Lauren James and Alessia Russo score twice each as England crush Greece and move a step closer to the World Cup

England made light work of Greece on Tuesday night.

The Lionesses won 5-0 at King Power Stadium in Leicester to finish their Women's World Cup qualifying playoff first-round tie 8-1 on aggregate. Lauren James and Alessia Russo each scored twice. Georgia Stanway added the other goal.

A fast start

England wanted a better night after a hard-fought 3-1 win in Crete on Friday. It took three minutes to get going. James drove through midfield and slipped Russo in. The striker beat the goalkeeper one-on-one.

James made it 2-0 in the 16th minute with a rocket into the top corner. Stanway headed in a Lauren Hemp cross in the 30th minute. Four minutes later James volleyed home her second goal, again set up by Hemp.

James was rested for the second half. Stanway thought she had a second goal early in the half with a leaping volley, but a video review ruled it offside. Russo finished the scoring in the 75th minute, spinning her defender and finishing from a tight angle.

Coach Sarina Wiegman gave Lexi Potter her first cap with a start. Freya Godfrey also made her debut.

What they said

"We got some more big chances and you want to be ruthless all the time, but 5-0 is a pretty good score," Wiegman said after the match. She said the team has been trying a back three since the summer to keep its style of play moving forward.

"We were ruthless early on," Russo said. She had high praise for James. "She's brilliant. She's so technical and finds passes in the tough spaces."

Ukraine up next

England will face Ukraine over two legs in the second round of the playoffs with a place at next year's World Cup in Brazil on the line. Ukraine beat Slovakia 4-1 on aggregate to move on.

The ties will be played between Nov. 26 and Dec. 5, with Ukraine hosting the first leg. The two teams met twice in group play this year. England won 6-1 away and 3-0 at home.