Hemp leads England past Spain to boost Women’s World Cup qualifying hopes

• World Cup qualifier: England 1-0 Spain (Hemp 3’)

• Lionesses win sides’ first meeting since Euros final

England gave their chances of automatic qualification for 2027’s Women’s World Cup a tremendous boost as they beat the world champions Spain at Wembley to continue their perfect record in qualifying so far.

In a closely-fought game which saw both teams miss some gilt-edged opportunities, the two sides were ultimately separated by two moments where the ball bounced extremely close to the line; one where it did cross the goalline and another where it did not. Thankfully for England, Lauren’s Hemp’s early effort did, whereas for Spain, Olga Carmona’s deflected strike in the second half bounced down off the underside of the crossbar and away to safety. That, plus a great reflex save from Hannah Hampton to deny Edna Imade at the death, saw the Lionesses win 1-0. On such margins, this qualification group may well be decided.