LAUREN HEMP bagged a brace as England demonstrated their dominant supremacy in a 5-1 win over Italy.
A first senior Lionesses goal for Lotte Wubben-Moy was one of the finishes that saw her side end the warm-up for the European Championship qualifiers in style.
Tonight’s match in southern Spain snapped a four-match unbeaten run for Italy, which was abruptly halted by their goal-hungry rivals.
The dominant attacking shift took England’s goal tally to 12 across the two friendlies.
And the team will expect similar success in their bid to reach the European Championships next year, with qualifying matches for the tournament starting in April, followed by a draw for the matches on March 5.
Although Italy earned a consolation through a rare mistake, the team was at times unraveled by the Lionesses’ aerial dominance from corners.
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Two of Hemp’s finishes came from set pieces, with the forward almost scoring a hat-trick.
Before the match, Wiegman spoke about expecting a physical challenge from Italy after the Lionesses’ 7-2 defeat of Austria.
Their rivals have seen some promising signs of improvement after gaffer Andrea Soncin took charge last September.
Recent results include a surprise 3-2 defeat of World Cup winners Spain in the Women’s Nations League in .
But any expectations that Wiegman’s side would be stunned in similar fashion were blown away inside 34 minutes.
Wubben-Moy’s cushioned header after a corner left the Italian defense cold, giving England a second-minute lead.
And 20 minutes later they were 2-0 down when Hemp’s goal bounced past goalkeeper Laura Guiliani after a misplaced ball from another corner.
Italy struggled to get forward early on but almost benefited from a back pass from Niamh Charles, with Michela Cambiaghi looking to shoot before the whistle blew as the ball went out of play.
They went 3-0 down, with Hemp outsmarting her marker and heading home, before Cambiaghi pulled one back with a slotted finish behind Charles.
Italy came on the attack in the second half, with Cambiaghi almost losing her head on a 59.e -minute corner kick.
But Ella Toone’s goal and an impressive run and cross from Lauren James made it 4-1.
And Rachel Daly’s second goal in England’s two friendlies completed an impressive win.