Lauren Hemp has made her name as an electric left winger for both club and country in recent years, but it was as actually a centre forward that she was able to influence England’s breakout World Cup performance against China.
Sarina Wiegman has always previously favoured consistency in her team selection during major tournaments, dating back to her time as Netherlands coach and never more pronounced than when she named an unchanged England side for every game at Euro 2022 last summer.
But Hemp was a casualty of the rotation that took place between the opening game against Haiti and the follow up against Denmark, unexpectedly pulled from the lineup for the latter.
With more changes from Wiegman going into the China clash, including a new formation, Hemp was recalled and was pushed in the middle of the pitch to directly partner Alessia Russo in a 3-4-1-2. Lauren James then tucked in as a ‘number ten’ behind the pair and wreaked havoc.
Hemp played a part in Russo’s opener, connecting with a smart through ball from the new Arsenal striker in the build-up, while a darting run through the middle provided the chance to score England’s second goal herself – it was a sublime first touch from James’ pinpoint pass.
At her first World Cup, it was her first World Cup goal.
Forget the finish, what a first touch that was from Hemp 👀#FIFAWWC
— Jamie Spencer (@jamiespencer155) August 1, 2023
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“I was playing in a new role and I thought whenever someone gets the ball and turns and starts running, just start running yourself,” Hemp told Lionesses: Down Under connected by EE.
“I managed to find a little pocket of space and LJ played a fantastic ball through to me. I saw the goalkeeper coming off the line and their positioning was to the right, so I just slotted it to their left. It was an incredible moment and one I’ll cherish forever.”
Questions now focus on whether Wiegman, having had success with 3-4-1-2 against China, will stick with that setup for the rest of the tournament, starting with Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday.
“Me and Less work really well off of each other,” Hemp said. “I won’t give the tactics away, but she likes to come short and I like to run in behind. We had a great connection [against China], and she also scored a fantastic goal. There were so many incredible goals which just shows the amount of depth we have in this England squad, that anyone can come on and change the game.”
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