Georgia Stanway has established herself as England's leading goal scorer this season, demonstrating remarkable consistency across multiple matches. Manager Sarina Wiegman praised the midfielder as a "warrior" following her influential display in a commanding 5-0 victory over Greece that secured an 8-1 aggregate triumph and propelled the Lionesses into the second round of Women's World Cup qualifying play-offs.
Stanway found the back of the net in both legs of the tie. She opened the scoring during the first match in Crete, where England prevailed 3-1, and added another goal when the team travelled to Leicester for the return fixture on 13 October. Her performances underscored why the 27-year-old has rapidly become one of England's most pivotal attacking assets.
What makes Stanway such a prolific finisher?
The midfielder's recent strikes capped a remarkable run in which she finished as England's top scorer for the season and netted 11 times across her last 11 appearances. According to official records, before the second leg against Greece, Stanway had scored against 22 different nations for England, placing her just two goals short of the record held by Ellen White and Kelly Smith. She also ranks among the top three European players for international goals scored since Euro 2025.
Although Wiegman expressed frustration at her team's initial lack of clinical finishing in Greece, Stanway consistently posed a threat and ensured she registered on the scoresheet. Her inevitability was confirmed in Leicester when teammates Alessia Russo and Lauren James each scored twice. Stanway nearly added a third goal to her tally when, as an Arsenal midfielder, she received a lengthy pass inside the penalty area, controlled it with a single touch, and struck a powerful effort into the bottom corner. The strike was disallowed for offside, much to Wiegman's disappointment.
She is always so eager to go towards goal. She has that tenacity in her. She is always aggressive out of possession but also in possession. She scored a great header and controlled that really good ball from Alex Greenwood. That was really good athleticism and composure. Unfortunately that was disallowed but it was really good!
Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis described Stanway as
unplayable at timesduring the first leg in Greece. Stanway's statistical performance that evening was exceptional: she won every tackle she contested, maintained a 90% passing accuracy rate, attempted four shots, scored once and had another effort ruled out.
How did tactical changes enhance Stanway's impact?
Wiegman's midfield adjustments proved instrumental in maximising Stanway's effectiveness. For much of the match, Stanway operated as a right winger rather than in her customary central role. The reshaped midfield included 20-year-old debutant Lexi Potter, a Chelsea midfielder making her England debut, who provided defensive cover and allowed both Stanway and experienced midfielder Keira Walsh to advance higher up the pitch. Lauren James occupied the number 10 position in this new configuration.
The tactical experiment proved inspired. Stanway created problems throughout the match for the visiting Greek side and adapted seamlessly to the positional changes. Brown-Finnis highlighted Stanway's versatility, noting that
she was playing as a second striker, playing out on the right, dropping deep as a number 10. She's been absolutely brilliant.
Wiegman elaborated on her reasoning for the formation shift:
I liked the balance of the midfield. There is a lot of competition going on in that area. There were a few reasons. First of all, I wanted to see Lexi Potter deeper on the pitch and what that might bring. There was also the option to put Georgia Stanway higher up the pitch. We wanted to score more goals and we know that she can do that. She can play in the pocket and also deeper on the pitch so we wanted to see all of that.
Wiegman further characterised Stanway's qualities when speaking to media:
She has something different to others. She is goal-orientated, has a great shot and the disallowed goal showed her great mobility and athleticism. When you really need a fight, or a duel, or a counter-attack breaking up, she is there. She is a warrior who you can play a possession game with too.
What lies ahead for England?
England's path to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil requires navigation of a two-legged play-off tie against Ukraine at the end of the year. The Lionesses have already demonstrated their dominance over their upcoming opponents, having defeated Ukraine 9-1 on aggregate across two league phase matches during the qualifying campaign. Ukraine advanced to face England after defeating Slovakia 4-1 on aggregate, confirming their status as the second-round opponent.
The play-off ties are scheduled between 26 November and 5 December 2026, with England playing away in the first leg before hosting the return fixture. Given how effectively Wiegman's tactical adjustments functioned this week, the formation experiment could become a blueprint for future matches, potentially unlocking further attacking potential from Stanway and other squad members.
Key Facts
- Stanway scored in both legs of England's World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece, contributing to an 8-1 aggregate victory
- The midfielder finished the season as England's top scorer with 11 goals in her last 11 matches
- She has now scored against 22 different nations for England, two short of the all-time record
- Wiegman's midfield reshuffle, featuring debutant Lexi Potter, allowed Stanway greater attacking freedom and proved highly effective
- England will face Ukraine in the play-off second round, having already beaten them 9-1 on aggregate in qualifying
