England vs Portugal LIVE: Lionesses result and reaction from World Cup send-off

England were held to a goalless draw by Portugal in their final match before the Lionesses head to the Women’s World Cup.

The hosts dominated possession and had several chances to take the lead at Milton Keynes but could not find the breakthrough, with Alessia Russo coming closest with a shot that was cleared off the line by Portugal defender Marques Borges.

Russo also dragged a chance wide after a pull-back from Chloe Kelly while Lucy Bronze hit the post from a corner during a flurry of second-half chances.

England fly to Australia later this week and play their opening match of the World Cup against Haiti on July 22. Before then the Lionesses will play Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly in Brisbane.

Follow all the reaction the Lionesses were held by Portugal:

England vs Portgual

• FT! England can’t find the breakthrough as Portugal hold Lionesses to 0-0 draw

• OFF THE LINE! England get closer as Russo rounds goalkeeper but is denied (ENG 0-0 POR)

• SAVE! Chloe Kelly denied as England make changes at the break (ENG 0-0 POR)

• HT! Lionesses on top as Georgia Stanway hits top of the bar before the break (ENG 0-0 POR)

• England captain Millie Bright still unavailable due to knee injury

FULL TIME! England 0-0 Portugal

17:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Disappointment for England.

Not the send-off they wanted before the World Cup but there will be plenty of positives to take from that I’m sure.

The Lionesses created loads of chances and their attacking play was excellent at times.

They just couldn’t take those chances - but better to get that out of the way than in Australia!

England will head Down Under later this week.

England 0-0 Portugal

17:11 , Jamie Braidwood

90+4 mins: Through to Russo! BLOCKED by the recovering Portugal defender! Some of their defending has been excellent today.

England 0-0 Portugal

17:09 , Jamie Braidwood

90+2 mins: Kelly’s cross is blocked as she looks to send an inswinger into the box, before the ball doesn’t drop to James after a flick from Bronze.

England 0-0 Portugal

17:07 , Jamie Braidwood

90 mins: Time is running out for England. There will be just five minutes of added time left to get the breakthrough.

There has been a sell-out crowd of over 26,000 at Milton Keynes today.

England 0-0 Portugal

17:01 , Jamie Braidwood

85 mins: The second half has been an onslaught of England chances... Kelly creates room for the cross again on the right: it breaks to Russo but doesn’t quite come down in time. The striker is still able to get a shot off, but it doesn’t trouble the goalkeeper.

Again, that is not the only time we’re said that today.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:58 , Jamie Braidwood

81 mins: Katie Robinson is next on for England, replacing Hemp. Kelly takes a wild swing at a chance at the back post. England certainly aren’t giving up on this yet. Ten minutes to find the winner.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:54 , Jamie Braidwood

77 mins: Close (again)! The build-up play is sharp once again from the Lionesses - James playing a lovely ball around the corner to Kelly, who whips in an excellent low cross. Russo meets it at the front post but can’t direct her effort across goal!

Russo then drags another effort wide... is this not going to be England’s day?

England 0-0 Portugal

16:51 , Jamie Braidwood

74 mins: Close! England take a quick corner and play back to Zelem, who whips in a great cross and finds the arriving Niamh Charles. The defender makes a good connection on the header but it’s straight at the keeper.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:41 , Jamie Braidwood

70 mins: Marps Earps has yet to be tested in the England goal but the Lionesses almost play themselves into trouble with a back-pass that cheaply concedes a corner, and could have been worse. England are able to clear.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:41 , Jamie Braidwood

Two more changes for England as Katie Zelem replaces Stanway and Laura Coombs comes on for Walsh.

Hats off to the Portugal defender Marques Borges for that goal-saving challenge - by the way.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:37 , Jamie Braidwood

61 mins: And now WIDE! Incredible! England miss a hat-trick of chances in a flurry of minutes! Kelly works her way into the box and squares for Russo, who places her shot wide from 12 yards!

England 0-0 Portugal

16:35 , Jamie Braidwood

59 mins: And now OFF THE POST! From the corner, Lucy Bronze strikes the frame of the goal at the back post! England just aren’t getting a break!

England 0-0 Portugal

16:35 , Jamie Braidwood

58 mins: OFF THE LINE! England open up Portugal with a superb pass through to Russo, who nips around the goalkeeper but is denied on the line!

