With four defeats since the 2023 World Cup final and hot-and-cold performances in the autumn, it is not going right often enough, and the latest player to profit from how easy it is to play through England’s lines was Kika Nazareth, who superbly equalised for Francisco Neto’s team after he had switched to a 4-4-2 and his side had taken control of the midfield to deservedly earn a point.
ITV’s pundits, like the rest of us, were full of admiration for England’s strong first-half showing but were left frustrated by the second 45 minutes, with the former England winger Karen Carney saying: “Second half, I’m scratching my head thinking it’s a different team.
Not only because it could hinder England’s hopes of winning this competition, but because of the long-term impact on world ranking points and the seeding pots for the European qualifying process for the 2027 World Cup will be determined solely by where teams finish in their 2025 Nations League groups.
After all, the Lionesses had the relative luxury of four home friendlies at the end of 2024 and, with that quartet of games, the valuable chance to work to improve the team’s understanding before these competitive matches arrived, but the second half in Portugal suggested that chance might not have been fully utilised.
For at least 15 minutes on Friday night, almost everybody watching England’s Nations League game in Portimão could sense that a goal for Portugal was coming.
