Georgia Stanway resumed normal penalty-taking service for England against Brazil – scoring the only goal for the Lionesses in their 2-1 defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium.
And although Chloe Kelly had been holding the ball before the spot kick was taken, Stanway took control – putting it in the back of the net after a foul on Beth Mead at the start of the second half.
And she explained afterwards that she is the regular penalty-taker, as she has demonstrated on many occasions – even though there are plenty of other England players who could potentially score from the spot.
“I’ve been the taker for a while now,” Stanway said on ITV. “Of course Chloe scores penalties, but we’ve got a lot of players that can also put it in the back of the net.”
Asante: Stanway is so clinical
Pundit Anita Asante was full of praise for the midfielder’s technique.
“She’s got the mindset, she’s clear in her process,” Asante explained.
“We saw how the penalty came about. It was a clear foul on the back of Beth Mead, a late challenge from the Brazilian midfielder. For me it was a clear foul – she makes contact, catches the back of her leg as well.
“Georgia Stanway steps up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Georgia miss a penalty. She’s so clinical in these moments and she keeps a cool head.
“That’s why she’s able to pick out her target and just put it into the bottom corner. They got off to a flying start in the second half.”
Georgia Stanway: We’ve got a lot of time
It wasn’t enough, though. England conceded two in the first 20 minutes of the match and left themselves an entire game to chase, and they couldn’t get back on level terms even after Brazil captain Angelina was sent off.
“In the second half we had a lot of chances,” Stanway pointed out. “It’s one of them where we don’t put it in the back of the net. On another day, some of them would have gone in. It’s an opportunity to review this, build from it, and we’ve got a lot of time.”
And on the slow start, which she admitted was “a little bit disappointing”, she reflected: “It’s one of those games where you’re going to get battered and bruised. We’re not used to playing against opposition from a different continent. It’s something that we’ve got to adapt to.”
