On 30 November 2021, the England and Latvia national football teams played each other in a European qualifying match for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The match was played at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, England. England set a national record for their largest victory in a senior international football match, winning the game 20–0.[1][2][3] They also set a new record for the highest winning margin in any women's World Cup qualifying game, dethroning Belgium's 19-0 win against Armenia only five days earlier.[4]
The fixture was a multi-record breaking occasion, as four players scored a hat-trick for the first time in an England game and it represented the largest victory for both men's and women's senior England sides, surpassing the women's team's 13–0 win against Hungary in 2005 and the men's 13–0 win against Ireland in 1882.[5]SubstituteAlessia Russo's 11-minute hat-trick was the fastest by any England player.[6] In addition England's Ellen White became England women's all time top goal scorer during the match with her hat-trick moving her on to 48 goals, past Kelly Smith's total of 46.[7] As well as being the largest victory in World Cup qualifying history, the result was only a single goal away from equalling the known record (21-0) for any official senior women's international match.[8]
The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments, with the England manager Sarina Wiegman feeling that preliminary rounds should be reintroduced to avoid such unbalanced matches, views shared by the continental footballing body UEFA.[9][10]
Updated to match(es) played on 29 November 2021. Source: UEFA Rules for classification: Tiebreakers (Y) Cannot qualify automatically but can still qualify via the play-offs. Notes:
^ abRanked on head-to-head points: Luxembourg 3pts; North Macedonia 0pts.
UEFA Group D qualification table prior to the match.
England entered the match following a 1–0 home win at the Stadium of Light against Austria, marking five wins from five games in which they scored 33 goals and kept clean sheets in all matches. Latvia meanwhile had yet to gain a single point in the group, conceding 26 goals in the process and scoring only two goals. Ten of those conceded goals came in the reverse fixture on 26 October 2021, where goals from White, Bright, Mead, Williamson, Stanway, a brace from Daly, and a hat-trick from Toone gave England their second 10–0 win of the qualification campaign. England entered the match eighth in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, with Latvia ranked 94 places lower in 102nd.[5]
Understrength Latvia arrived without several experienced regulars including Miksone, Ročāne, Fedotova and Vaivode; all unavailable for various reasons.[11] It was reported that the scheduling of the match, 21:00 Eastern European Time on a Tuesday evening, made it difficult for the Latvian players who had jobs outside football to get time off work.[12] While team captain and five-time Latvian Footballer of the YearŠevcova, a mother, was ruled out due to "family circumstances".[13]
Latvia named nine uncapped players in the squad, and several other youngsters with very limited experience at senior international level. To bolster his youthful team coachRomāns Kvačovs called-up Anna Gornell, an American-born professional with Sundsvalls DFF of the Swedish second tier Elitettan, who was eligible due to her Latvian heritage.[14]
Largest victory margin of an England senior side (men's and women's): 20
Most goals scored by an England senior side (men's and women's): 20
Most hat-tricks scored by an England senior side (men's and women's): 4
Fastest England senior hat-trick (men's and women's): Alessia Russo – 11 minutes
New England women's top goalscorer: Ellen White – 47th and 48th goal (surpassing Kelly Smith)
Aftermath
In his post-match comments, coach Kvačovs praised his players' application in adversity. He emphasised the disparity between his inexperienced amateurs and the full-time professionals of England: "We have never had such an opponent. The English national team is playing really fantastic, but the Latvian national team is currently undergoing a generational change. The average age of the players in the team is 20 years."[18] A parent of one of the young debutantes posted on TheGuardian.com to lament the Latvians' "unnecessary humiliation", remarking: "there is something not quite wholesome about this whole business".[19]
Although she had instructed her players to be "ruthless" in the match, England coach Wiegman admitted afterwards that such unbalanced matches were bad for the overall development of women's football: "Of course you want competitive games and these are not competitive games".[20] She would later, following England's Euro 2022 win and qualifying for the World Cup, say of the Latvia match that changes need to be made in order to develop women's football, that "A big score is sometimes OK but when it happens all the time you have to question if that is good for the team that wins or loses. It should be the exception and not the rule." She did not propose specific changes, admitting it was not her area, but said there were already suggestions at UEFA and with other confederations.[21]
This result and their run of other heavy defeats meant that Latvia dropped 10 places to their lowest ever position of 112th when the updated FIFA Women's World Rankings were released on 10 December 2021. England remained in eighth place.[22]
England ultimately ended the qualification campaign top of the group, qualifying for the World Cup with one game to spare.[23] The Lionesses won all ten matches, scoring 80 goals while not conceding a single goal.[24] Latvia finished bottom of six teams with one win and nine defeats, scoring eight goals and conceding 63 goals. Their lone win was a 1–0 victory at home to Luxembourg on 24 June 2022.[25] In total, 19 of the 236 matches played during the group stage of UEFA's 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification ended in double-figure margins of victory, 5 of them England's.
