England beat Brazil on penalties in Matildas warm-up

| April 7, 2023

England have beaten Brazil in a penalty shootout in a thrilling inaugural Women’s Finalissima, the second straight international trophy hoisted by the Lionesses at a jam-packed Wembley Stadium.

Level at 1-1 at fulltime, Sarina Wiegman’s England won 4-2 in the shootout to improve their unbeaten streak to 30 games.

The hosts will hope to stretch that run to 31 when they face the Matildas at Brentford on Tuesday (4.45am Wednesday AEST), while Brazil travel to Nuremberg to take on Germany.

“I feel privileged,” Wiegman said. 

“It’s such an incredible group, and the team is so committed and we want to learn every day. It’s so nice to be a part of.”

Thursday’s game, which drew 83,132 fans to England’s national stadium, featured the European and South American champions and was a key part of preparations for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.

Ella Toone netted her 16th goal for England in the 23rd minute when Lucy Bronze cut the ball back for her teammate to slot in from the edge of the six-yard box.

Andressa Alves sent the game to a shootout when she equalised in the third minute of added time at the end of the match, pouncing on a loose ball that keeper Mary Earps had trouble controlling.

Georgia Stanway, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly scored for England in the shootout.

“It’s great being back here at Wembley in front of our home fans,” Kelly said. 

“They were brilliant again tonight. It’s home to me and the girls gave a brilliant performance again tonight, and we keep moving forward.”

The night saw a return to the venue where the Lionesses edged Germany to win the 2022 European Championship in front of 87,192 fans, a record for a women’s game in Europe.

England debuted their blue shorts, unveiled earlier in the week after players voiced their concerns about playing in white while on their period. 

England will kick-off their World Cup campaign with a Group D match against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22, before going on to play Denmark in Sydney (July 28) and China in Adelaide (August 1). 

In Group F, Brazil get their tournament underway against Panama in Adelaide on July 24 and then face France in Brisbane (July 29) and Jamaica in Melbourne (August 2).