Lionesses edge South Africa to bunce back from Germany loss

England secured a narrow but important 2-1 victory over South Africa in Coventry following their 4-3 defeat at the hands of Germany on Friday.

Manager Sarina Wiegman made eight changes to the starting 11 following their loss to the Olympic bronze medallists on Friday where Germany scored three times in the opening 30 minutes, exploiting England's poor defence.

Captain Leah Williamson opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Grace Clinton doubled England's lead. However, it was Williamson whose mistake in defensive allowed Thembi Kgatlana to pull a goal back.

England have only managed to keep four clean sheets in their last 19 matches, highlighting serious issues for Wiegman as England prepare to defend their Euros crown next summer in Switzerland.

"I thought after the first half it would be more straightforward," Wiegman told ITV. "We played well in the first half, we had some stronger moments.

"We were a little too sloppy but we created some chances from corners. We scored a very good goal. Second half, we got there but we were a little sloppy. They were smart on the counter-attack and it was hard for us.

"We need to keep trying, keep playing football, keep playing forwards. Just feeling at the moment in transition, they really jumped on us. Just talk about it and move forward."

Williamson, making up for a dismal defensive display against Germany, calmly slotted home into the bottom corner to mark her 50th cap for England.

Against Germany, Williamson was caught out as part of a struggling back line. She has been under heavy scrutiny since her return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in January. The skipper performed better, but issues with positioning and communication persisted.

Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

---

Clinton doubled England's lead with a header 11 minutes later. Manchester United teammate Maya Le Tissier whipped the ball in, aiming for Jess Park, however it was Clinton who managed to connect with the ball to secure the Lionesses' second goal.

While the performance from the reigning European Champions was far better than last week, defensive frailties continued to cause problems for the side as they repeatedly lost possession in dangerous areas. South Africa's poor finishing gifted England several lifelines.

England could only go unpunished so many times, though. Williamson, whose performance deteriorated in the second half, gave the ball away near the halfway line, and Kgatlana made no mistake to slot it home past Mary Earps. This marked South Africa's first-ever goal against England.

The Lionesses struggled in the final 30 minutes as the Bayana Bayana began to expose the defensive weaknesses.

Kgatlana, consistently causing issues for England, forced a crucial block from substitute Lucy Bronze before she had the ball in the back of the net moments later. However, she was adjudged to be offside in the build-up.

It was a nervy end to the evening for England, who looked more fragile as the final whistle drew closer. However, they breathed a sigh of relief as thy were able to limit the damage to a minimum, securing a 2-1 victory.

The Lionesses now return to club football until November, when they will face the United States women's national team in a highly anticipated clash, where Emma Hayes returns to England for her first game since departing Chelsea and leading the USWNT to Olympic gold this past summer.