^"England Hit Latvia for 20 in Breathless Win". 30 November 2021.
^Medlicott, Phil (1 December 2021). "'We all aspire to be like her': Lauren Hemp lauds record-breaker Ellen White". The Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Sanders, Emma (30 November 2021). "England 20 – 0 Latvia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^"Women's football mismatches are happening too often – it is time for action". The Guardian. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ ab"Ellen White becomes England Women's all-time leading goalscorer as Lionesses thrash Latvia 20–0 in World Cup qualifier". Sky Sports. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^Evans, Greg (1 December 2021). "All the records that were shattered during England's astonishing 20–0 win over Latvia". The Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Wrack, Suzanne (30 November 2020). "Ellen White breaks record as merciless England thrash Latvia 20–0". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^"Belgium beat Armenia 19-0 in qualifying". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^Wrack, Suzanne (1 December 2021). "Women's football mismatches are happening too often – it is time for action". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Wrack, Suzanne (3 December 2021). "'It's not good': Uefa confirms women's qualifying to change after mismatches". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^"Kvačovs: Priecēja, ka meitenes atdeva sevi līdz galam" (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^Ruszkai, Ameé (1 December 2021). "England's 20-0 demolition of Latvia exposes women's football problems that UEFA and FIFA must solve". Goal. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^Bācis, Ivars (30 November 2021). "Kvačovs: Sagaidu pašatdevi un disciplīnu visas spēles gaitā" (in Latvian). Sporta Centrs. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^Bācis, Ivars (23 November 2021). "Sieviešu izlase ar izmaiņām sastāvā gatavosies spēlei pret Angliju" (in Latvian). Sporta Centrs. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^"Record-breaking night for the Lionesses at the Keepmoat Stadium". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
^Burke, Darren (1 December 2021). "Doncaster traffic chaos sees fans miss out on record breaking 20–0 England win". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
^Garry, Tom (30 November 2021). "Ellen White England's record goalscorer after 20-goal demolition of Latvia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Brože, Ulvis (1 December 2021). "Sieviešu izlases treneris pēc 0:20: "Priecēja, ka meitenes atdeva sevi līdz galam" (in Latvian). Sporta Centrs. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^@AdamGMillington (1 December 2021). "This is a really interesting comment from a parent of one of the Latvian players. Have to agree when she says there are a lot of people in the country trying hard to improve women's football – their online media presence for the women's team is incredible" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^James, Emma; Toloui, Anton (1 December 2021). "England Women win 20-0 against Latvia: Sarina Wiegman wants more competitive matches after record victory". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^"Premier League news and reaction, plus Lionesses latest". BBC Sport. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
^Brože, Ulvis (10 December 2021). "Sieviešu izlase pēc 0:20 FIFA rangā atkāpjas par desmit pozīcijām" (in Latvian). Sporta Centrs. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^Garry, Tom (3 September 2022). "England secure Women's World Cup qualification with hard-fought win over Austria". The Telegraph.
