Lauren Hemp has indicated the England squad remains united after their heavy defeat against Spain on Friday and they are determined to recover from that disappointing outcome as they prepare to wrap up their Women’s World Cup qualifying group with Tuesday’s match against Ukraine at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The European champions were dominated in a 4-0 loss in Mallorca that ended their chance to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament in Brazil, allowing Spain to claim top spot in the group. Thanks to a better head-to-head record against England, Spain now holds the group’s only automatic qualification place.

Unless Spain drops points away to Iceland, England faces playoffs in October no matter the Ukraine result, yet the Lionesses refuse to abandon hope. Hemp remarked: “It is a disappointing outcome for us as players. But matches like that often teach the most. Losing in that way and by that margin feels unpleasant, but reviewing the performance matters and that is what we have done.

“We have gathered as a group, supported one another and stayed united, which I see as the key strength of this team. It shows in how we respond together after a tough result. We have proven before that we can recover from such games and that is what we intend to do tomorrow.”

The Spain result represented the heaviest defeat during Sarina Wiegman’s time as head coach and England’s worst in 17 years since the 2009 European Championship final against Germany, though the manager believes her side has already moved forward.

“Yes, Friday night proved difficult. It felt tough, it hurt and it brought sadness, but we have also moved on because another game awaits tomorrow,” Wiegman said. “The post-match review showed good energy, the team stayed together and we truly want to show what we can do tomorrow.”

England trained at Liverpool women’s Melwood ground on Monday with the full squad involved, though Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, who had already left the squad before Friday’s match due to concussion, will miss this fixture after further assessments. Wiegman signaled possible changes to the side. “It is a qualifier so we want to win,” she said. “Tactical decisions are needed because we anticipate different challenges tomorrow. I will make some changes since players are pushing for selection and I want to see them too.”