Emma Hayes frustrated as England hold her USA on Wembley homecoming

The gap between expectation and reality can be wide and the exciting chess match between England and the United States didn’t really deliver the action that fit the Clash of the Titans narrative that had been set up before the match.

In front of 78,346 fans eager to see who would leave the showpiece in better form – the European champions, led by Sarina Wiegman, or the Olympic gold medalists, led by London-born Emma Hayes – the answer was neither both.

“It was a very intense match. Of course we know that the US is very dynamic and explosive and wants to move forward,” said Wiegman. “We defended very strongly as a team and found solutions to their overload on a large scale.”

Hayes said: “You have two top teams. Sarina is a great coach. It was a good tactical duel. I just enjoy coaching, I live in football games, to be honest.

Hayes was jovial before kick-off, stating: “Life is so short, I want to have a good time.”

The football did not quite create the good atmosphere that the excited crowd had hoped for. After lasers, fireworks, smoke and thunderous music it was all a bit flat, a complicated strategy battle rather than a barnstormer.

The away team were the relatively more organized and efficient side when they had the ball in the first half, and their press suppressed England when they were not, limiting them to two touches in the area inside the 15 in the first half of the US in England. But Wiegman’s team wasn’t particularly bad either.

Jess Naz, making her third appearance for the Lionesses, had an excellent lead over Lucy Bronze on the right and took cover as the Chelsea full-back would make a raid and cause problems for the USA at the back, although the quality of the latter ball eluded her.

With the action on the pitch lacking in sharpness, attention was easily drawn to the touchline, where arguably the two best managers in women’s football were at work, occasionally gesticulating, while Hayes sometimes paused with his arms folded, while Wiegman was pinned to her back with them.

There was a bit more energy after the restart, the crowd louder and willing to bring the game to a close call. Within four minutes the net was bulging, US captain Lindsey Horan had poked in from close range, but the flag was up for offside. Hayes punched the air in joy before quickly doing so again in frustration.

England were also smarter, there was more control and patience in possession. It was reflected in the statistics, with the Lionesses going from two touches in the penalty area to ten in the next twenty minutes. “We want to go for the win. They also wanted to go for the win,” said Wiegman.

However, it was almost a disaster for the home side just after the hour mark when Alex Greenwood was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area by blocking Yazmeen Ryan’s shot. But replays showed the ball clearly came off the Manchester City defender’s chest and the video assistant referee intervened. Lina Lehtovaara overturned her decision after watching the monitor on the field.

The arrival of Korbin Albert in place of Alyssa Thompson provoked the loudest reaction from the crowd in the first 73 minutes, with boos for the player who was forced to apologize for posting homophobic content on social media in March.

“Of course I understand the booing, and everyone is entitled to their opinion on this without a doubt,” Hayes said. “It is not my job to get involved in the debate. I am a football coach. My job is to build a football team. I sat down with her and had several conversations with her about and around these things to make sure that the self-development part is there.

Experience came to England in the form of Fran Kirby and European Championship winner Chloe Kelly, but the home side struggled to find holes in a visiting back line led by exceptional centre-back Naomi Girma.

It was the United States that seemed most likely to take the lead in the closing stages, but the stalemate was a fair result. Against the top opposition, Hayes and Wiegman will have learned a lot and there is work to be done. For Wiegman, that will have to happen quickly, with the Nations League in the new year and England’s defense of the European title in the summer.