Ameé Ruszkai

Beth Mead and Alessia Russo took centre stage on Sunday as Arsenal looked much more like themselves in a comfortable and convincing 4-1 win at Leicester. Despite being crowned European champions back in May, the Gunners have struggled at the start of this new season, unable to use that continental triumph as a springboard for a Women's Super League title challenge. This win, though, was a sign that the tide is turning, with it certainly the most impressive of the three on the bounce they have now registered.

After winning an unprecedented Champions League title back in May, expectations were high for this Arsenal side coming into the 2025-26 season. Could the Gunners use their European success as a springboard and really challenge for the Women's Super League title this time around? Could they finally end Chelsea's incredible dominance which has now seen them claim each of the last six league crowns, as well as 13 of the last 18 domestic honours?

Lionesses starlet Michelle Agyemang has suffered a torn ACL, it has been announced. It's a diagnosis which confirms the worst fears of the teenager after she was stretchered off with a knee injury during England's 3-0 win over Australia on Tuesday night and one that spells the end of her 2025-26 season, which she had started well on loan at Brighton again from Arsenal.

There was no shortage of stars on show as the Lionesses took to the pitch for Tuesday's clash with an Australia side boasting plenty of household names of their own. Be it the likes of Lucy Bronze, Ella Toone, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo in the home colours, or Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley representing the visitors, there was top-class talent all over the park. And yet, it was a relatively unknown 21-year-old by the name of Lucia Kendall who stole the show.

England's first camp since their second successive European Championship triumph was certainly a little up and down. Marred by injuries going into the window, with there already three notable absentees before Sarina Wiegman's squad was announced and four withdrawals after it was revealed, the Lionesses then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brazil in their first game post-Euros, despite playing for over an hour against 10 players, but were able to bounce back on Tuesday against Australia, who also had a player sent off very early on in a rather strange couple of games.

Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps has been unable to accept a Lionesses send-off at Wembley next month after calling time on her international career in the weeks leading up to Euro 2025 in the summer. The Paris Saint-Germain stopper, who has become a superstar of the women's game in recent years and even transcends her sport, remains in talks about what a tribute might look like.

England delivered the homecoming performance the fans wanted on Tuesday night, bouncing back from Saturday's disappointing defeat to Brazil in a much more convincing 3-0 win over Australia as their parading of the European Championship trophy continued around the country. This was the second installment of the Lionesses' 'homecoming series' which will see this summer's silverware hit four different locations before the end of the year, and it produced a performance much more fitting of their status of European champions as goals from Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway downed a Matildas team that was reduced to 10 players inside the first 20 minutes.

Alessia Russo is one of 11 Lionesses on the list of nominees for this year's FIFPRO Women's World 11 which also includes seven players from the Spain side England beat in the European Championship final - but not Mariona Caldentey, who put La Roja ahead in that game and finished as runner-up to Aitana Bonmati at the Ballon d'Or.

England boss Sarina Wiegman has added yet another fresh face to her Lionesses squad ahead of Tuesday's clash with Australia after West Ham defender Anouk Denton accepted her first senior call-up. That's despite no player withdrawing from selection before the European champions' second fixture of this international break, with it instead a measure to protect Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles in particular.

Saturday evening was meant to be all about England. In action for the first time since their second successive European Championship triumph back in July, and with the silverware brought out ahead of kick-off, to much applause and cheer, the 'homecoming series' was underway, to celebrate another huge achievement for the Lionesses. However, Brazil clearly hadn't read the script and they assumed the role of party poopers, beating Sarina Wiegman's side 2-1 after an electric, and dramatic, start.

Hannah Hampton has been ruled out of England's clash with Brazil on Saturday, meaning Sarina Wiegman will hand out a debut to another goalkeeper in the Lionesses squad this weekend. Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse are both in contention for that opportunity, as is Sophie Baggaley, who has been called into camp in light of Hampton's injury.

When it comes to a country's player pool, Sarina Wiegman is certainly one of the more blessed international managers in the women's game right now. The England boss can call upon world-class players across various positions and has incredible depth in her squad, with the names on her bench making for enviable reading for most of her peers. However, that is not to say that the Lionesses do not have gaps in their squad, and even their starting line-up, that they need fresh faces to step up and fill as attention turns towards the 2027 Women's World Cup.

For the first time since clinching a second successive European Championship title back in July, England's Lionesses return to action this week, beginning their 'homecoming series' which will take the team around the country as they celebrate the summer's incredible triumph with as many fans as possible. It starts in Manchester on Saturday against Brazil, the South American champions, and moves onto Derby three days later, where Australia will be the visitors, before resuming in November with two more friendlies.

Featuring stamps from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico and more, Jess Carter’s passport looks more like one belonging to a gap-year student than an England international as of late. Throw in all the flying that comes with playing your club football in the United States, for Gotham FC, and the two-time European champion must have more air miles than she knows what to do with. “I feel like you get used to it and then all of a sudden you don't,” Carter tells GOAL of all the travelling, just days before boarding her umpteenth flight of the year to report for Lionesses duty. “Everything you've then learned about how to manage yourself kind of goes out the window when you end up being on the west coast for 12 days.”

Given she has been an unused substitute for 12 of England's 13 games in 2025, it wouldn't be a huge shock if Maya Le Tissier didn't feature for the Lionesses during their October international window - and yet, the Manchester United captain has come into camp as one of the most talked about names of the 24 Sarina Wiegman has selected for games against Brazil and Australia. Why? Because the England boss' perspective on the 23-year-old is very different to that of the majority.

Bayern Munich and Germany have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Lena Oberdorf has torn the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee for the second time in little more than a year. The 23-year-old only returned from the first of those setbacks this past summer but is now facing another lengthy spell on the sidelines and another arduous recovery, having described the previous one as "hell".

England's list of injury absentees for the October camp has grown again after Katie Reid and Grace Clinton withdrew from Sarina Wiegman's squad, joining Leah Williamson, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp on the sidelines. The Lionesses will take on Brazil and Australia in a pair of interesting friendlies but will have to do so without a full complement, with Millie Bright also retiring earlier this month.

Arsenal will be relieved to have hit the international break after their sluggish form continued on Thursday, albeit in a 2-0 victory at Benfica that got their Champions League title defence up and running. The Gunners have found things tough as of late, winning just one of their last five games coming into this fixture, and those struggles continued in a rather toothless performance in Portugal despite goals from Beth Mead and Alessia Russo.