Maltby: ‘This is what I play football for’

England women’s under-20s head coach Lydia Bedford highlighted the importance of the squad after the Young Lionesses drew 1-1 with Canada to kick off their FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.

The Young Lionesses boss gave her verdict on the contest in Poland after England put a point on the board in Group B.

"Our players looked a bit nervous going into the start of the game, but actually as the game went on, I think they grew in confidence,” assessed Bedford.

"I think we rode some momentum moments that we needed to, and I'm really pleased with the resilience that they showed and the way that our subs impacted in that last half-an-hour, and that just shows how important our whole squad's going to be in winning games in tournament football."

Rachel Maltby, the scorer of the Young Lionesses’ only goal of the game, levelled proceedings from the penalty spot late in the day. And she recalled the moment she stepped up.

“It was quite a nerve-wracking moment, but I trust my process – I've practised, and I just knew,” said Maltby. “I was confident in my process that I was going to deliver.

"This is what I play football for, to experience opportunities like this, so it's just amazing."

The defender, who was part of England’s 2024 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup team that placed fourth at the tournament, offered her assessment on the game.

"It was quite transitional,” she explained. “We've definitely got bits to go and review, but I think overall, to start the competition with a draw, we have a lot of positives to take, and we can use that point to go into the group with real momentum.

“We'll rest, we'll recover, we'll review this game, we'll obviously look at Tanzania and see what we can do, but I think nothing changes. We'll rest, recover and go again.”

And Bedford explained what her team can work on heading into next week’s game against Tanzania.

She said: "I think it's to shake off the nerves from game one – 16 players have gone through that now, and it's just about looking tactically at what we need and what the group needs going into that Tanzania game, giving them the confidence and the information that they require to step out and hopefully go and win that game."