England 6-1 Belgium: Lionesses retain Arnold Clark Cup with win over Belgium

England have successfully defended the Arnold Clark Cup after a thumping victory over Belgium made it three wins from three games in the tournament.

The Lionesses, now unbeaten in 29 matches, were on top throughout at Ashton Gate, needing only a draw to seal the title.

The familiar image of captain Leah Williamson lifting a trophy afterwards – her third in 12 months – was met by huge cheers, followed by a chorus of ‘Sweet Caroline’ which became synonymous with England’s Euro 2022 triumph.

Williamson had a superb evening, getting on the scoresheet twice, as the hosts dominated from the outset and brushed Belgium aside.

Manchester City winger Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the Euro 2022 final, also netted twice to finish as the tournament’s top scorer.

In a busy ending, Lucy Bronze poked in Rachel Daly’s knockdown and former Bristol City midfielder Julie Biesmans diverted into her own net to add to England’s tally, while Elena Dhont’s superb curling strike for Belgium prevented a clean sheet for Mary Earps.

England’s preparations for the Women’s World Cup continue to go smoothly. With just five months to go until the tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand, the Lionesses have maintained winning momentum and are still yet to lose under manager Sarina Wiegman.

They conceded just two goals at the Arnold Clark Cup, the other in a narrow 2-1 win over Italy, who finished third behind Belgium and ahead of South Korea.

Belgium manager Ives Serneels said: “When England are good, it is hard to beat them.

“When they have difficult moments they have players on the bench at the same level. That is a real strength of their team.”

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England entertain as wingers cause havoc

Wiegman wanted to use this tournament to experiment with personnel and she made 18 changes to the starting XI across the three matches, but it made no difference to the outcome.

England, ranked fourth in the world, were heavy favourites against lower-ranked opposition and showed their superiority from the first whistle against Belgium.

Knowing they needed only a point to win the tournament for a second year running, they got off to the perfect start when Lauren James’ dangerous run deflected fortuitously for Kelly to tap-in on the goalline in the 12th minute.

James, who was rightly awarded player of the tournament, was a constant menace and Belgium could not handle her creativity, directness and clever movement.

“It has been a great week, one I have dreamt about and I can’t ask for any more,” James told ITV afterwards.

“I have still got work to do but I have confidence at the moment and have to continue with that. It is an amazing feeling and I am just happy to be a part of it.

“This tournament sets us on a good road, but we have to keep looking at each game as it comes and play well at the World Cup in the summer.”

Kelly was equally as dangerous on the other flank, cutting inside and drawing saves from goalkeeper Nicky Evrard, who had a busy night in chilly Bristol.

Chelsea defender Millie Bright, who finished top scorer at last year’s tournament, had a chance to make it 2-0 in the first half when she headed over from a corner, while Alessia Russo spurned second-half opportunities for the hosts.

The final minutes were frantic as Dhont’s consolation strike was sandwiched between Bronze’s goal and Williamson’s second to round off an enjoyable encounter.

The Lionesses entertained throughout with their attacking quality on full display, and confirmed their status as one of the world’s most dangerous sides.

“I think we are in a good place and the competition in the team is really strong,” said Wiegman.

“We still have five months to go but we know we have to step up more because the World Cup will be more of a challenge.”

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