2019 Queen Alexandra Exhibition Match
| England Men v England Women | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Event | 2019 Queen Alexandra Exhibition Match | ||||||
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| Date | 5 August 2019 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, England | ||||||
| Man of the Match | William Smith (Three Lions) | ||||||
| Referee | Michael Oliver (England) | ||||||
| Attendance | 86,980 | ||||||
The 2019 Queen Alexandra Exhibition Match, alternatively England Men v England Women, was a football match that took place on 5 August 2019, officially as an exhibition match in honour of the newly-coronated Queen Alexandra, whom was coronated on 1 August 2019, and whom formerly played for the England women's national team from 2015 to 2019. Held at Wembley Stadium in London, England, the match pitted the men's (The Three Lions) and the women's (The Lionesses) England national football team, whom were represented and captained by William Smith and Queen Alexandra respectively.
The match began at 11:30 A.M., with the Lionesses initiating the kick-off. Soon enough, in the 13th minute, Lionesses midfielder, Fran Kirby scored the match's opening goal, giving her side a 1-0 lead before proceeding to double it at the 31st minute, at which point Lionesses forward, Queen Alexandra had already scored a goal herself at the 24th minute, thereby putting the initial scoreline at 3-0 before a counter-goal by Three Lions forward, Harry Kane at the 37th minute ultimately led the first half to conclude with a scoreline of 3-1. Then, throughout the entirety of the second half, the Three Lions, through the service of their decorated former forward, William Smith staged a dramatic comeback, with Smith's subsequent hat-trick at the 76th minute proving vital to ultimately award his side a narrow 4-3 win despite otherwise falling short in terms of both possession and the number of total chances created.
In its aftermath, the event was widely praised by critics and also received much media coverage in both the United Kingdom and abroad. In particular, the notable hat trick scored by William Smith immediately became one of the most talked-about points of the match, with BBC's Chester Davis stating, "Even at almost forty years of age, the King of Kings of Football still has what it takes to show his true talent in football and still deliver a spectacle to remember for millions of football fans in attendance".