22 September 2023 , 21:47
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Sarina Wiegman admitted World Cup finalists England weren't at their best during their win over Scotland.
The Lionesses edged out Scotland 2-1 at the Stadium of the Light in their Nations League opener thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze and Lauren Hemp. But the Scots rallied and threatened a comeback after Kirsty Hanson's scrappy finish.
There was also controversy as England had a Rachel Daly goal ruled out for a soft decision against Chloe Kelly, while Scotland were denied a penalty when forward Martha Thomas looked to have been nudged by Millie Bright. VAR was not in use in Sunderland meaning the referee's on-field decision was final.
And England were saved by the woodwork in a below par second-half performance when goalscorer Hanson smacked the crossbar with a dipping volley. Manager Wiegman acknowledged afterwards that the Lionesses struggled to cope with Scotland after the break.
“They were three very important points. I think the first half we played a lot better than the second half," said Wiegman. "We scored three good goals, but one of them was cancelled. We also gave away a couple of counter-attacks and Scotland looked dangerous.
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“It was our own mistakes, that then gave them that opportunity. The second half we were struggling with decision making and we were not able to press little higher. We kept playing short when we need to go higher. But overall we got the win, and after a short turnaround following the World Cup.
"On decision making we kept playing short when they pressed and lost the ball a lot. Credit to Scotland but we can go that better. We needed to execute our play and make better decisions."
Despite the below-par second-half display, the three points take Wiegman's team straight to the top of the league table. England next face Netherlands on Tuesday, who were beaten 2-1 by Belgium in their Nations League opener.
Lauren Hemp of England celebrates after she scores her team's second goal during the UEFA Womens Nations LeagueMeanwhile, Scotland boss Pedro Martinez Losa felt his team could be aggrieved at the lack of a penalty, for the potential foul on Thomas. He said: "We came here to win, so we're really disappointed.
"We wanted to play the football we can play and I think we did. I don't speak about referees normally, but I think it was a clear penalty. I have seen it very clear live and I think it is a clear penalty, that is just my opinion."
"It was incredible for the game, the atmosphere, but we aren't happy losing the game. All we can do is take the positives, recover and go again on Tuesday. Every game at this level will be decided on small margins, we hope next time we'll be on the right side of those. I think this team is ready to put in a good performance again on Tuesday. We didn’t win the game, but I think people in Scotland will be proud of what the players did today.”
Wiegman also offered her thoughts on potentially taking Team GB to the Olympics. If England reach the final of the Nations League, Team GB qualify for Paris 2024 next summer with Wiegman then managing the team if required.
" Of course, the Olympics is far away," she added. "It's a very good start but there's a long way to go. We want to go to major tournaments. If that would be the case, I'd be honoured to take that job. We made a good start, but we know it'll be close in the group. We've seen the Belgium and Netherlands result."