All eyes were connected goalkeeper Hannah Hampton aft a rocky week for the England squad - but conscionable fractional an hr in, it was idiosyncratic other taking the spotlight astatine Wembley.
Chelsea guardant Aggie Beever-Jones was prima of the show, scoring her archetypal England hat-trick successful the 6-0 thumping of Portugal successful the Women's Nations League.
The 21-year-old's treble came successful conscionable 33 minutes.
It was a scintillating show from Beever-Jones and the Lionesses conscionable 5 weeks retired from Euro 2025 erstwhile they volition effort to support their European title.
Noise had been gathering pre-match pursuing goalkeeper Mary Earps' daze planetary retirement. How would they header without 1 of their talismanic leaders? Could Chelsea's Hampton grip the pressure?
Clearly, they coped highly well, and recently confirmed fig 1 Hampton hardly had to determination a muscle.
"Are you not entertained?," said erstwhile England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley connected BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I'm moving retired of rubber connected my eraser due to the fact that I support having to alteration [goalscoring] tally marks.
"It's been truthful amusive to watch, with truthful overmuch fluidity, and the enjoyment this England squad has been playing with."
Ex-England defender Lindsay Johnson described it arsenic a "Friday nighttime funfest" and adjacent manager Sarina Wiegman celebrated much than accustomed successful the dugout.
With truthful overmuch attraction connected matters disconnected the transportation implicit the past week, this was a show that emphatically unopen retired the sound and lifted the mood.
It was "back to business" arsenic Wiegman claimed afterwards.
She had fielded questions regarding Earps' status connected Thursday, admitting it had been a "hard" commencement to the week.
Wiegman was visibly emotional, reflecting connected the bully times they shared unneurotic and unwilling to sermon however frustrating the abrupt departure of the 32-year-old whitethorn be.
With lone 13 caps for Hampton anterior to kick-off, and nary for the different 2 goalkeepers successful the squad, fears were raised astir their inexperience.
But erstwhile the squad successful beforehand plays truthful well, it rapidly becomes little of a concern.
Hampton spent the bulk of the 2nd fractional stood still, watching connected arsenic her team-mates tried to adhd to their 5 first-half goals, managing 1 much done Chloe Kelly.
Hat-trick leader Beever-Jones gave immoderate penetration into Wiegman's speech earlier the Group A3 tie, saying. "She said earlier the game, 'it's a caller kit, it's a caller England, we person a caller squad'."
But it wasn't a caller England, it was a "vintage" England, according to Bardsley, who was waxing lyrical by the clip the 5th extremity came successful lone the 33rd minute, sealing a treble for Beever-Jones.
Lucy Bronze nodded successful England's second, portion Beth Mead joined successful connected the enactment and substitute Kelly added the finishing interaction with the sixth successful the 62nd minute.
"This is reminding maine of vintage England, casting myself backmost to 2022," said Bardsley, who made 81 appearances for the Lionesses. "Portugal person been poor, but among the noise, it is truthful fantastic to spot the girls with smiles connected their faces."
They were not the lone ones with smiles connected their faces arsenic supporters danced and celebrated astatine full-time, intelligibly encouraged by what they had witnessed.
England's signifier has dipped passim the past 18 months. Just 7 weeks agone they were beaten successful Leuven by Belgium - who are bottommost of the Women's Nations League radical - and 2 months aft picking up a triumph implicit satellite champions Spain astatine Wembley.
But the Lionesses showed they were up to the task erstwhile the unit was on, buoyed by the instrumentality of cardinal players Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood from injury.
"There has been a batch of sound [this week] and players wanted to enactment that to bed," added Johnson.
"Questions successful the property league were relentless and they are going to be. They conscionable privation to speech astir shot and they made it each astir the football.
"Mary [Earps] volition beryllium missed, but erstwhile you people six goals successful the manner they did, we are conscionable talking astir the shot and however bully England were."
"Aggie Beever-Jones is simply a baller," was besides Bardsley's connection astatine full-time arsenic she lauded the matchwinner.
The Chelsea guardant has fixed her chances of enactment for Euro 2025 a important boost and Wiegman couldn't assistance but laughter erstwhile asked the question.
"I deliberation she did truly well…" said the Dutchwoman with a smile.
"She is simply a goalscorer. She scores goals precise easy and precise well. She has specified speedy feet. She is besides truly choky connected the ball, she played truly relaxed."
Team-mate Kelly said it was large to spot Beever-Jones "firing" successful an England garment and Bardsley said she was a "pesky" guardant to play against.
Competition for a starting relation volition beryllium hard to travel by though.
Arsenal's Alessia Russo was watching from the bench, rested for this lucifer aft picking up a insignificant calf injury, portion Chelsea's Lauren James has inactive to instrumentality from injury.
Hemp was awesome excessively connected her archetypal England crippled since genu country successful November, portion Mead was connected the scoresheet and Kelly proved her worthy disconnected the bench.
"She truly announced herself and enactment her lawsuit guardant to Sarina Wiegman truthful she knows she is susceptible of starting astatine the Euros this summer," added Bardsley of Beever-Jones.
"Knowing there's that weapon, whether it's connected the seat oregon from the start, is truthful beauteous to cognize that she's successful Sarina Wiegman's instrumentality kit."
Beever-Jones looked implicit to her household to observe and revealed the squad had signed the lucifer shot to instrumentality location afterwards.
But immoderate her relation is astatine the Euros, she is acceptable to marque an impact.
"In shot it's ne'er conscionable a consecutive line. I've had to beryllium diligent successful this set-up and that conscionable shows the prime the squad has," Beever-Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I got the accidental and I americium grateful to everyone who helped maine get into this place. I couldn't person hoped for a amended day.
"I wouldn't privation anyone other for competition. Alessia [Russo] is an unthinkable player, I larn truthful overmuch disconnected her and the full frontline. Hopefully I tin lend wherever I can.
"Whenever I'm playing for England I conscionable anticipation I'm giving the close radical the close headaches."
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