Ubogagu and Stanway make an instant impact in Neville ‘family’
Austria Women 0 England Women 3 Ubogagu 26, Stanway 71, Daly 81 Att: 1,000
Chioma Ubogagu and Georgia Stanway scored on their England debuts as an experimental line-up overpowered Austria last night.
There is a strong chance that Ubogagu still does not know the names of all her new team-mates, such has been the speed of her integration in the set-up. The former United States Under-20s forward met the rest of the England squad for the first time four days ago.
“The players have embraced her like I’ve never seen any other player be embraced,” manager Phil Neville said. “We’ve taken her into our family. She never wants to sleep because I think she’s come into an environment that she thinks is a really special one.”
With regulars Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze making way for fresh faces, England took a while to find their stride but led when Toni Duggan fed Ubogagu to score.
In the second half, Nikita Parris rounded two defenders and prodded the ball to Stanway to open her England account. Rachel Daly then added England’s third, flicking home Stanway’s deflected shot after another debutant, Chloe Kelly, had her shot blocked on the line.
England (4-2-3-1) Earps (Wolfsburg); Blundell (Chelsea), Williamson (Arsenal), Mcmanus (Man City), George (Everton); Carney (Chelsea), Staniforth (Birmingham); Lawley (Man City), Stanway (Man City), Ubogagu (Orlando Pride); Duggan (Barcelona). Subs Roebuck (Man City) for Earps, 79; Parris (Man City) for Lawley, 64; Daly (Houston Dash) for Ubogagu, 59.
Austria (4-4-2) Zinsberger; Maierhofer (Weilharter 55), Wenninger, Prohaska (Dunst 55), Zadrazil; Burger (Pinther 76), Kirchberger, Billa (Klein 88), Puntigam; Feiersinger, Aschauer.
Referee Sulcova Lucie (Czech Republic).