England stars identify secret weapon who can rescue Lionesses' Euro hopes
Sarina Wiegman's England tasted defeat in the first match of their European Championships defence but there is optimism in the camp after a late rally against France
England wonderkid Michelle Agyemang was only on the pitch for five minutes against France on Saturday but has already shown she can be the Lionesses ’ secret weapon. The Arsenal teenager caused havoc in the French box in the lead-up to Keira Walsh’s goal for the Lionesses, and only a sharp stop from goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin prevented the youngster from snatching a last-gasp equaliser.
“She's great, she's an incredible talent, an incredible person,” team-mate Jess Carter said of Agyemang. “Having someone like her to bring on, we do have depth in our subs. And the players that came on today really showed that and made a really big impact. I'm really happy Michelle's in the squad because she's been a great impact.”
Agyemang’s fellow sub Grace Clinton agreed, saying: “We've done that so many times since I've been here, coming back from losing positions. I think especially in the last 10 minutes we always get that little spurt of energy and you have players like Hempo [Lauren Hemp] that don’t give up and don’t stop running.
“It helps the team and I think Michelle coming on making an impact. I think I felt like we could have got another goal if you give us a couple more minutes but we just got to take that into the next game.”
England had chances to take the lead early on, with Lauren James going close in the opening minute and Alessia Russo seeing a goal disallowed for a tight offside in the build-up. Ultimately, though, it was a quickfire double from France which did the damage as Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore struck in quick succession.
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“In the last two years I've been here I’ve seen us not only come back from being in a losing position but win so many games. And I think the experience we've got and the players that we've got I've got all the confidence in the world.”
England's next opponents are coming off a tidy win of their own against Wales. Manchester City striker Vivianne Miedema scored a stunning opener for the Netherlands, with Victoria Pelova and Esmee Brugts also on target.
"Yes, a different team, they're very dynamic. Of course I know them very well," England boss Sarina Wiegman said of the nation she previously managed to Euro 2017 glory.
"They want to play in the pockets and try to change the shape all the time. They definitely want to have the ball and play but they also want to press high, so we’ll get prepared for that."
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