST

NO GOAL! England 4-0 Greece Stanway was fractionally offside. Ach, that’s a shame, mainly because that first touch deserved a goal.

8.41pm BST

GOAL! England 5-0 Greece (agg: 8-1; Stanway 49) Georgia Stanway gets her second of the night. She leapt to control Greenwood’s clipped ball over the top – her right foot was almost at shoulder height – before finishing emphatically. The agility and technique of her first touch were so good. But there’s a check for offside so the goal could be ruled out.

Updated at 8.58pm BST

8.39pm BST

49 min Mead misses a good chance, heading a cross from the right well wide of the far post. No matter, because…

8.37pm BST

47 min A long-range shot from Russo bounces awkwardly and is well held by Katergiannaki.

8.36pm BST

46 min Greece also made a triple substitution at the break: Marianna Rapani, Stamatia Ntarzanou and Eleftheria Drakogiannaki are on for Brame, Paterna and Moraitou.

8.35pm BST

46 min No hat-trick for Lauren James: she’s been replaced at half-time by Beth Mead.

8.35pm BST

Half-time verdict

That was a notable improvement from Sarina Wiegman’s team compared to Friday’s display. Nobody should get too carried away, because of the level of opposition, but there is a bit more zip, confidence and panache about the European champions’ play tonight, and Wiegman looks satisfied as she walks down the tunnel. The Potter-Walsh midfield base is working nicely and it is interesting seeing Georgia Stanway higher up the pitch.

Updated at 8.35pm BST

8.22pm BST

I am at the King Power and it is quite clear the tie is done and dusted, meaning the main source of excitement in the stadium at the moment is that they are advertising pints of lager for £6.90, and then charging £7.20 for it when you purchase it.

Updated at 8.37pm BST

8.20pm BST

Half-time reading

Related: ‘It changed me a lot’: how Japan’s academy system supercharged women’s team

8.19pm BST

Half time: England 4-0 Greece (agg: 7-1) Sarina Wiegman wanted England to be more ruthless, and they obliged in the first half at the King Power Stadium. Alessia Russo finished clinically in the third minute, Lauren James scored a trademark belter and added her second after Georgia Stanway’s obligatory goal had made it 3-0.

England could have scored more – Maya Le Tissier cleared the bar from two yards – but you’d imagine Wiegman is happy enough with four.

Updated at 8.21pm BST

8.19pm BST

45+3 min Yep, the on-field decision has been upheld by VAR.

8.18pm BST

45+2 min: Potter has a goal disallowed A debut goal from Lexi Potter is ruled out for a foul by Stanway earlier in the move. The referee allowed play to continue so that VAR could check the potential foul, but I can’t see this being overturned.

Updated at 8.19pm BST

8.12pm BST

After only 22 minutes, the home crowd broke out their first Mexican wave. Now, after just 39 minutes, they’re waving their phone lights in the air. It’s 4-0... As Russell Crowe might ask, are they not entertained?

8.12pm BST

42 min Stanway’s shot on the run is kept out at the near post by Katergiannaki. Good save. But England look like scoring almost every time they go forward.

8.10pm BST

38 min A corner from James bounces around the area. Greece fail to clear and Williamson sweeps a snapshot straight at Katergiannaki. File under: ‘She hit it too well’. But don’t bother with the acronym.

8.09pm BST

37 min Another excellent cross from Hemp, who has been sensational on the left, is taken off Stanway’s toes by Paterna.

Updated at 8.43pm BST

8.06pm BST

GOAL! England 4-0 Greece (agg: 7-1; James 34) Lauren James continues to enjoy herself. She’s just scored her second goal of the night with a crisp half-volley – right foot this time – from Hemp’s inviting cross.

Updated at 8.36pm BST

8.04pm BST

Lauren James is really enjoying her free role this evening, gliding around the pitch, finding acres of space. When she’s in this kind of confident form, not many teams can stop her, and this Greece team can’t. The fans are getting excited here, every time the Chelsea forward touches the ball.

8.03pm BST

33 min Russo is on her feet and looks okay to continue.

8.02pm BST

31 min There’s a break in play after Russo is whacked on the back of the head by a clearance from Katergiannaki. She’ll need to be tested for concussion before play can resume.

8.01pm BST

GOAL! England 3-0 Greece (agg: 6-1; Stanway 30) Georgia Stanway can’t stop scoring for England. Hemp made the goal with a beautiful curving run and clipped cross towards the near post. Stanway was waiting and guided an expert header into the far corner.

Updated at 8.27pm BST

7.59pm BST

28 min James’ deflected cross is somehow launched over the bar by Le Tissier, two yards out. She was flagged offside after the event, but replays showed she was onside so it would have counted. That’s a remarkable miss.

