England women return to winning ways with Beth Mead goal vs. Portugal

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England got the better of Portugal in a 1-0 friendly win at the Estadio do Bonfim in Setubal on Tuesday night to end a five-game winless streak dating back to their successful run at last summer's Women's World Cup.

After a scoreless first half, Beth Mead popped up in the 72nd minute to poke home from close range thanks to a goalkeeping error.

Mead poked the ball into an empty net midway through the second half after Portugal goalkeeper Patricia Morais tried to collect a cross but let it slip right through her hands.

The win will ease some pressure on coach Phil Neville, whose team had not won since the World Cup quarterfinals. It lost to the United States in the semifinals and to Sweden in the third-place playoff, then drew with Belgium and lost to Norway and Brazil after the tournament.

Portugal nearly equalized when Claudia Neto's free kick hit the the crossbar in injury time.

England return to action against Germany in another friendly on Nov. 9.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.