England 0 Spain 0: Villa ace helps Lionesses shutout Spain as clash between the Euros contenders ends in a draw
ENGLAND battled to a goalless draw with Spain — and debutant keeper Hannah Hampton still felt that it was a “dream come true”.
It was a battling defensive display from the Lionesses to seal a share of the spoils in this Arnold Clark Cup clash.
Lauren Hemp came closest to nabbing dream goal in her home county of Norfolk, with the match taking place at Norwich’s Carrow Road.
Boss Sarina Wiegman shuffled her pack, with only Rachel Daly and Alex Greenwood remaining from the 1-1 draw with Canada.
Aston Villa’s Hampton, 21, regarded as one of the best ball-playing goalies in the WSL, was thrown in for her first game.
She said: “It’s a dream come true for me. I don’t think I took the smile off my face from the moment I got told until the game started.
“The wait was definitely worth it and hopefully there’s many more to come, but I’m not pushing for anything.
“I’ve just gone out and played my own game and then it’s down to Sarina and the coaches on the team they pick.
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“All I can do is put myself in the shop window and keep performing for club and country.” England coped well with the threat of talisman Alexia Putellas and her team-mates.
Jill Scott fired wide early on for the hosts.
England were almost punished after a mix-up between Jess Carter and Hampton in the 21st minute.
Both missed the chance the claim the ball with Aitana Bonmati’s lob dropping just off target.
After the break Hemp came on for Nikita Parris.
And the Manchester City star took just a minute to make her presence felt with the winger’s shot beating Real Madrid keeper Misa Rodriguez before hitting a post.
Spain went close with an angled strike from an unmarked Lucia Garcia flying wide near the hour mark.
Athenea Del Castillo was denied by Hampton minutes later after Greenwood prevented Putellas from scoring.
And the keeper dealt comfortably with a late shot from Jennifer Hermoso, helping her side seal a point ahead of their clash with Germany.
England boss Wiegman is delighted her charges are getting the opportunity to face the cream of Europe, and felt Spain’s performance justified their Euros favourites tag.
She said: “Nobody is going to win the Euros on Sunday or this Wednesday, but it’s good that we play a team like Spain because they have developed so much over the years.
“I’m very happy we will play Germany too, because we need these games to develop.
“It’s good to see how we are as a team and how we disturbed Spain’s style and exploited the spaces they gave away.”
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