England striker Alessia Russo says the side are prepared to test themselves against the best as the Lionesses host Spain in the UEFA Women’s Nations League on Wednesday evening.
The blockbuster clash under the arch of Wembley Stadium will be the first time that the two sides have met since the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, in which Spain triumphed 1-0 thanks to a goal from Olga Carmona.
Arsenal star Alessia Russo says England will not be seeking revenge for the World Cup loss, but rather are focusing on their development heading into this summer’s European Championship .
“I think for me, revenge reflects on the past a little bit,” Russo expressed. “We’re a new team, we’ve got lots of new faces and lots of new quality within the squad now. We don’t want to be looking back, obviously it hurt, you can ask every player that was in that game.”
“We want to be moving forward, we’ve got a new opportunity, we’re back at Wembley, we’ve got all of our fans there. We’re really looking forward to it. These are the games you want to play as a player. Every time you get to play for England its really special, but now we’re back at home, back at Wembley, and against a really great side.”
England’s meeting with Spain will be the side’s second fixture of the Nations League, after a stale second half performance saw them draw 1-1 with Portugal last Friday night. Despite the lacklustre display, Russo believes England are in a good place heading into the clash at Wembley.
“There is lots of energy around the place,” the striker assured. “We’re feeling good, we’re in a good place as a team, we’re enjoying our football as well which is nice. Camp is a really enjoying place to come in and I think it’s a place that people can flourish as well.”
“Winning games in general gives you confidence as a team, but we learn a lot from performances that aren’t as positive. That’s part of football and that’s part of the journey that we are on. Ultimately we want to be at our best ready for the Euros, and this is a step in our journey. We want to be testing ourselves against the top oppositions.”
The Spanish team has been competing on the pitch, but off it, the players have also had to navigate the court proceedings surrounding Luis Rubiales’s unlawful actions against Jenni Hermoso. The former Spanish chief was found guilty of sexually assaulting Hermoso on stage after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final and was fined €10,000 (£8,275), but avoided jail.
“We’re all with them through the process,” Russo said when asked about how the England team have supported the Spanish players during the turbulent time.
“I know it’s been tough on teammates who I’ve played, they are all fantastic girls and they act with so much class. It’s a real shame for what they’ve been through but they’ve been professional through it all and have never let their football standards slip. It’s a massive respect to them all.”
Russo’s Arsenal teammates, Mariona Caldentey and Laia Codina, were part of the Spain team that won the World Cup, with both involved in the court proceedings. The 26-year-old piled on the praise for the pair, commending the strength shown over the last two years.
“Obviously you never want your teammates to go through something like the process that has been going on,” Russo said. “They’ve acted with so much class, and it’s not been easy. They are top players and their standards are always sky-high, so I’m grateful to have people like that around me day in and day out.
“The community that women’s football has is really special and something quite unique about the game. Whether it be good or bad, we help and we come together as one. We’re really good at celebrating each other’s successes. Ultimately we all want the same for women’s football, we want it to be at the highest levels without moments like this happening.
“To play alongside them, they both bring so much quality. I really enjoying speaking to them and just talking about different experiences and how they see the game. Also as people, they’re great people to have in a team. I can’t speak highly enough of them as teammates.”