7.58pm BST

27 min Katergiannaki dives full length to palm Hemp’s cross away from Le Tissier, who was waiting to score her second goal in as many games.

7.54pm BST

25 min England beat Ukraine handsomely during their qualification group, 6-1 and 3-0, so they will be strong favourites to win that final playoff tie in November and December.

7.54pm BST

23 min Potter dithers and loses the ball in a dangerous area, which ultimately leads to a low shot from Saich that is saved by Hampton.

7.51pm BST

20 min James’ brilliant cross from the left is headed wide by Russo, who was penalised for a challenge on Markou anyway.

7.50pm BST

19 min Not any more: Czechia have gone 2-1 up in Paisley, so Scotland lead 3-2 on aggregate.

7.50pm BST

18 min “Scotland are playing Czechia in the second leg of their play off in Paisley tonight,” writes Simon McMahon. “Two-nil down from the first leg, Czechia got one back through an absolute screamer from 35 yards that is well worth seeking out on the BBC website, but Scotland equalised immediately so it’s currently 3-1 on aggregate.”

7.47pm BST

Lauren James scores yet another belter. Le Tissier surged infield, to the edge of the D, and played a square pass that was diverted into the path of James by a stretching defender. James took a touch and swished a rising drive into the far corner with her left foot. Katergiannaki had no chance.

Updated at 8.34pm BST

7.46pm BST

GOAL! England 2-0 Greece (agg: 5-1; James 16) Pick that out!

7.45pm BST

14 min England enjoy their first extended spell of possession until Le Tissier wanders offside. As in the first leg on Friday, she’s almost playing as a right-winger when England have the ball.

7.43pm BST

12 min A through pass from James again releases Russo, this time on the right side of the area. Russo eschews the shot and slides a low cross that is cut out by a Greece defender. She was unselfish to a fault because that was an excellent scoring opportunity.

Updated at 7.43pm BST

7.40pm BST

9 min Sarri chips a dangerous cross from the left that is punched away under pressure by Hampton. Greece’s front three have started very sharply.

7.37pm BST

7 min The goal aside – admittedly a pretty big aside – Greece have started well. They’re pressing England as much as possible, a brave but also risky approach.

Updated at 7.38pm BST

7.35pm BST

4 min Papatheodorou almost replies straight away, sweeping a left-foot shot from the edge of the area that is pushed round the post by the diving Hampton. Good save.

7.34pm BST

GOAL! England 1-0 Greece (agg: 4-1; Russo 3) Perfect start for England. Lauren James collects a loose ball in the centre circle, surges forward and flicks a perfectly timed pass through to Russo. She rides a lunging challenge from Markou on the edge of the area and passes the ball confidently past Katergiannaki.

Updated at 7.56pm BST

7.31pm BST

1 min England, in the shape of Alessia Russo, kick off from left to right as we watch.

7.22pm BST

More than 22,000 tickets were issued for this match. It looks like scarcely half of that figure are here inside this stadium at the moment. The atmosphere is certainly livelier than it was in Crete on Friday, at least, and there was a very loud roar for Ella Toone when her name was read out among the list of substitutes, which was interesting.

There was a slight feel of England going through the motions on Friday – hopefully they will have a bit more zip and style about their game tonight, to entertain those who have turned up.

Updated at 7.22pm BST

7.17pm BST

Sarina Wiegman’s pre-match thoughts

[On the debutant Lexi Potter] I hope she will bring what she has done for Chelsea and in our training sessions. She’s impressed me, the staff and the team. She’s a big talent.

[On the inclusion of Jess Carter] There’s a lot of competition in that position. We will probably be one v one a lot in defence, which is something she’s good at.

We want to be more ruthless, and that’s about having the positioning right, making the right decision and executing better than we did. That’s what we’ve been talking about a lot in the last couple of days.

7.11pm BST

It took a labyrinthine move from Sarina Wiegman’s team to find a way through deep-lying Greece. On the outskirts of Heraklion, the ancient city of Knossos, which is associated with the legend of the Minotaur and the labyrinth constructed by Daedalus to contain it, Laura Blindkilde Brown’s quick pass to Alessia Russo was artfully flicked first time to her Arsenal teammate Georgia Stanway and the midfielder slotted in past the goalkeeper Fafailia Petaloti.

There were muted celebrations after the goal, reflective of the frustration they felt at having taken 39 minutes to get their first goal against the team ranked 54 places below them.

That was a familiar frustration because, despite two Euros wins and a World Cup final, England have struggled to completely shake free of the accusation that they struggle against low blocks. In spite of the 3-1 scoreline and their dominance in possession, the Lionesses didn’t look comfortable or particularly happy for stretches of the match.

