The Lionesses' remarkable 30-match unbeaten run came to a stuttering halt as Sam Kerr and Charlotte Grant fired Australia into a 2-0 victory over England on Tuesday night.
England were dished a cruel wake-up call ahead of the summer's World Cup as the European champions fell to their first defeat of the Wiegman era in a limp performance against the World Cup co-hosts.
A lethargic first-half from England was punished by Kerr's cool first-half opener, seized off the back of an uncharacteristic Leah Williamson mistake just after 20 minutes.
Wiegman's side failed to offer a riposte and looked tactically rudderless as they struggled to tease out a rhythm or game plan against a ravenous Australia side. Once Grant's header deflected off Williamson in the second half to wrongfoot Earps, the mountain proved insurmountable for the European champions.
Australia were held to just two shots on target, but that's all that was needed for the Matildas to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to Scotland.
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England were without Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood, and the defenders' absences were conspicuous as incomer Esme Morgan and Williamson struggled to cope with the counter attacking calibre.
Thank you for joining us for our coverage of England-Australia this evening.
Tough one to take for the Lionesses, but they will be back in the summer. Before then we have the climax to a sensational WSL season and the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Sarina says she "isn't concerned" about Millie Bright's fitness ahead of the World Cup. She admits she is a little more concerned about Fran Kirby but that she is being assessed at her club.
"We had a lot of possession but struggled to stretch them. Their counter-attack was very dangerous.
"I think we can expect opponents to drop a little deeper - we have to find solutions to this."
I've jarred my knee a little but I'll be ready for Villa on Sunday.
It was really nice to put in a really strong performance. They (England) are a really good team so it's big for us - a lot of the girls haven't played a team like that before.
"It’s absolutely not a setback [for the World Cup]. To be honest you sometimes have to take blessings in disguise. We want to be pushed to our limit and sometimes that gives you a bit of fire."
Speaking to ITV, the skipper said: "We looked like we were lacking ideas on the ball. We got punished. Obviously my mistake for the first goal and they were ruthless on the counter.
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"Sometimes you have those games. They were well organised. We weren’t as efficient as we usually are. We need to figure out why.
"I’m not one for dwelling on things. The whole team feels rubbish. It hurts."
So England finally lose under Sarina Wiegman. It was an odd game with a lack of real flow and once Australia got the lead you never really sensed the Lionesses were going to save the unbeaten run.
It was good to see Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo on together at the end and had that Daly header gone in, we might have had a grandstand finish.
It wasn't to be tonight, but England will learn from this and be better for it during the World Cup.
Deserved winners who have emphatically put to bed any lingering thoughts about their loss to Scotland. It's impossible to not connect all the dots directly to Kerr, who was superb, but Australia's defence - particularly Polkinghorne and Carpenter - deserve plenty of plaudits.
And Stanway's free-kick is the last real moment of the match as the ref blows for full-time. Australia comfortable and deserved winners and the first to get the better of Wiegman's England, albeit a sincerely depleted England squad conspicuously lacking Millie Bright or Alex Greenwood.
Nevertheless, it's been over two years since the Lionesses last tasted defeat and this will be a bitter pill to swallow, but a good reminder of the tests they will face at the summer's World Cup.
England win a free-kick and Stanway stands over it for whats feels like a dramatically long length of minutes before unleashing a shot that fires straight at Arnold...
In the last 10 minutes, England have really come alive and even looked vengeful at their unbeaten run now ostensibly in tatters. But it's all in vain so far, and seemingly not meant to be. Kelly fires a shot at goal and it sails over the net and then Stanway takes her chance and it angrily fizzes wide of the goalpost. It's one of those days for England it seems, and despite the upturn in the last few minutes, it feels too late.
Four minutes of injury time remaining here and the West Ham keeper is feeling the wrath of the home crowd for her impeccable time wasting. It's clever and, if you're a fan of the home side, incredibly infuriating. But it's effective and there's no denying how pivotal of a role Arnold has played tonight in this emphatic Australia performance.
