Five talking points from England 0-0 Portugal

England were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Portugal at a packed Stadium MK in their final home match before jetting off to the the World Cup.

Rachel Daly started up front and managed to test Portugal early with a headed effort that was well-saved by goalkeeper Ines Pereira.

Georgia Stanway almost opened the scoring when she clipped the crossbar, running onto Lauren Hemp's pin-point delivery.

After the break, substitute Alessia Russo came close when her effort was cleared off the line by Ana Borges and from the resulting corner, Lucy Bronze had a header denied by the post.

Sarina Wiegman's side had 23 shots in the end but could not apply the finishing touch and were forced to settle for a draw.

Here are five talking points from the international friendly.

Flat first half

It was a slow first half from England who were unable to break the deadlock. 

Hemp and Lauren James occasionally threatened from the wing, but a lack of movement from central midfield saw Portugal easily ward away their chances. 

England then grew lethargic in their play which saw them fail to conjure any big opportunities to take the lead and forced Wiegman to make three changes at the break.

Starting striker puzzle

Wiegman's decision to start Daly in the striker position was significant, as no player has cemented themselves in the position. 

The Aston Villa forward brought an aerial threat, held up play and looked to make runs into space but ultimately failed to make her mark. 

As a result, she was replaced by Russo at the break, who also could not find the back of the net despite a number of good opportunities. 

Neither made a big statement meaning the England boss will have to continue to ponder who to start up front this summer.

Dangerous James

James, 21, was inserted into the starting lineup — and made a good impression.

The Chelsea forward caused problems for the visitors' defence with her direct dribbling and pin-point crossing. 

She moved centrally in the second half, where she threaded passes into the forwards and created more opportunities by picking up the ball from deeper positions.

While James was unable to guide the Lionesses to victory, her performance made it clear she will certainly have an important role to play for England in Australia and New Zealand.

England defence passes Portugal test

Portugal have a tenacious and fast frontline — but England stood strong to stop them from threatening. 

Despite a number of setbacks due to injury, the hosts showed their resilience with Bronze, Esme Morgan, Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood as the back four. 

Carter was particularly impressive, dominating her duels, tracking runners and showing great recovery pace, as well as displaying secure distribution. 

Poor finishing

This result was England's last fixture on home soil before the World Cup — and was ultimately an underwhelming attacking display.

Wiegman expressed her disappointment with England's sluggish play and failure to finish chances.

She said: "I think we were too slow in our possession game in the first half. 

"We did a little better in the second half and in moments we played quicker and the tempo was higher. Although we did create lots of chances, shots doesn't say everything.

"We should have put it in the back of the net. We all know that."