Report: Lithuania 0-10 England WU19s

England women's Under-19s beat hosts Lithuania 10-0 with two hat-tricks from Michelle Agyemang and Poppy Pritchard in their European Championship opener. 

The Young Lionesses started brightly with Cerys Brown’s effort just going shy of the far post within the first minute and the attacking pressure did not stop from England, with the deserved opening goal coming in the fifth minute. 

A long-distance strike from Ria Bose tested Darija Mikuckytė and Pritchard was there to follow up and score from close range.

Katie Watson doubled England’s advantage in the eleventh minute. Agyemang was heavily involved in the action as she won the ball back in the final third, but it was Watson’s individual brilliance that created the space and her strike across goal left the goalkeeper with no chance.

Agyemang got the goal she was looking for in the 14th minute. A header across the box from Brooke Aspin found the Arsenal forward a couple yards away from goal to tap home England’s third goal.

Halfway through the first half, Agyemang got her second of the afternoon. After a scramble in the box she placed the ball home from close range and England’s advantage increased to four.

England were in full control and searched for more goals, with Agyemang’s shot stinging the palms of Mikuckytė.

After a miscue between the Lithuanian defenders, Watson squared the ball across goal towards Pritchard, who took her chance and got her second goal, putting England five up at the break.

Within the first minute of the second half, England scored their sixth goal, with Manchester City’s Pritchard completing her treble. 

Agyemang got her third of the afternoon from a fantastic free kick, her curled effort finding the roof of the net to make it seven.

And Agyemang’s teammate Vivienne Lia was on the scoresheet just two minutes later. The left winger took her chance well, her final action of the afternoon before she was substituted.

Lexi Potter’s individual brilliance earned England their ninth goal, putting the Young Lionesses on the brink of double figures.

Madison Earl sealed an emphatic victory, scoring the tenth goal of the afternoon after she got on the end of a cross from substitute Araya Dennis.

Next up will for England will be Serbia at the Marijampolé Stadium on Wednesday 17 July, with the 12:00 kick-off live on BBC iPlayer.

England: 1 Katie Cox (GK, Chelsea), 3 Cerys Brown (Chelsea), 6 Brooke Aspin (Chelsea), 8 Lexi Potter (Chelsea), 9 Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal), 10 Maddy Earl (Arsenal), 14 Poppy Pritchard (Manchester City), 15 Vivienne Lia (Arsenal), 16 Katy Watson (Sunderland), 17 Ria Bose (unattached), 18 Katie Reid (Arsenal)

Substitutions: 5 Lucy Newell (Manchester United) for Brooke Aspin 46’, Georgia Mullet (Aston Villa) for Lucy Newell 46’, 11 Freya Godfrey (Arsenal) for Vivienne Lia 58’, 12 Louanne Worsey (Birmingham City) for Michelle Agyemang 58’, 20 Araya Dennis (Tottenham Hotspur) for Lexi Potter 70’

Substitutes not used: 2 Evie Rabjohn (Manchester United), 4 Ashanti Akpan (Chelsea), 7 Mia Enderby (Liverpool), 13 Hannah Poulter (Brighton & Hove Albion), 20 Araya Dennis (Tottenham Hotspur).

Head Coach: John Griffiths

Goals: Pritchard 5’, 39’,46’, Watson 12’, Agyemang 14’, 24’, 55’, Lia 57’, Potter 68’