Georgia Stanway reminds Sarina Wiegman she can always rely on her, Maya Le Tissier takes her chance – and a bright moment for one of the Lionesses’ stars in the making

The Lionesses took a two-goal lead in their World Cup semi-final play-off against Greece with a 3-1 victory in Crete.

The Lionesses were denied automatic qualification by group leaders Spain earlier this year and have been forced to take the long route to reach the promised land of Brazil 2027.

First up was Greece across a two-legged semi-final, and goals from Georgia Stanway, Maya Le Tissier and Alessia Russo gave England the advantage before Greece scored late to narrow the gap and make Tuesday’s return leg slightly less comfortable.

Daily Mail Sport’s women’s football reporter TARA ANSON-WALSH was at Pankritio Stadium to bring you the things we learned…

England work hard to unpick the lock

For a relatively small stadium, attempting to enter Heraklion’s Pankritio Stadium is about as simple as jimmying your way into Fort Knox.

Security guards shepherd visitors this way and that, men on scooters blockade the path, and endless metal barricades intervene before access is finally granted and the pitch, set back from the stands by its athletics track, comes into view.

For the back-to-back European champions, against a Greece side 54 places below them in the world rankings, it was a similar story on the pitch.

Wiegman had set England up to dominate. In possession, England moved to a back three, with Maya Le Tissier, filling in at right back for the injured Lucy Bronze, unleashed high up the wing.

In the rare moments Greece won the ball back, Le Tissier dropped in alongside her captain, Leah Williamson, but the directive was clear: put this play-off to bed.

There was an undeniable sense of frustration, then, with the game drifting towards half-time and, despite nine shots at goal, the score still 0-0.

Lauren Hemp fizzed a shot wide. Lauren James’ looping effort over the goalkeeper was chalked off by VAR for offside.

It wasn’t until a neat passage of play in the 39th minute, ignited by Laura Blindkilde Brown, that England finally found a way through.

The Manchester City forward threaded the ball through to Alessia Russo, who flicked on superbly to her Arsenal team-mate in the tightest of spaces, and Stanway’s shot finally rang true. The Lionesses barely celebrated. Whether it was relief or simply expectation wasn’t entirely clear. But at last, the pitch was in sight.

Once the first had gone in, two more followed, with Le Tissier netting her first England goal before Russo continued her recently revived goalscoring form. A late goal from Greece’s Calliste Brookshire proved a thorn in an otherwise positive evening.

Stanway comes up trumps

If there is one player Sarina Wiegman can rely on to save her blushes, it’s Georgia Stanway.

A labouring World Cup opener against Haiti at Australia 2023? There’s Stanway to drive home the winning penalty. Under pressure after losing the opening match of the Euros in Switzerland? There’s Stanway to fire in the opener against the Netherlands and steady the ship

Such are the expectations surrounding this England side, for better or worse, that a goalless first half would have been viewed as a disappointment.

With England knocking and knocking against a team yet to qualify for a World Cup, it was Stanway who came up with the goods.

It was her first goal of the season, having so far failed to find the back of the net for her new club Arsenal, but her fifth of the Lionesses’ World Cup qualifying campaign, making her the side’s top scorer.

In a tight spot against Greece? Line up once again, Stanway. 

Le Tissier gets off the mark

Maya Le Tissier has been forced to be patient while waiting for game time with this team.

A centre back at Manchester United and someone Wiegman sees as the natural long-term replacement for the perennial Lucy Bronze at right back, Le Tissier has been biding her time since her first call-up four years ago. She did not play a single minute during last summer’s Euros.

Yet the Guernsey-born star has remained a constant, steady presence in the background, simply getting on with her work.

‘She’s working so hard every single day. When she’s with us, when she’s with her club, you can tell,’ Wiegman said.

‘She’s also developing, and today she had a big job too. She covered the whole right side where she had to defend but also, when we were in possession, she had to get up higher up the pitch.

‘She came through and delivered a great shot and that was a great goal and I was happy for her and the whole team, because that was an important goal.’

Warning sign for the Lionesses

Greece’s goal was a frustration for both the players and Wiegman. A three-goal lead would have allowed England to return home in comfort, but they now find themselves in a slightly more precarious position.

The hosts had already sent out a warning in the first half, catching Esme Morgan off her heels as Ioanna Papatheodorou crashed a shot against the crossbar. It came completely against the run of play.

In the second half, with England 3-0 up, a lobbed ball over the top beat Morgan once again and the visitors were punished.

A diplomatic Wiegman, never one to criticise individual players, said at full time: ‘I’m happy with the 3-1, but I’m not happy with the one (Greece’s goal).

‘I think we were a little bit in moments really good on the ball and in other moments not so good and we could have made better decisions too. Lots of things to fix from today.

‘Sometimes we played really well, sometimes we were a bit sloppy. So sometimes we were a bit frustrated and I think that’s what you saw.’

Erica Meg Parkinson makes her debut

The 18-year-old NWSL forward became Sarina Wiegman’s youngest-ever debutant against Greece, usurping a 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang, who scored 41 seconds into her debut last year.

In the nine minutes or so Parkinson spent on the pitch, she looked a handful, making probing passes forward while also showing the natural signs of naivety that come with a player of her age.

Regardless, it was a bright moment for one of England’s stars in the making.