^Wrack, Suzanne (6 September 2022). "England finish qualifiers with perfect 10 as Stanway sparks Luxembourg rout". The Guardian.
england, latvia, november, 2021, england, latvia, national, football, teams, played, each, other, european, qualifying, match, 2023, fifa, women, world, match, played, keepmoat, stadium, doncaster, england, england, national, record, their, largest, victory, s. On 30 November 2021 the England and Latvia national football teams played each other in a European qualifying match for the 2023 FIFA Women s World Cup The match was played at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster England England set a national record for their largest victory in a senior international football match winning the game 20 0 1 2 3 They also set a new record for the highest winning margin in any women s World Cup qualifying game dethroning Belgium s 19 0 win against Armenia only five days earlier 4 England 20 0 LatviaEvent2023 FIFA Women s World Cup qualificationEngland Latvia20 0Date30 November 2021 2021 11 30 VenueKeepmoat Stadium Doncaster EnglandPlayer of the MatchEllen White England RefereeVeronika Kovarova Czech Republic Attendance10 402The fixture was a multi record breaking occasion as four players scored a hat trick for the first time in an England game and it represented the largest victory for both men s and women s senior England sides surpassing the women s team s 13 0 win against Hungary in 2005 and the men s 13 0 win against Ireland in 1882 5 Substitute Alessia Russo s 11 minute hat trick was the fastest by any England player 6 In addition England s Ellen White became England women s all time top goal scorer during the match with her hat trick moving her on to 48 goals past Kelly Smith s total of 46 7 As well as being the largest victory in World Cup qualifying history the result was only a single goal away from equalling the known record 21 0 for any official senior women s international match 8 The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments with the England manager Sarina Wiegman feeling that preliminary rounds should be reintroduced to avoid such unbalanced matches views shared by the continental footballing body UEFA 9 10 Contents 1 Background 2 Match details 2 1 Statistics 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksBackground EditPos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 England 5 5 0 0 33 0 33 15 2023 FIFA Women s World Cup2 Northern Ireland 6 4 1 1 30 6 24 13 Play offs3 Austria 5 3 1 1 21 4 17 104 Luxembourg 4 1 0 3 3 21 18 3 a 5 North Macedonia Y 6 1 0 5 6 38 32 3 a 6 Latvia Y 4 0 0 4 2 26 24 0Updated to match es played on 29 November 2021 Source UEFARules for classification Tiebreakers Y Cannot qualify automatically but can still qualify via the play offs Notes a b Ranked on head to head points Luxembourg 3pts North Macedonia 0pts UEFA Group D qualification table prior to the match England entered the match following a 1 0 home win at the Stadium of Light against Austria marking five wins from five games in which they scored 33 goals and kept clean sheets in all matches Latvia meanwhile had yet to gain a single point in the group conceding 26 goals in the process and scoring only two goals Ten of those conceded goals came in the reverse fixture on 26 October 2021 where goals from White Bright Mead Williamson Stanway a brace from Daly and a hat trick from Toone gave England their second 10 0 win of the qualification campaign England entered the match eighth in the FIFA Women s World Rankings with Latvia ranked 94 places lower in 102nd 5 Understrength Latvia arrived without several experienced regulars including Miksone Rocane Fedotova and Vaivode all unavailable for various reasons 11 It was reported that the scheduling of the match 21 00 Eastern European Time on a Tuesday evening made it difficult for the Latvian players who had jobs outside football to get time off work 12 While team captain and five time Latvian Footballer of the Year Sevcova a mother was ruled out due to family circumstances 13 Latvia named nine uncapped players in the squad and several other youngsters with very limited experience at senior international level To bolster his youthful team coach Romans Kvacovs called up Anna Gornell an American born professional with