.png)
Strong starts to the Asian Cup, international debuts and POTM awards: London City’s International Break so far.
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Sixteen players representing nine different countries headed off across the globe at the start of the window, and the first few days of fixtures have already delivered plenty of standout moments.
Alanna Kennedy and Saki Kumagai, representing Australia and Japan in the Asian Cup, have both got off to winning starts.
Tournament hosts and favourites Alanna Kennedy and Australia kicked off the Asian Cup on Sunday, winning 1-0 against the Philippines in the Group A opener at the Perth Stadium.
Two-time Asian Cup Winners Japan also had a perfect start, keeping a clean sheet as they beat Chinese Taipei 2-0.
England U23’s kicked off 2026 with a 1-0 win against France U23’s at Clairefontaine on Monday afternoon, with Izzy Goodwin and Teyah Goldie both featuring. Teyah Goldie earned Player of the Match honours at the heart of the England defence which kept a clean sheet.
The biggest individual headline of the international break so far is Poppy Pattinson, who made her debut for the England senior team against Ukraine on Tuesday night, coming on at half-time, at 0-0.
The Lionesses went on to score six in the second half, with Pattinson delighted to make a difference on her debut: “It’s a dream come true, I’m pretty overwhelmed right now! It’s a special, special moment and to have my family there in the crowd is amazing.
“I’m not a person who gets too nervous but tonight it hit me a little bit, I’m over the moon really!”
Across the other World Cup qualifiers, club teammates and two legends for their countries, Kosovare Asllani and Elena Linari, went head-to-head as Sweden edged past Italy 1-0.
After the final whistle, the two London City teammates shared this quick moment together, a reminder that while they may be rivals internationally, they remain teammates at club level.
Spain also made a strong start, with Jana Fernández featuring from the bench during their 3-0 victory over Iceland, while Grace Geyoro completed the full 90 minutes as France fought back to defeat Ireland 2-1.
There was late heartbreak for Finland, with Lotta Lindström and Sanni Franssi both involved as Portugal scored twice after the 90th minute to take a 2-0 win.
Meanwhile, Daniëlle van de Donk was an unused substitute in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Poland.
With the first fixtures complete, attention now turns to the second half of the international break, where London City Lionesses will once again look to make their mark for their countries.
For more information on when and who our internationals are playing next, click the button below.
If the opening week is anything to go by, there may be plenty more moments still to come before the players return to club football.
With 16 internationals representing us this March, it is a credit to the work being done around London City as we look to finish our inaugural Barclays Women's Super League season strongly.
JOIN US FOR A SELL OUT
There are less than 4% of tickets left on sale for our fixture against Arsenal. This match will be SOLD OUT very soon, time is running out to grab one of the last few tickets.
