England rout Japan to take SheBelieves title

MIAMI: England laid down a marker for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup on Tuesday, defeating Japan 3-0 to clinch victory in the four-nation SheBelieves Cup friendly tournament in Florida. First-half goals from Lucy Staniforth, Karen Carney and Beth Mead sealed a comfortable win for Phil Neville’s side at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium as they build towards the Women’s World Cup in France.The result means England, who had beaten Brazil in their opening game last week and drawn against the United States on Saturday, were guaranteed to finish on top of the round-robin standings.More significantly, the win hands England a psychological boost against the Japanese, who defeated the Lionesses 2-1 in the 2015 World Cup semi-finals. The two teams will meet again in Group D of this year’s World Cup on June 19. The United States edged Brazil 1-0 in the final game of the tournament, with Tobin Heath’s goal in the 20th minute lifting the hosts into second place overall.On Tuesday’s evidence, England will head to the World Cup bristling with confidence after wrapping up an impressive SheBelieves campaign with an emphatic victory.

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