James and Russo lead rout of Greece as ruthless England set up Ukraine playoff

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.

Sarina Wiegman had said on the eve of the game that she wanted to see improvement in the final third. “It’s staying onside, having the final pass, the right pass at the right moment, the run at the right time and deciding what option you choose,” she said.

In the King Power Stadium, which had a club vibe to it before kick-off as dance remix after dance remix blared out, the Lionesses responded to their manager’s call, Russo producing the first goal from the first shot and first attack in the third minute.

James was the architect, the Chelsea player driving forward and picking out the No 9 who shrugged clear of Eleni Markou’s challenge before firing a low shot in.

It was Russo’s fourth goal in four games for club and country, with the Arsenal forward having gone five Women’s Super League games without a goal prior to this run, and it was the sign of things to come from a team keen to shake off criticism of their lack of ruthlessness.

James was in majestic form, her injury worries behind her this season, and England fans were treated to a glimpse of what they missed at the Euros in Switzerland in 2025 where a less than half-fit James struggled and looked frustrated as her body failed to meet her demands on it.

She delivered England’s second and fourth in Leicester, her two first-half goals sandwiching Georgia Stanway’s header into the far corner from Lauren Hemp’s chipped cross. For her first, the 25-year-old cushioned Maya Le Tissier’s pass before sending a rising drive goalwards with her left foot and her second was far simpler, the unmarked forward turning in Hemp’s ball from close range.

It was an emphatic first 45 minutes from England, who converted four of their six shots on target and allowed Greece only 16% possession. The only disappointment was the debutant Lexi Potter’s goal being ruled out for a fairly innocuous challenge by Stanway on Markou that the referee, Rasa Grigone, deemed a foul.

Job well and truly done, James was withdrawn at half-time in favour of Beth Mead, Wiegman’s jewel safely nestled back in a velvet pouch after shining so brightly.

England picked up where they left off after the break. Stanway was denied by a VAR check on the narrowest of offside calls after she beautifully brought the ball down with her outstretched foot in mid-air before firing a half-volley into the net.

Wiegman leapt on the opportunity presented by the 7-1 aggregate scoreline to rotate further at the hour mark, with Niamh Charles, Jess Park and Freya Godfrey given a chance to demonstrate why they should be on the plane to Brazil should England overcome Ukraine.

Whether the changes took the sting out of the game or England just eased back on the intensity given the margin did not really matter, because the home team remained in complete control of the ball. Their more than 50-place superiority in the Fifa world rankings was far more evident in Leicester than it had been in Heraklion.

Russo was the beneficiary of England’s patience as the clock ticked down, collecting Keira Walsh’s angled pass before she raced clear, stepped around the goalkeeper Styliani Katergiannaki and rolled the ball into the empty net.

Chants of “we want six” rang round the buoyant ground as added time approached but that another didn’t arrive could not dampen the mood of the crowd and the show they had been treated to.

Ultimately, despite the performance put on, there is very little to be learned from a game against a team so far below England’s level. Any slip-up would only ever have been of England’s own making, as the poor defending for Greece’s goal in Crete demonstrated. However, perhaps that sluggishness could be attributed to a rustiness after a four-month break from international football.

Ukraine are up next, the homeless team preparing to face the European champions after a 4-1 aggregate defeat of Slovakia.

England met Ukraine in their World Cup qualifying group and, with a 9-1 aggregate win secured earlier in the year, it would take the most almighty of collapses for England to fail to book their place in Brazil now.