England 1-2 Brazil: Lionesses' homecoming ruined as 10-player visitors hold on to claim convincing victory in Manchester
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Updated 25/10/2025 at 20:57 GMT+1
Beatriz Zaneratto and Dudinha were the heroes for Brazil as they downed England 2-1 despite playing over 70 minutes with 10 players after Angelina was sent off in the first half. Georgia Stanway pulled a goal back in the second half after Beth Mead was crunched in the penalty area, but The Lionesses somewhat fell flat in their first game since winning the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland.
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Brazil overcame a red card in the 21st minute to beat England 2-1 in The Lionesses’ first game since winning the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship, thanks to goals from Beatriz Zaneratto and Dudinha.
England were nowhere in the opening 20 minutes as Zanerotto was involved in both goals, and though they ran the game for most of the second half, Sarina Wiegman’s side struggled to produce any clear-cut openings.
The Lionesses did pull a goal back after half-time when Beth Mead was tackled after shooting and Georgia Stanway converted the penalty, but they were unable to reproduce their famous last-minute heroics from the summer.
Brazil exploded out of the traps against a makeshift England backline missing Hannah Hampton, Leah Williamson and Millie Bright. Substitute Lucy Bronze and Ludmila fired a warning shot wide inside three minutes, before Zaneratto made the Lionesses pay.
Brazil leapt on a wayward goal kick from debutant Khiara Keating and Zaneratto surged through the England backline to give the visitors the lead.
Wiegman’s side were punished for losing the ball in their own half once again, just nine minutes later, when Zaneratto fed Dudinha for an easy finish, before Brazil gave England a helping hand when their captain clattered Ella Toone as she surged towards goal and was red-carded.
After Alex Greenwood hit the crossbar before half-time, England finally got on the scoresheet from the penalty spot after 52 minutes when Zaneratto came through the back of Mead on her follow-through as referee Natalie Simon pointed to the spot.
Stanway rifled her kick under Lorena, but although England had chances through Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones and Esme Morgan, they never really looked like equalising as Brazil ran out worthy winners with both sides beginning to prepare for the 2027 World Cup.
"They started how we expected them to start and as soon as we found Alessia, they did well but when we played short or width, they won the ball and counter-attacked and that harmed us twice," Wiegman told ITV.
"That’s exactly what we did not want to do and that gave us some struggles but there were so many opportunities. Then they get the red card, it was unlucky that we get the ball on the crossbar, and from then we dominated the game, I think.
"What was missing, I think is the final part, they were tough in defending, they had some very physical players, we were sometimes a bit unlucky but sometimes in decision-making, we could do better in execution."
While the Lionesses’ previous Euros triumph came in the middle of a 23-game unbeaten run, Wiegman’s side haven’t been able to recapture that invincible aura since defeat to Australia in 2023, instead relying on turning on the style when required.
However, Stanway said it did not feel like a setback for The Lionesses, adding: "It’s one of those games where you’re going to get battered and bruised, obviously we’re not used to playing against opposition from a different continent, so it’s something that we’ve got to adapt to. It was a really, really tough game; it’s difficult when a team goes man-to-man all over the pitch.
"It was difficult to find the spaces [in midfield], there was a lot of movements, a lot of running, I think there is some really good things that we can take away from there, with the red card it made us be able to find the free player a little bit more but the first 20 minutes are a little bit disappointing from us.
"It puts you on the back foot, obviously, in the second half we had a lot of chances and we don’t put it in the back of the net. On another day, some of them would’ve gone in, but it’s an opportunity for us to review this, build on it and we’ve got a lot of time."
TNT Sports will be bringing 19 Women's FA Cup clashes to your screens throughout the 2025/26 campaign as part of a three-year deal, which will garner greater exposure for women's football clubs across the pyramid. TNT Sports and discovery+ will also broadcast a second-round fixture, which will be another first for the Women's FA Cup.
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