Sundsvalls DFF of the Swedish second tier Elitettan who was eligible due to her Latvian heritage 14 Doncaster Rovers FC the leaseholders of Keepmoat Stadium reported an attendance of 12 272 15 However the early kick off coincided with rush hour traffic congestion in Doncaster causing many disappointed supporters to be delayed or absent The official attendance was announced as 10 402 16 Match details Edit30 November 2021 2021 11 30 19 00 GMTEngland 20 0 LatviaMead 3 12 23 White 6 9 49 Hemp 18 44 76 88 Toone 43 Stanway 52 pen Carter 56 England 61 84 Scott 67 Russo 71 81 82 Nobbs 80 ReportKeepmoat Stadium DoncasterAttendance 10 402 17 Referee Veronika Kovarova Czech Republic England LatviaGK 1 Mary EarpsCB 2 Millie Bright c 46 CB 3 Lotte Wubben MoyCB 5 Alex GreenwoodRM 7 Beth MeadCM 8 Georgia Stanway 60 CM 4 Keira Walsh 71 CM 6 Ella Toone 46 LM 11 Lauren HempCF 10 Bethany EnglandCF 9 Ellen White 60 Substitutes GK 13 Sandy MacIverGK 21 Hannah HamptonDF 12 Niamh CharlesDF 15 Jess Carter 46 DF 16 Rachel DalyDF 19 Demi StokesMF 18 Jordan Nobbs 46 MF 20 Jill Scott 60 MF 23 Katie Zelem 71 FW 14 Fran KirbyFW 22 Alessia Russo 60 Manager Sarina Wiegman GK 23 Laura Sinutkina 46 RB 13 Sandra Voitane c CB 22 Sofija GergeleziuCB 6 Arta Luize LubinaLB 2 Ligita Tumane 52 CM 10 Anna Kristine GornelaCM 4 Alise Gaike 46 RW 8 Viktorija ZaicikovaAM 15 Tatjana Baliceva 85 LW 7 Signija Senberga 67 CF 5 Evelina Freidenfelde 56 Substitutes GK 1 Asnate LindermaneGK 12 Alina Sklemenova 46 DF 3 Kristine Evelina LodzinaDF 17 Erika Gricienko 85 DF 19 Diana Skribina 56 MF 11 Taisija SmirnovaMF 14 Viktorija Vengrevica 67 MF 16 Selga Vitmore 46 MF 20 Nikola BrahmaneFW 9 Liana RozasconokaManager Romans KvacovsPlayer of the Match Ellen White England Assistant referees Nikol Safrankova Czech Republic Tereza Hessova Czech Republic Fourth official Lucie Sulcova Czech Republic Statistics Edit Keepmoat Stadium Source 1 Statistic England LatviaGoals scored 20 0Total shots 64 0Shots on target 31 0Ball possession 85 6 14 4 Corner kicks 15 0Fouls conceded 2 2Yellow cards 0 1Red cards 0 0Records broken during the game Largest victory margin of an England senior side men s and women s 20 Most goals scored by an England senior side men s and women s 20 Most hat tricks scored by an England senior side men s and women s 4 Fastest England senior hat trick men s and women s Alessia Russo 11 minutes New England women s top goalscorer Ellen White 47th and 48th goal surpassing Kelly Smith Aftermath EditIn his post match comments coach Kvacovs praised his players application in adversity He emphasised the disparity between his inexperienced amateurs and the full time professionals of England We have never had such an opponent The English national team is playing really fantastic but the Latvian national team is currently undergoing a generational change The average age of the players in the team is 20 years 18 A parent of one of the young debutantes posted on TheGuardian com to lament the Latvians unnecessary humiliation remarking there is something not quite wholesome about this whole business 19 Although she had instructed her players to be ruthless in the match England coach Wiegman admitted afterwards that such unbalanced matches were bad for the overall development of women s football Of course you want competitive games and these are not competitive games 20 She would later following England s Euro 2022 win and qualifying for the World Cup say of the Latvia match that changes need to be made in order to develop women s football that A big score is sometimes OK but when it happens all the time you have to question if that is good for the team that wins or loses It should be the exception and not the rule She did not propose specific changes admitting it was not her area but said there were already suggestions at UEFA and with other confederations 21 This result and their run of other heavy defeats meant that Latvia dropped 10 places to their lowest ever position of 112th when the updated FIFA Women s World Rankings were released on 10 December 2021 England remained in eighth place 22 England ultimately ended the qualification campaign top of the group qualifying for the World Cup with one game to spare 23 The Lionesses won all ten matches scoring 80 goals while not conceding