5 March 2019
Beth Mead celebrates after scoring England’s third goal. ©Lynne Cameron for The FA/Rex/Shutterstock
England won the SheBelieves Cup for the first time after a comfortable 3-0 win against Japan in their final match.
Phil Neville's side stormed into an early lead when Jodie Taylor set up Lucy Staniforth to fire England ahead with a fine low finish from outside the area.
Karen Carney doubled the advantage with a pinpoint header from Taylor's dinked cross before Beth Mead fired in a third before half-time to put the result beyond reach.
Jubilant boss Neville, who made eight changes to his starting line-up, said: “The players that came in, that I trusted, were fantastic. We do have a philosophy, a certain style that we want to play, and part of that is that we’re not going to compromise on the fact that we have 23 players who are good enough to play for England.
"I thought we were sensational. The players who came in made an impact and they’re causing me problems.
“Before the tournament, I wasn’t worried whether we won or not. I wanted to see signs that we were on the right road, and we fly home tomorrow with no doubt in my mind that we’re on the road to where we want to be.
"You don’t get many moments in your life when you get your hands on a trophy. We’re gonna enjoy tonight - it’s a great reward for the staff and for the players, but I actually think we’ve got bigger things to aim for.”
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