England cruised past Japan with a thrilling 6-0 win in their second group game at the IFCPF World Cup.
It didn’t take long for the Para Lions to mark their presence in Seville, as Liam Irons was clipped inside the box two minutes in. Michael Barker stepped up to give England the lead from the penalty spot early on.
The Para Lions continued to show their excellence with the ball and controlled the majority of the first half, with a stubborn Japan defence proving the only barrier for England.
But they found their another breakthrough inside 13 minutes, as David Porcher grabbed the second of the game, with a lovely sidefoot from outside the box to make it 2-0.
It was a dominant first half for the Para Lions and gave them a comfortable lead at half time, but they still had it all to play for against a resolute Japan.
Andy Smith’s team came out all guns blazing after the break and extended their lead through Barker, whose clever backheel finish gave the lads the a 3-0 lead four minutes into the second half.
With the Para Lions hungry for more, they extended their lead further with a long-range strike from Irons - no stopping that! 54 minutes in and they found themselves four goals up!
A quick turn in possession saw England five up inside 55 minutes, this one from Jordan Twiss who curled a shot into the right-hand corner.
And just when you thought they were finished for the night, poor defending from Japan allowed Martin Sinclair to stab one home from close range on 56 minutes to make it 6-0.
The win means England have confirmed qualification into the quarter-finals with a controlling performance. The group winners will be decided on Friday, when England are back in action against Brazil.
That game kicks-off at 10.10am and will be streamed live by the IFCPF on YouTube.