Related: Russo’s return to form is vital but Lionesses still lack bite against low blocks | Suzanne Wrack

6.36pm BST

England have two jobs to do tonight. The first, avoiding an almighty upset and progressing past Greece on aggregate in their Women’s World Cup playoff to reach a final tie, should be a formality for one of the world’s best-resourced teams. The second, honing their style to play like contenders for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil, is a far trickier but crucial challenge.

Friday’s relatively uninspiring 3-1 first-leg victory in Crete left room for improvement and England had plenty to work on as they trained at St George’s Park on Monday under gloomy-looking clouds. More broadly, over the next eight months, there are six questions facing the European champions.

1. Can England defend well enough to win a world title?

England had 58 touches in Greece’s box and turned that into three goals, whereas Greece had two touches in England’s box but managed to score and hit the crossbar. Sarina Wiegman said she was not happy her team had conceded. Their defending in June’s 4-0 defeat by Spain also left much to be desired, and it feels as if England are not yet certain about who should partner the captain, Leah Williamson, at centre-back. Wiegman mentioned on Monday that stopping counterattacks was something they must fix – they also struggled defending quick breaks in April 2025 when losing in Belgium. That year, they found a way to win the Euros but they must tighten up defensively if they want to win a first world title in the Maracanã in July.

Related: Six questions facing England as they target next year’s Women’s World Cup

Updated at 6.46pm BST

6.33pm BST

Have you signed up for Moving the Goalposts, our weekly women’s football newsletter? If not, you need to consider your life choices. Here’s a snippet of this week’s edition.

Japan have constantly pushed the boundaries in women’s football, whether it be with regular success in Asia or their ability to beat the biggest nations in the world.

Nadeshiko won the Women’s World Cup in 2011 and reached another final in 2015, while more established countries fell by the wayside. Japan have not replicated that success but did win the Women’s Asian Cup this year under the guidance of Nils Nielsen, who has since been succeeded by Michihisa Kano, and most of the biggest stars play outside the country, with 24 contracted to Women’s Super League clubs alone.

Japan are discreet about the secrets behind their success, particularly the easy-on-the-eye style that has become a trademark of the men’s and women’s teams, but one of those secrets lies in the Japanese Football Association (JFA) creating the JFA Academy.

There are three that take girls across the country of 123 million people: Fukushima, Sakai and Imabari. A fourth, Kumamoto Uki, is a boys’ academy only. Fukushima was the first to open, in 2006, with Sakai following in 2012 and Imabari in 2015.

Shota Mishio, an analyst for the national team when they conquered the world in 2011, recently coached in the Fukushima academy, which since the nuclear disaster that preceded their World Cup success by months has moved to Susono City. He offers an insight into how they are able not only to develop world-class individuals but to mould them into a successful unit for the national team.

Related: ‘It changed me a lot’: how Japan’s academy system supercharged women’s team

6.26pm BST

Team news Sarina Wiegman makes two changes from the first leg in Crete. Jess Carter and Lexi Potter replace Esme Morgan and Laura Blindkilde Brown. Potter is making her international debut.

Greece also make a couple of changes. Eleni Saich replaces Eleftheria Drakogiannaki and Stylian Katergiannaki is preferred in goal to Fafailia Petaloti.

England (4-3-3) Hampton; Le Tissier, Williamson, Carter, Greenwood; Stanway, Walsh, Potter; Hemp, Russo, James.

Subs: Keating, Charles, Moorhouse, Blindkilde Brown, Morgan, Fisk, Clinton, Mead, Parkinson, Godfrey, Toone.

Greece (4-3-3) Katergiannaki; Giannaka, Gkouni, Markou, Paterna; Brame, Saich, Moraitou; Papatheodorou, Sarri, Brouksair.

Subs: Giannakouli, Petaloti, Fakinou, Ntarzanou, Kapnisi, Chalatsogianni, Drakogiannaki, Tzourtzevits, Argyriou, Palama, Rapani, Kongouli.

Referee Rasa Grigone (Lithuania).

Updated at 7.38pm BST

6.00pm BST

Preamble Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of England v Greece at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. It should be a comfortable night for England, who lead 3-1 from Friday’s first leg in Crete, but the venue for tonight’s game is a reminder that the strangest things can happen in football. Greece are extremely long odds to shock England and win this World Cup playoff, but they’re not 5,000-1. Stranger things have most definitely happened.

Related: Lionesses take control of World Cup playoff tie but unfancied Greece still in fight

The winners of this tie will meet Ukraine – who beat Slovakia 1-0 this afternoon to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory – in a decisive playoff. What England really want, aside from the bleedin’ obvious, is to improve on a mixed performance in the first leg. Sarina Wiegman was constructively critical after the game, saying that England weren’t tight enough and didn’t move the ball as quickly as she would have liked.

England know they need to play a lot better if they are to win the World Cup in Brazil next summer. First, they have to get there.

Kick-off 7.30pm BST.

Updated at 6.04pm BST