England 0-0 Portugal

16:33 , Jamie Braidwood

56 mins: Penalty? Russo takes a pass from Stanway in her stride and edges into the box, before going to ground under the challenge of Silva Amado. There wasn’t much there.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:30 , Jamie Braidwood

53 mins: SAVE! Much better from England. James picks the ball up in space and turns, before finding Kelly to the right. Kelly drives onto her left foot and shoots across goal, but it’s palmed away by the Portugal keeper.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:28 , Jamie Braidwood

51 mins: CLOSE! Stanway drives a corner to the back post, where Hemp is unmarked! The winger can’t keep the header down.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:27 , Jamie Braidwood

50 mins: A very stop-start opening five minutes to the half, with Portugal dealing with a couple of injury problems.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:24 , Jamie Braidwood

Back underway - can’t wait to see James at 10.

HALF TIME! England 0-0 Portugal

16:21 , Jamie Braidwood

Plenty of changes at the break for England: Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Niamh Charles are all on - so that’s Daly, Toone and Greenwood all off.

Lauren James has moved inside to No 10.

HALF TIME! England 0-0 Portugal

16:05 , Jamie Braidwood

And that’s the final action of the half! Goalless at the break.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:05 , Jamie Braidwood

44 mins: Off the top of the bar! Lovely move from England - as Toone plays it wide to Hemp. Again the winger looks to clip a cross to the back post and Stanway is there to meet it. It’s not the cleanest of connections, and the ball is diverted onto the top of the woodwork.

Close. But England are still looking for the breakthrough.

England 0-0 Portugal

16:02 , Jamie Braidwood

42 mins: Lovely turn from Stanway inside her own half to launch the counter - releasing Daly over the top. It’s only the second time the Villa striker has had the chance to run with the ball at her feet, and it takes a good challenge from the defender Ribeiro Gomes to block the shot.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:59 , Jamie Braidwood

37 mins: Outstanding from Keira Walsh as she plays a reverse pass on from Earps to get Stanway moving forward. There’s been a real swagger about Walsh and Stanway so far today. From there, Greenwood looks to bend in a ball from deep but ends up troubling the Portugal goalkeeper. It drifts just over the bar.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:54 , Jamie Braidwood

33 mins: Back to James on the right as the Chelsea winger cuts inside and loops at ball to the back post. It’s just headed away at the last moment by the recovering Portugal defender.

From the corner, Daly goes for the overhead as the ball breaks in the box - but it’s over the bar.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:50 , Jamie Braidwood

29 mins: Chance! England threaten again - and it’s no surprise it comes from the left wing and Lauren Hemp. The Man City forward gets around the outside and pulls a dangerous cross into the box, and it’s deflected wide by the Portugal defender.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:46 , Jamie Braidwood

25 mins: The England subs are out warming up - with Alessia Russo and Beth England very much a reminder of the options the Lionesses have on offer.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:44 , Jamie Braidwood

22 mins: England take a corner short and work it back to Walsh - who overhits her cross to the back post. England are certainly looking to get the ball towards Daly when they can - and another ball there is cut out by the keeper Teixeira Pereira.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:38 , Jamie Braidwood

19 mins: Jess Carter is in a real battle with the Portugal forward Jessica Silva - which is one to keep an eye on as the visitors are not afraid to go long and try and play over the top.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:37 , Jamie Braidwood

17 mins: Walsh knocks a smart pass with the outside of her foot to Toone, who aims at goal from outside of the box. Daly was probably the option with the pass.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:35 , Jamie Braidwood

15 mins: James goes on the other side now and teases a tricky looking ball into the middle, which is just out of the reach of Daly. England getting closer.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:32 , Jamie Braidwood

12 mins: England’s wingers are going to cause other teams serious problems this summer. Lauren James is just ghosting into space for fun whenever she gets the ball, while Hemp is looking sharp on the other side.

Portugal look pretty dangerous on the break, too, especially considering how high England are playing.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:27 , Jamie Braidwood

7 mins: Georgia Stanway is enjoying herself early on - finding some nice pockets of space. Ella Toone concedes the free-kick on the right edge of the area - so England have some early defensive work to do.