A good show from Park as she combines with Kelly on the left and does well to grab onto to Kelly's through ball and slip a pass into the middle and win a corner for England. It's unfortunate that it's taken this long for Park to arrive into the mix of things. Given the lax nature of the match, you get the feeling her energy and verve would have been welcomed far earlier than this.
Everton's Clare Wheeler is on for Vine who hobbles off with injury.
Jess Carter is on for Jess Carter. Hayes questions the timing.
England once again turn the ball over and Kerr does superbly to hold up the ball and release Carpenter. It's two on two and surely Carpenter will go alone but her pace fails her and she elects to slip it to Kerr who is crowded out. Kerr does well to keep hold of the ball and flick it to Fowler rushing into the box but England's defence holds them off.
England will count themselves lucky that Australia's final third game hasn't been up to the races.
Ten minutes to go here. and it's not been scintillating by any means from England. The most life has coem through James but it's been a listless performance from the hosts who are feeling the frustration from the crowd.
Another big chance for Australia as a stray pass from Esme Morgan is punished and Kerr is released but she's too early and is immediately ruled offside. She's miscued her runs a few times in the match so far and Hayes on comms isn't afraid to call her player out for precisely this.
Oh, what a chance for Daly who meets a cross inside the box totally unmarked but her effort whizzes just wide of the post.
There's never a good time for an unbeaten run to come to an end but an international friendly just before the pinnacle tournament of the year is as good as any. Australia more than deserve their lead and are clearly sending a big message to not only England, who they will face once again in the group stages, but to all those top rivals eyeing up their homeland for the summer's World Cup.
Oh Williamson... a day to forget for the England captain. Once again, Kerr is directly involved and the striker sears brilliantly down the right and delivers a beautiful cross into the box which is met by Grant flying late into the box from the left-back position. Grant's header deflects off Williamson and wrongfoots Earps. What a nightmare for England but it's nothing if not deserved from the visitors.
England 0-2 Australia
The Australian defence has been immense today and once again they're called into action as James dances into the box on the left, but the backline knows exactly what the Chelsea star is set to do and deny her any fun.
Once again, it's a moment of sloppiness from England and it's Kerr who latches onto the ball and breaks forward. A beautifully weighted ball forward and it looks like Kerr's threaded Australia in for their second but it's slightly overhit... another big chance.
Gorry breaks forward on the counter and shows off her threat. It's three on three and why Gorry opts for glory and not playing in Kerr on the right is a good question. Gorry's shot takes a deflection and goes out for a corner but it comes to nothing for the visitors.
And it's Daly time. Her substitution felt inevitable given the scoreline and the number of crosses being whipped in by Kelly, though slightly surprising she's come on for Toone, who had been working well with James on the left. We're not Wiegman though, and we haven't kept a 30-match unbeaten run in any aspect of our lives, so what do we know?
We finally get to see both Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo in forward roles together. Or at least it appears so with Daly replacing Ella Toone, looks like she'll just tuck in behind the Man Utd forward.
England are firmly on top now, but it has just felt like one of those nights so far. Will Daly's introduction change that?
Lucy Bronze combines with Kelly out on the right and Kelly's cross into the box is an inviting one but Arnold once again denies England.
A minute later, Australia fail to play out from the back, it's better from England and James takes a crack from the left outside of the area and forces Arnold into a diving save and wins England a corner.
It takes concious reminding that James didn't play a part in last summer's Euros, and tonight it feels like any chance of England maintaining their incredible unbeaten run will arrive in some fashion through her. She and Toone are beginning to open up Australia a little bit more.
Some more creative moments from England, particularly through James, but Australia's tenacity in defence is laudable. Daly looks to be coming on for England.
Australia will begin to wonder if their inability to capitalise on some of these half chances will come to haunt. Once again, it's poor from Morgan which Vine explolits and Australia break forward but the ball into the final third is a no go. Still, it's not good from England.
