England Women wrote a new chapter in the history books as they demolished Norway Women 8-0 to become the first team to make the quarter-finals of Euro 2022 at the Amex Stadium.
Sarina Wiegman's merciless crop struck through Beth Mead (3), Ellen White (2), Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russio and Lauren Hemp to become the first men's or women's side to score more than six goals in one game at the European Championships.
The tenacity of White saw the Lionesses awarded a penalty with only 10 minutes gone in sweltering conditions at the Amex Stadium, with Maria Thorisdottir hauling her Women's Super League counterpart down.
Stanway stepped up and fired home into the top corner to hand England an early advantage, as Guro Pettersen went the right way but could not get a hand on the midfielder's rifled effort.
England would double their lead moments later, as Mead found herself in acres of space in the right-hand side of the box and found Hemp, whose nick into the back of the net was initially ruled out for offside before being given after a VAR review.
Mead must have thought she had claimed another assist for White in the 27th minute, but the Manchester City attacker could only witness the ball sail over the bar off her shin following a sumptuous cross from her compatriot.
White would make no mistake moments later, though, as she bullied Thorisdottir off the ball and raced through to slot home past Pettersen and put England out of sight before the half-hour mark.
White was denied a second only three minutes later courtesy of a strong save down low by Pettersen, but England would not go without a fourth before the end of the half as Arsenal's Mead headed home from Hemp's cross.
© Reuters
Mead was not content with just the one effort in the first half, as the 27-year-old weaved her way through a sea of red shirts in the penalty area before slotting home into the bottom corner to make it 5-0 after 38 minutes.
England would threaten to add to their tally with every attack and did exactly that in minute 41, as Fran Kirby's cross allowed White to tap home at the back post.
Wiegman's side understandably took their foot off the gas in the second half, with Norway still offering very little going forward and the Lionesses conserving their energy with a spot in the quarter-finals all but sealed.
However, there would be time for the Lionesses to bag a history-making seventh goal, as Manchester United's Russo came off the bench to hold off teammate Thorisdottir and nod a header into the back of the net with 66 minutes gone.
Alex Greenwood hit the bar late on as England pushed for an eighth, and it would eventually come via the boot of Mead in the 80th minute, with the Arsenal attacker following up from close range after Pettersen kept out Keira Walsh's long-range effort.
Norway's Frida Maanum very nearly struck a consolation for her side late on, but the Arsenal midfielder's long-range effort fizzed just over the bar as England confirmed their place at the top of Group A before meeting Northern Ireland at St Mary's on Friday.
No Data Analysis info
England Women
Austria Women
Norway Women
N Ireland Women
Germany Women
Spain Women
Denmark Women
Finland Women
Sweden Women
N'lands Women
Switzerland W
Portugal Women
France Women
Belgium Women
Iceland Women
Italy Women
