FROM WEMBLEY STADIUM – England came from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win over the Netherlands to keep their hopes of reaching the Nations League finals and 2024 Olympics alive.
As Mary Earps slammed her fist on the ground after Lineth Beerensteyn netted her second goal in the first half, the Lionesses’ hopes of reaching Paris 2024 were looking grim. But some brilliance orchestrated by Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp brought England back to level terms just after the break.
England had never conceded twice without reply under Sarina Wiegman and had never overturned a two goal deficit to win since she took over.
But there is a first time for everything and substitute Ella Toone nutmegged goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to net a stoppage time winner and keep England’s hopes of reaching the Nations League finals in tact.
The England manager uncharacteristically opted for a new striker in Lauren Hemp, who last featured as a number nine for England against the USA in October 2022, as opposed to Alessia Russo or Rachel Daly.
Wiegman’s squad choices paid off in front of 71,632 fans at Wembley, but the Netherlands still top the group based on head-to-head record. It all comes down to Tuesday’s games where, if Belgium and the Netherlands drop points, England will top the group with a win against Scotland.
It was all England for the first 10 minutes as the hosts squandered gifts presented by the shaky visiting defence. Lauren James’ through ball to Hemp forced Van Domselaar into an acrobatic save to deny the Manchester City forward, before the Netherlands responded by taking the lead against the run of play.
Jess Carter and Lucy Bronze clattered into one another in a bout of poor defending that allowed Beerensteyn to slot home. After gifting goals against the Netherlands previously, England were making the same mistakes once again.
By the 35th minute, the evening was looking grim for England. Beerensteyn had doubled the Dutch’s lead after more shambolic defending from the hosts. Earps, despite having an impressive World Cup run, spilled an easy save into her own net.
Beth Mead, who was recalled to the England setup after a year absent following an ACL injury, injected some impetus into the hosts, who were now facing a mammoth task of overturning a two-goal deficit. And somehow, they managed it.
In the 58th minute, a deafening Wembley crowd lifted England, who fired two goals in two minutes to see the sides level.
Stanway was able to get a head to James’ pinpoint cross to pull one back for England, before the Bayern Munich midfielder pulled Mead’s threaded pass back for Hemp – celebrating her 50th international cap – who slotted home with aplomb.
A last minute composed save from Earps kept England in the game before, out of nowhere, substitute Toone capitalised on another James cross in stoppage time to nip it home at the far post to send Wembley wild and claim all three points.
GK: Mary Earps – 5/10 – A rough one for the number one. Earps should have done better to prevent both goals, but was also let down by poor defending.
RB: Lucy Bronze – 6/10 – Consistently inverted which left space open, but did well to drive forward to help Kelly.
CB: Jess Carter – 5/10 – Should have done better against Beerensteyn and was subbed off early as a result. Too hesitant against Martens, too.
CB: Alex Greenwood – 6/10 – Solid from the Man City defender, but was caught out of position a few times.
LB: Niamh Charles – 7/10 – Comfortable performance from Charles who managed to compete with the Dutch wingers well, though was too lax at times against Pelova.
CM: Keira Walsh – 6/10 – A positive game from the Barcelona midfielder, whose technical skilled proved useful in keeping England’s control.
CM: Georgia Stanway – 7/10 – Overturned a poor start to lift England, scoring the first and assisting the second.
RM: Chloe Kelly – 6/10 – Subbed at half-time after failing to make much of an impact.
AM: Fran Kirby – 7/10 – Proactive, though it was clear her physicality was lacking after returning from injury.
LW: Lauren James – 7/10 – Clinical and clean from James. She once again proved pivotal in winning the ball back and driving forward to keep England in a fighting chance of topping the group.
CF: Lauren Hemp – 7/10 – On her 50th cap for England, Hemp’s pace and aggression was the host’s best attacking threat and dominated upfront. She was let down at times by a lack of chances created for her.
Substitutes
SUB: Beth Mead (46′ for Kelly) – 6/10
SUB: Esme Morgan (63 ‘for Carter) – 7/10
SUB: Alessia Russo (68′ for Kirby) – 6/10
SUB: Ella Toone (68′ for Stanway) – 7/10
SUB: Rachel Daly (84′ for Charles) – N/A
Unused subs: Hampton (GK), Keating (GK), Wubben-Moy, Zelem, Clinton, Le Tissier, Turner
Manager
Sarina Wiegman: 7/10 – Wiegman would have been covering her eyes in the first half but her smart tactics and change in XI proved fruitful. Returning Russo and Toone to super subs and playing James from the start where she is best was the key to keeping England within touching distance of Paris 2024.
GK: Daphne van Domselaar – 7/10 – A dominant first half but some poor anticipation allowed England back into the game
CB: Caitlin Dijkstra – 5/10 – Poor defensively and gave England too much space in the second half.
CB: Sherida Spitse – 6/10- Good from the skipper to keep control at the back but had a few moments where she let skewed passes through.
CB: Dominique Janssen – 6/10 – Sprightly but needed interference from Spitse to cover when she was caught out.
RWB: Victoria Pelova – 8/10 – Marked her 50th cap for the Netherlands with a dominant display on the flank, keeping Charles quiet and causing problems for James breaking into the box.
CM: Danielle van de Donk – 7/10 – Positive from the former Arsenal player, whose classic tricks dominated the middle.
CM: Jill Roord – 7/10 – Had real joy in midfield and forced England to play wider where they struggle.
CM: Jackie Groenen – 6/10 – Subbed at the break after a mismatch first half.
LWB: Esmee Brugts – 8/10 – Dominant on the flank and forced England into tight spaces, forcing them to use the opposite flank more than they would’ve liked to.
CF: Lineth Beerensteyn – 8/10 – Scored a brace in the first half to give the Netherlands a cushion but failed to make much impact in the second half.
CF: Lieke Martens – 6/10 – Slow from the usually pace-fuelled striker who failed to have much say upfront.
Substitutes
SUB: Damaris Egurrola (46′ for Groenen) – 5/10
SUB: Renate Jansen (64′ for Pelova) – 5/10
SUB: Kerstin Casparij (63′ for Janssen) – 5/10
SUB: Merel van Dongen (70′ for Spitse) – 5/10
SUB: Shanice van de Sanden (84′ for van de Donk) – N/A
Unused subs: Weimar (GK), Lorsheyd (GK), Wilms, Leuchter, Miedema, Snoeijs, Kaptein
Manager
Andries Jonker: 7/10 – Probably made all the right calls but was caught out by England’s impetus off the bench, and some poor defending allowed the hosts back into the game despite a two-goal cushion.
Player of the match – Lineth Beerensteyn (Netherlands)