Not the most convincing, but England clear.

From kick-off, Stanway ghosts through midfield with a silky nutmeg. Beautiful.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:24 , Jamie Braidwood

5 mins: SAVE! What a goal that would have been! England switch it well from right to left and find Hemp, who beats her defender and gets to the byline. Hemp stands up the cross and finds Rachel Daly at the back post - it has to be a goal, but no! The striker is denied by the goalkeeper Teixeira Pereira.

England 0-0 Portugal

15:22 , Jamie Braidwood

3 mins: England look to start on the front foot and press Portugal high up the pitch. Georgia Stanway wins the ball back well and there are early touches for Hemp and James in the wide positions.

KICK-OFF! England 0-0 Portugal

15:19 , Jamie Braidwood

Underway! There was a moment of silence for a former member of staff at the Lionesses before the players take the knee to applause. England are underway - and Alex Greenwood starts at left back. Jess Carter starts alongside Esme Morgan at centre-back.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

15:13 , Jamie Braidwood

And now time for the anthems: the last the time the Lionesses will hear God Save the King on home soil before landing in Australia. A big St George’s flag forms in the far stand.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

15:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Before kick-off England will pay tribute to Carly Telford and Izzy Christensen after they recently retired from football. Both were England internationals and played a part in where the Lionesses are today.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

15:07 , Jamie Braidwood

Huge cheers in Stadium MK as Beth Mead is introduced to the sell-out crowd. Almost ready to go here, and really get England’s World Cup campaign kicked off. All eyes will be on Rachel Daly to see if she can make the most of this opportunity up front.

England’s road to the World Cup begins with a ‘different test’ - and it’s not just Portugal

14:58 , Jamie Braidwood

A new summer, a new tournament, the same goal: England’s World Cup campaign begins in earnest against Portugal on Saturday, with a final send-off match before the Lionesses head to Australia. A year ago, England were starting to pick up momentum on home soil before the Euros, continuing the winning run under Sarina Wiegman that would carry them all the way to Wembley - and from there, history.

The same again? “I think the best thing we can do is just not compare,” said the midfielder and Euros winner Georgia Stanway. The Lionesses will once again be driven on by the chance to inspire the nation, but the challenge that awaits at the World Cup is completely different to the opportunity they seized so spectacularly last July.

Match preview

England’s road to the World Cup begins with a ‘different test’

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

14:38 , Jamie Braidwood

England captain Millie Bright on her recovery from a knee injury and her hopes of being ready for the World Cup.

“The knee’s really good. I think we are a little bit ahead (of schedule) actually. Coming into it, there’s a big chunk of time before the first game, so we’re really confident and everything is going exactly the way we wanted it to go.

“I think Saturday will be a little bit too soon. I’m not back with the girls yet and I don’t think we want to rush that. Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game.”

“I think the amount of minutes I’ve played leading up to this has been ridiculous, through the roof, so if anything I feel mentally and physically fresher than I’ve ever felt.

“I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now. A blessing in disguise I call it, that I’ve mentally and physically been able to completely just have a clean slate and let my body recover. I’ve played through many injuries but this one, I just couldn’t quite get there.”

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

14:26 , Jamie Braidwood

Ella Toone on the importance of picking up momentum ahead of flying to the World Cup:

“It’s always good to have those games before the tournament to see where we are, to see what things we need to work on, to get out on the pitch with each other and get those connections back, building back up. It’s a great game, a different test to what we are going to face as well. It’s always nice to play in a proper game before we go out to the World Cup.

“I think we definitely do have a target on our backs now after the Euros but that’s what we want. We want to win everything and we have that winning mentality in that every time we step out we want to beat the team we are playing against. For us, we don’t put pressure on ourselves. We know that we need to go there out and perform and know we will come up against really good teams, but I think the main thing is making the nation proud and going out and enjoying ourselves.”

Team News - England

14:08 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Rachel Daly gets the nod up front for England, picked ahead of Alessia Russo and Bethany England. Esme Morgan gets another opportunity at the back.

England XI: Earps; Bronze, Morgan, Greenwood, Carter; Stanway, Walsh, Toone; James, Daly, Hemp.

