LONDON — Keira Walsh was hailed as one of England‘s best ever players after she marked her 100th cap by captaining the Lionesses to a key 1-0 victory over Spain at Wembley on Tuesday night.
Walsh led the Lionesses out as they took a step forward to automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil thanks to Lauren Hemp‘s winner after just three minutes. England had to work for the victory, and surrendered possession and territory for much of the match to Spain, but Hemp’s goal was enough to hand them the advantage in League A, Group 3.
When asked whether Walsh’s performance underlined why she is one of England’s best players, Sarina Wiegman answered: “Yeah, I think so. I think it’s the highest level you can expect. It was good timing for her too that you play your 100th match here and against Spain and you get the 1-0 win. Tonight shows her whole development and what she brings to our team [and] it’s not just the football thing, but also keeping the team together.”
Hemp was England’s match-winner, but she also praised Walsh’s influence. “Keira is a fantastic player, I’ve known her since I was young and she was teaching me the ways,” Hemp said.
“It’s great to have someone like Keira in the team. I’m really proud of her reaching 100. She carries the team at points when we need her to. She’s the engine.”
Walsh’s midfield partner on the night was Aston Villa‘s Lucia Kendall, who was making just her sixth appearance for the Lionesses.
“I think first time starting a competitive game, it was really exciting for me,” she said post-match. “And obviously Sarina put a lot of trust in me to do that. Just went out and just enjoyed it. I’ve always wanted to play at Wembley in front of that crowd and [to] play against Spain is such an iconic fixture. So yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
– ‘Proper England’ returns as Sarina Wiegman’s blueprint stifles Spain once more
– England 1-0 Spain: Hemp scores only goal to give Lionesses important win – as it happened
“Keira is such an important part of the team and to play alongside her on a special day for her was really special,” she added.
Wiegman was pleased with England’s overall performance, saying they had to defend more than they’d have liked, but also warned her team that the impressive victory will mean little unless they back it up against Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday.
“At the moment it’s a very good result, but we need to keep that significance by getting that result next Saturday,” she said.
“It’s really important. We’re really happy with the win, in our stadium, with all the celebrations. But Iceland will be a tough challenge again.”
Information from ESPN’s Shubi Arun contributed to this report.
