If England had just wanted a standing ovation on their return home, they may have chosen kinder opponents, but the Copa America winners provided a far tougher test.
For Wiegman it was the perfect exposure to South American physicality and directness as she turned her attention to England’s next challenge of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
“Of course you hope for [a better] result, but this was a very good game to start with after the Euros,” insisted Wiegman.
“[Brazil are] a very good opponent and they are a South American opponent, so that’s really what we want, because that’s different, more emotional, and I would say more extroverted.
“It’s good to have that in front of us because they play very direct. We got a lot of challenges in this game that we really need to experience.
“Now we know what we can improve, and some things we did really well, and some things we didn’t do well.
“That’s really good to see, because if you play an opponent that doesn’t give you those challenges, then you’re not going to learn a lot.”
A frustrating night in Manchester for the #Lionesses.
We go again on Tuesday in Derby. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/KgtiRdbqvG
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) October 25, 2025
While it may not have fit the expectations of the 37,460 in attendance at the Etihad Stadium, England were certainly tested.
That Brazilian directness struck twice within the opening 20 minutes as Bia Zaneratto and Dudinha swapped goals and assists.
Bia struck first on nine minutes as Dudinha held the ball up well to draw Esme Morgan out of position, before playing in her teammate whose strike nestled in the bottom right corner.
And the favour was returned in the 18th minute when Ella Toone gave away a cheap turnover in her own half allowing Bia to streak away down the centre of the pitch before Dudinha curled home a brilliant effort off the outside of her boot at the near post.
They were mistakes Wiegman had tried to overcome, but ones that ultimately cost England a victory on their homecoming.
“We knew exactly what we wanted to do, and that was skip their first press, because if they win it there, they are really good in the counter-attack,” she said.
“That’s what happened twice. The first time Khiara [Keating] played it out [from the back], we lost the ball, and they were gone, and scored a goal.
“The second time, we had a square pass, which you know, if you play a square pass against them, they’re on it, and they’re gone. So that’s a team thing and that was not part of our game plan.”
Despite that torrid opening 20 minutes, where Brazil appeared to carve England open with ease, a red card for Angelina on 21 minutes saw momentum shift for Wiegman.
But despite Georgia Stanway’s penalty just after half-time, and the entry of Euros hero Michelle Agyemang on cue with 10 minutes to go, this time the Lionesses could not produce a comeback.
Against a 10-player squad, it provided England with further learnings as Wiegman sees fit to experiment at the beginning of a new cycle.
“We had so many opportunities, but we just need to do a bit better in the decision-making and the execution, too,” she explained.
“Our decision-making and execution in these moments, we help them to get the counter-attack and score two goals, and that’s what I’m talking about all the time.
“You don’t get that many chances, even when you play against 10, because they did drop a lot deeper, and you’ve seen their physicality.
“They’re very tall and very physical players, so that’s why we try many times to keep playing football. We just have to do those things a little better to get over the line.”