Substitutes: Roebuck, Hampton, Charles, Wubben-Moy, Coombs, Kelly, England, Zelem, Robinson, Russo, Le Tissier.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

14:07 , Jamie Braidwood

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

There is a lot of competition for places in this England team - particularly up front and on the wings. Who will Sarina Wiegman pick in England’s final game before flying to Australia? Does Rachel Daly start ahead of Alessia Russo and Beth England? And who out of Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly has to settle on the bench?

Team news is coming up shortly.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:56 , Jamie Braidwood

Georgia Stanway ahead of facing Portugal - and potentially winning her 50th England cap:

“I think in football, it’s really difficult to become reflective - football doesn’t rest and time doesn’t stand still, so it’s kind of one thing after another.

“You can see how fast and how much has changed since the Euros and everything that’s happened since then. So within football, you do something, you put it to bed and move on to the next thing.

“Of course I’ll try to enjoy tomorrow, and I’ll enjoy with my family in the stands, being with the girls. But the main focus is the next thing, which is the World Cup.”

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:50 , Jamie Braidwood

Alessia Russo admitted she has found being the subject of transfer talk “tough” and is glad to be in camp with England focusing on this summer’s World Cup.

It was announced two weeks ago that Russo would be leaving Manchester United on the completion of her contract at the end of June, something she described at the time as the “hardest decision I’ve ever had to make”.

The 24-year-old has been linked with Arsenal, who had a world-record bid for her rejected in January.

Asked how much of a distraction transfer speculation had been, Russo said: “Towards the end of the season it was tough and then the summer has been tough.

“But that’s football, that’s the state of the women’s game. I just turned it off, took a break on holiday and completely switched off with all my friends and family.

“Then coming back into an environment like this is perfect because you’re competing, you have a huge tournament ahead and my full focus is on England.”

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:46 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on what sort of test Portugal will offer England and her own team’s preparations:

“For them it's the first time they go to a World Cup so they're preparing too. I think it's a team that wants to play technical, they want to play possession game, they're not afraid to play long ball too and have some speed up front and some players that do unpredictable things.

“I also think they have some style of play that so we haven't played it against yet, so hopefully they will do that tomorrow. So we will be challenged and for us also, the first game after having a break, after the season, after having had two weeks of training sessions with of course a break in between. So getting ready.”

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:35 , Jamie Braidwood

Sarina Wiegman on how close she is getting to knowing her team for England’s opening game against Haiti on July 22.

“We’re getting closer, that’s clear. You want to get closer, but we’re still trying out some things. And on some positions, I don’t know what the starting lineup will be. There’s still competition going on.

“That’s why we need those two games, but it could also be that it’s not very clear what’s the starting 11 and the next game we would make another tactical choice and bring or start another player. So it’s not totally clear, but of course we’re getting closer.”

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:32 , Jamie Braidwood

Team news

Millie Bright, installed as captain with Leah Williamson among England’s injury absentees, will not feature as she continues her own recovery. The Chelsea defender suggested this week that she is ahead of schedule in her recovery, but this fixture comes too soon. Sarina Wiegman also confirmed that Jordan Nobbs will be missing but Alex Greenwood is available having overcome a knock suffered in training early in the week.

Portugal boast an exeperienced group hoping to build confidence after securing a first World Cup qualification. Manager Francisco Neto is not thought to have any fresh injury concerns.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:31 , Jamie Braidwood

When is England vs Portugal?

England vs Portugal is due to kick off at 3.15pm BST on Saturday 1 July at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage on the channel from 2.30pm BST. Registered users can stream the action via ITVX.

England vs Portugal LIVE - Latest updates

13:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of England’s final fixture on home soil before the 2023 Women’s World Cup as they host Portugal this afternoon. The Lionesses welcome their fellow finalists to Milton Keynes four days before heading Down Under for the finals in Australia and New Zealand.

This meeting with Portugal features the 23-player squad who will represent England at the tournament with Millie Bright captaining the side in the absence of Leah Williamson - although the defender is still out due to injury.

“I’m really pleased to have a competitive game for our last home fixture,” said coach Sarina Wiegman. “We had two big games in April against Brazil and Australia where we learned so much. This will be another challenging match against a team that have performed well and are going to their first World Cup.”

Follow all the action as the Lionesses take on Portugal