England U20 claim first tournament win with 5-1 victory over Tanzania
Rachel Maltby scored a hat-trick as England moved to second in Group B, with Vivienne Lia providing two assists on her tournament debut.
England U20 secured their first tournament win with a 5-1 victory over Tanzania, responding strongly after a 1-1 draw with Canada in their opening match.
Rachel Maltby scored three goals, while Vivienne Lia supplied two assists after entering the tournament as a late call-up. Jessie Gale, described by Yahoo Sports as an Arsenal striker on loan, also scored after coming on as a substitute.
Lia started after England manager Lydia Bedford made four changes to the side. She had withdrawn from the original squad before being called up following Erica Meg Parkinson’s departure, and has since transferred from Arsenal to Eintracht Frankfurt.
The result leaves England second in Group B with four points, behind Brazil on six. Yahoo Sports reported that Lia’s mother is from Tanzania and that the winger spoke to Tanzanian media in both Swahili and English after the match.
England’s next challenge will be to build on a result that provided three points and a substantial improvement in attacking output after the opening draw.
