Russo reflects on Reykjavik result

Alessia Russo said England had to battle hard as her goal earned the Lionesses a 1-0 victory over Iceland in Reykjavik in their 500th fixture.

The England striker scored what proved to be the winner, with a neat first-half finish to register her 30th senior goal to take her into the all-time top ten goalscorers for the Lionesses.

But the Arsenal ace admits it didn’t come easy, as the hosts threw everything at England in a second half, with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and the Lionesses defence showing their resolve.

“It was tough, a game of two halves,” said Russo.

“There were moments in the second half that we will reflect on and learn from but ultimately, we needed three points and this holds us in good stead going into the next camp.

“It was tough, they made it difficult but we are pleased to get three points.”

While it was Russo’s goal which broke the deadlock, England were equally grateful to Hampton at the other end as the Chelsea stopper made a string of great saves to keep the lead in tact.

And Russo was full of praise for Hampton, as England retained their spot at the top of their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying group ahead of the final two fixtures against Spain and Ukraine in June.

“She was amazing, I just spoke out there and said that big moments kept us in it,” revealed Russo.

“She made some big saves and sometimes you need someone to step up like that.”

Russo’s performance drew special praise from Lionesses legend Karen Carney after the game, describing her as one of the world’s best strikers, something which took on even more meaning given the victory came in England’s milestone match.

“That is really nice, in this 500th game, because she is one of the players we honour and we use to inspire us and set an example,” said Russo.

“The players who came before us, we have done a lot of work at understanding our history. We have a lot of players like Karen leading the way, now it is our time to create a legacy too.”