Euro 2022: Record-breaking England score eight against Norway to reach quarter-finals with a game to spare

England made sure of a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2022 with a record-breaking 8-0 victory over Norway in Brighton.

Georgia Stanway opened the scoring with a penalty as England produced a stunning first half performance to take a 6-0 lead. Lauren Hemp added a second before Ellen White and Norway’s chief tormentor Beth Mead both scored twice.

Norway reverted to five at the back in the second half but conceded two more, as substitute Alessia Russo headed home and Mead completed her hat-trick.

England have won Group A and now play Northern Ireland on Friday night, while Norway face a huge match with Austria for a place in the last eight.

If we see a better individual performance than this in Euro 2022 it will be quite something. Mead absolutely destroyed Norway down the right, picking them apart with her clever movement and a series of devastating crosses and through balls. On top of all that she helped herself to a hat-trick, the second of which was a stunning individual effort. There were some superb performances from England’s players tonight, so it says everything about Mead’s that hers still stood out. Sensational.

England (4-2-3-1): Earps 6; Bronze 8, Bright 7, Williamson 7, Daly 7; Walsh 7, Stanway 8; Mead 9, Kirby 8, Hemp 8; White 8

SUBS: Russo 8, Greenwood 6, Toone 7, Kelly 6, Scott 6

Norway (4-2-3-1): Petterson 6; T Hansen 5, Mjelde 4, Thorisdottir 4, Blakstad 4; Boe Risea 6, Engen 5; Saevik 5, Graham Hansen 4, Reiten 4; Hegerberg 4

SUBS: Bergsvand 5, Maanum 6, Eikeland 5, Ildhusoy 5, Terland 6

12’ GOAL! ENGLAND 1 (STANWAY PEN. 12) NORWAY 0 It doesn't get more emphatic than this! Stanway absolutely postage stamps it into the top left, and even though Petterson goes the right way the ferocity of the strike sends it tearing into the net.

15’ GOAL! ENGLAND 2 (HEMP 15) NORWAY 0 Norway are getting torn apart down the right. A lovely ball from Bronze finds Mead on the right byline. She cuts back onto her left, slides it through the six yard box and Hemp has a a tap in from a yard out. What a start!

29’ GOAL! ENGLAND 3 (WHITE 29) NORWAY 0 What a nightmare here for Thorisdottir. She's the furthest player back and dawdles on the ball, from where she's blindsided by White and loses the ball. White is clean through, and slides it into the bottom left for three!

34’ GOAL! ENGLAND 4 (MEAD 34) NORWAY 0 This is a marker down if I'm not mistaken. England break forward again, and work the ball to Hemp on the right wing. She plants a perfect cross to the six yard box where Mead gets the run on the ball and nods it through Petterson for another!

38’ GOAL! ENGLAND 5 (MEAD 38) NORWAY 0 What an absolute jazzer of a goal from Beth Mead! She gets the ball on the right of the area and, although she's closed down, sashays majestically through three defenders and places the ball calmly in the bottom corner. Oh my!
41’ GOAL! ENGLAND 6 (WHITE 41) NORWAY 0 Scenes, as they stay! Stanway reverses a lovely ball to send Kirby clean through into hte right of the area. She fires it across the six-yard box and White slides in at the back post to put it in. This is a simply devastating performance!

66’ GOAL! ENGLAND 7 (RUSSO 66) NORWAY 0 It's seven! England have been picking it up in the last few minutes and work a crossing position for Bronze on the right of the area. She stands it up to the back post, where Rosso climbs and plants a downward header past Petterson.

81’ GOAL! ENGLAND 8 (MEAD 81) NORWAY 0 It's eight, and it's a hat-trick for Beth Mead! Walsh unloads from the edge of the Norwegian area. It cops a deflection and Petterson adjusts to make a reflex save, but the ball pops up and Mead swoops in to volley home from six yards out.

England’s eight goals were the highest tally by any team in the history of both the women’s and the men’s European Championship.