England 6-0 Portugal: Brilliant Beever-Jones bags hat-trick as Lionesses stun visitors | OneFootball

England roared to a dominant six-goal demolition of Portugal at Wembley Stadium on Friday, with Aggie Beever-Jones bagging a first-half hat-trick under the arch.

The Lionesses needed just three minutes to snatch the lead and headed into the break with a five-goal advantage, before substitute Chloe Kelly completed the rout in the 62nd minute.

Sarina Wiegman’s side face Spain at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona on Tuesday, and will win Group A3 of the UEFA Women’s Nations League if they pick up all three points against la Roja.

As it happened

It has been a rollercoaster week for England. On Saturday, five of Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses were crowned as European champions when Arsenal edged past Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. On Tuesday, they were left shellshocked when goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her decision to retire from international football with immediate effect.

But if there was any concern as to how they’d fare without the former Manchester United shotstopper, they did not show it as they hosted Portugal on Friday – and Hannah Hampton was barely tested between the sticks. Just three minutes had passed in the English capital before the Lionesses roared into the lead, with Aggie Beever-Jones producing a composed finish that settled in the far corner.

A Lucy Bronze header followed two minutes later, and Sarina Wiegman’s side showed no signs of slowing down. They’d doubled their tally by the half-hour mark, with Beever-Jones bagging her second of the night before Beth Mead turned home England’s fourth in the 29th minute.

Beever-Jones looked to be an unstoppable force in the front line and will have significantly boosted her chances of receiving a Euro 2025 call-up, turning home England’s fifth goal of the night to complete a stunning hat-trick – her first on the international stage.

Wiegman rotated her squad in the second half with a plethora of players returning from injury. Alex Greenwood made her first appearance of the year after surgery on her knee, with Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway also introduced after lengthy periods on the sidelines.

But it was another substitute, Chloe Kelly, who provided England’s sixth and final goal of the night. Having partied hard after Arsenal’s UWCL triumph, the 27-year-old found herself celebrating once again when she timed her header to perfection, nodding home Mead’s cross after just four minutes on the pitch.

England will face a much sterner test on Tuesday when they head to Spain, facing the reigning world champions at RCDE Stadium in Cornellà, Barcelona.

The lineups