Defender Millie Bright wants England to capitalise on their chances after taking a big “step forward” with a 1-0 Nations League victory over World Cup holders Spain at Wembley.
Bright and boss Sarina Wiegman have both repeatedly emphasised that the Lionesses are a much-changed side since their triumph at the 2022 Euros, or even their World Cup final with Wednesday’s opponents the following summer.
Nevertheless, their recent run of results – including a 1-1 draw with Portugal on Friday night – was starting to raise some eyebrows with that European title defence kicking off in just over four months’ time.
“I think the next step is putting our chances in the back of the net and making them count,” said Bright.
“Because against teams like Spain you leave them in it, and then you’ve got to defend a little bit, they get momentum, we get it back, they get it back.
“But I thought it was a fantastic game for the fans to watch, and most importantly we’ve taken a step forward that we needed to as a team, and I think it’s a big boost to the group.
“We’re in a really, really good place.”
Arsenal striker Alessia Russo was excellent in the build-up to Jess Park’s 33rd-minute opener, carving out space but seeing her shot blocked by Spain captain Irene Paredes.
Manchester City winger Park was there to prod in the rebound – her second goal in an England shirt after scoring on her debut in November 2022.
The Lionesses’ Nations League campaign resumes in April, when they will host Group C rivals Belgium at Ashton Gate on the fourth before travelling to Leuven for the reverse fixture four days later.
England kick off their Euro 2025 campaign against France on July 5, with plenty of competition for places in Wiegman’s final squad to travel to Switzerland.
Bright added: “Yes, we dropped points in the last game but you can’t let that derail you too much, because there’s more games to play.
“Ultimately it’s part of football. Some are good days, bad days, but like I said we are on this new journey of building connections.
“Players coming into the team, coming into the squad, experiencing a lot of firsts, to be honest. Different personalities, different characters. So we’re really just trying to gel together.
“I think it showed a huge improvement from the last game. We took a real step forward.”
