REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- England were made to work hard for their win over Iceland in their 2027 World Cup qualifier and managed to mark the 500th game in their history with three points.
Despite it being a historic occasion, England did not exactly rise to the occasion. Instead, it was nervy, disorganised and almost went completely wrong.
Alessia Russo's decisive first half goal was the difference between the two sides while Hannah Hampton was called upon to keep their lead intact after Iceland responded in the second half.
England sit top of their World Cup qualifying group, that also includes Spain and Ukraine, ahead of the last two fixtures in June. Topping the group would earn England automatic place in the World Cup next year.
ESPN breaks down the main talking points from Reykjavik.
Nervy England saved by Hampton
The Lionesses started well and looked like the better side throughout the first half, though their profligacy and poor decision making were raising early concerns. Iceland's physicality and organisation were causing problems in the box that England were failing to conjure answers for.
Hampton was England's saving grace between the sticks during Euro 2025, where her expertise and penalty heroics led the Lionesses to glory in Switzerland. Her services were called on once again to save the day despite suffering a drop in form since an injury in December.
Iceland came out rejuvenated for the second half and peppered England's box with chances. The Lionesses looked nervy and began fumbling clearances.
In stoppage time, Sandra Jessen wormed her way around the Chelsea keeper who came out to make a clearance and missed it entirely. Fortunately, some quick defending from Lotte Wubben-Moy kept the ball out, allowing Sarina Wiegman to breathe a sigh of relief.
Though she has had some nervy moments across the two games in this international break, she pulled off two key saves across 120 minutes -- something that is vitaly important if automatic qualification from the group to the World Cup comes down to goal difference.
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"She was amazing," Russo told ITV. "Big moments kept us in it and she showed up three or four times to keep us in it and get us the three points. Sometimes you need someone to step up like that."
"It's my job isn't it really? We are in it as a team," Hampton said.
"I can't be the one scoring goals, but I can stop them. We win as a team and that is what we pride ourselves on. We are a pack. Less [Russo] got a great finish at one end so I had to do my job at the other."
Is Alessia Russo the best striker in the world right now?
There are plenty of players who would take an issue with this claim -- Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, Ewa Pajor and Sam Kerr would certainly think so. But there is not a striker with as much consistency across club and international football as Russo right now.
The 27-year-old is the leading Women's Champions League goal scorer with eight goals, has nine goals in the Women's Super League and is consistently finding the back of the net for England against the toughest opponents.
Against Spain at Wembley, it was Russo's tenacity that set up Lauren Hemp's decisive goal and against Iceland, the pair reversed, with Hemp setting up Russo, whose swivel and perfectly weighted strike separated the two sides.
"I don't think there is a better striker in world football right now. She has been the difference between the two teams," former England player Karen Carney said at half-time.
Last season, despite winning the Champions League and the Euros, Russo finished third in the Ballon d'Or race. While her accolades set her apart from the others, she was not the best player in those teams.
But now Russo has taken her game to another level and come September, will be a leading contender for football's top individual honour.
Arsenal overcoming OL Lyonnes in the Champions League semifinal and reaching a second consecutive final will further her claim on the award.
Wiegman is back to having a defensive headache
For a while, England's defensive options looked thin. Following Euro 2025, the squad -- particularly the back line -- was hard hit by injury and forced Wiegman to look at options from the under-23s.
But with Leah Williamson returning to the pitch after a spell on the sidelines -- her second this season after spending much of the term recovering from an injury picked up during the Euros final -- Wiegman now has plenty of options to choose from.
It was her Arsenal teammate Wubben-Moy who filled in against Spain, partnering well with Esme Morgan at the back. The pair played the second half in Reykjavik together after Wubben-Moy replaced Williamson at half time.
Though Morgan and Wubben-Moy have seldom shared the pitch together, the growing connection between them helped keep England's line tight and controlled.
Following her move to Washington Spirit, Morgan looks to have solidified her place in the XI, displacing Jess Carter, who came off the bench in the 88th minute despite being the preferred option last summer.
Wiegman has previously said that Alex Greenwood is her preferred left-back option, a position that has seen heavy rotation dating back to the 2023 World Cup. Lucy Bronze, 34, is still one of England's most valued played and is nowhere close to giving up her spot.
That leaves Carter, Taylor Hinds, Niamh Charles and Maya Le Tissier -- playing at centre-back for United though England prefer her as a right-back -- as bench options. Three of that quartet -- Charles has only recently returned from injury and came off the bench at 76 minutes -- are regular starters for their clubs.
It is unlikely that all nine defenders will go to the World Cup in Brazil, but it is a good headache for Wiegman to have a year out from the major tournament while she experiments to find her best backline and favoured options off the bench.
