Georgia Stanway proves 'warrior' for England as Lionesses seal 8-1 aggregate win over Greece

Stanway a free-scoring warrior for Lionesses

Whatever the game, whatever the result, Georgia Stanway seems to score for England. The 27-year-old midfielder netted in both legs of the Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs as the Lionesses cruised into round two with an 8-1 aggregate win over Greece.

Manager Sarina Wiegman called Stanway a "warrior" after her performance in a 5-0 victory at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. England had already won 3-1 in Crete, with Stanway opening the scoring there.

'She has that tenacity in her'

Stanway's strikes over the last five days capped a season in which she finished as England's top scorer, netting 11 times in her last 11 matches. She also ranks inside the top three for goals scored by European players in international football since Euro 2025.

In Leicester she came close to adding more. The Arsenal midfielder controlled a long ball inside the box with one touch and fired a powerful second-time effort into the bottom corner, but the goal was ruled out for offside, much to Wiegman's dismay.

"She is always so eager to go towards goal. She has that tenacity in her," said Wiegman. "She is always aggressive out of possession but also in possession. She scored a great header and controlled that really good ball from Alex Greenwood.

"Football is about scoring goals, but also playing in the pockets, keeping the ball and connecting with other players - and I was happy with her [doing those]."

Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis told BBC Radio 5 Live that Stanway was "unplayable at times" against Greece on Tuesday night. Stanway won all her tackles, completed 90% of her passes, took four shots and scored once, with another goal disallowed.

Tactical tweaks offer Wiegman fresh options

Stanway was even more effective thanks to a new-look midfield that included 20-year-old debutant Lexi Potter. The Chelsea midfielder provided cover, allowing Stanway and Keira Walsh to push higher, while Lauren James played in the number 10 role. For much of the match Stanway played more as a right winger.

"Stanway has shown how flexible she is, how exceptional she is both at the bottom end of the pitch, breaking up play, as well as at the top end," added Brown-Finnis. "She was playing as a second striker, playing out on the right, dropping deep as a number 10. She's been absolutely brilliant."

Wiegman explained the thinking behind the change: "I liked the balance of the midfield. There is a lot of competition going on in that area. First of all, I wanted to see Lexi Potter deeper on the pitch and what that might bring. There was also the option to put Georgia Stanway higher up the pitch. We wanted to score more goals and we know that she can do that."

Ukraine next

England still have work to do to qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. They face Ukraine in a two-legged play-off tie at the end of the year. They have already beaten their opponents 9-1 on aggregate in two games of the league phase of the qualifiers.