a single goal 24 Latvia finished bottom of six teams with one win and nine defeats scoring eight goals and conceding 63 goals Their lone win was a 1 0 victory at home to Luxembourg on 24 June 2022 25 In total 19 of the 236 matches played during the group stage of UEFA s 2023 FIFA Women s World Cup qualification ended in double figure margins of victory 5 of them England s See also EditFederated States of Micronesia national under 23 football team who conceded an average of 38 goals a game without scoring themselves at the 2015 Pacific Games Arbroath 36 0 Bon Accord Australia 31 0 American Samoa Running up the scoreReferences Edit England Hit Latvia for 20 in Breathless Win 30 November 2021 Medlicott Phil 1 December 2021 We all aspire to be like her Lauren Hemp lauds record breaker Ellen White The Independent Retrieved 13 December 2021 Sanders Emma 30 November 2021 England 20 0 Latvia BBC Sport Retrieved 13 December 2021 Women s football mismatches are happening too often it is time for action The Guardian 1 December 2021 Retrieved 22 November 2022 a b Ellen White becomes England Women s all time leading goalscorer as Lionesses thrash Latvia 20 0 in World Cup qualifier Sky Sports 1 December 2021 Retrieved 8 January 2022 Evans Greg 1 December 2021 All the records that were shattered during England s astonishing 20 0 win over Latvia The Independent Retrieved 13 December 2021 Wrack Suzanne 30 November 2020 Ellen White breaks record as merciless England thrash Latvia 20 0 The Guardian Retrieved 13 December 2021 Belgium beat Armenia 19 0 in qualifying BBC Sport Retrieved 22 November 2022 Wrack Suzanne 1 December 2021 Women s football mismatches are happening too often it is time for action The Guardian Retrieved 13 December 2021 Wrack Suzanne 3 December 2021 It s not good Uefa confirms women s qualifying to change after mismatches The Guardian Retrieved 13 December 2021 Kvacovs Prieceja ka meitenes atdeva sevi lidz galam in Latvian Latvian Football Federation 1 December 2021 Retrieved 8 January 2022 Ruszkai Amee 1 December 2021 England s 20 0 demolition of Latvia exposes women s football problems that UEFA and FIFA must solve Goal Retrieved 8 January 2022 Bacis Ivars 30 November 2021 Kvacovs Sagaidu pasatdevi un disciplinu visas speles gaita in Latvian Sporta Centrs Retrieved 8 January 2022 Bacis Ivars 23 November 2021 Sieviesu izlase ar izmainam sastava gatavosies spelei pret Angliju in Latvian Sporta Centrs Retrieved 8 January 2022 Record breaking night for the Lionesses at the Keepmoat Stadium Doncaster Rovers F C 1 December 2021 Retrieved 17 December 2021 Burke Darren 1 December 2021 Doncaster traffic chaos sees fans miss out on record breaking 20 0 England win Doncaster Free Press Retrieved 17 December 2021 Garry Tom 30 November 2021 Ellen White England s record goalscorer after 20 goal demolition of Latvia The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 13 December 2021 Broze Ulvis 1 December 2021 Sieviesu izlases treneris pec 0 20 Prieceja ka meitenes atdeva sevi lidz galam in Latvian Sporta Centrs Retrieved 8 January 2022 AdamGMillington 1 December 2021 This is a really interesting comment from a parent of one of the Latvian players Have to agree when she says there are a lot of people in the country trying hard to improve women s football their online media presence for the women s team is incredible Tweet via Twitter James Emma Toloui Anton 1 December 2021 England Women win 20 0 against Latvia Sarina Wiegman wants more competitive matches after record victory Sky Sports Retrieved 8 January 2022 Premier League news and reaction plus Lionesses latest BBC Sport 5 September 2022 Retrieved 5 September 2022 Broze Ulvis 10 December 2021 Sieviesu izlase pec 0 20 FIFA ranga atkapjas par desmit pozicijam in Latvian Sporta Centrs Retrieved 8 January 2022 Garry Tom 3 September 2022 England secure Women s World Cup qualification with hard fought win over Austria The Telegraph Wrack Suzanne 6 September 2022 England finish qualifiers with perfect 10 as Stanway sparks Luxembourg rout The Guardian Women s World Cup Standings UEFA com External links EditMatch highlights at YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title England 20 0 Latvia amp oldid 1151355927, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
