Svoboda | Graniru | BBC Russia | Golosameriki | Facebook
Close menu
UEFA Women's Nations League - Group A1
NetherlandsNetherlands2EnglandEngland1

Netherlands 2-1 England: Lionesses fall to late defeat by the Netherlands

By Emma SandersBBC Sport at Stadion Galgenwaard, Utrecht

Last updated on .From the section Women's FootballBBC Russian1131

Lieke Martens scores the first goal for Netherlands against England
England have lost two of their past three matches including the World Cup final in August

England lost for just the third time under manager Sarina Wiegman as the Netherlands scored a 90th-minute winner in the Women's Nations League.

Renate Jansen gave the hosts victory after Alessia Russo had cancelled out Lieke Martens' opener in Utrecht.

It was another England performance which underwhelmed and it means their qualification for the Olympics, on behalf of Team GB, promises not to be a smooth ride.

Martens had controversially put the Dutch in front, as team-mate Danielle van de Donk appeared offside in the build-up and there was no video assistant referee (VAR) to assist the officials.

However, it only capped off a first half in which the Netherlands were the better side before England responded after the break, getting the equaliser via Russo's first-time strike, and creating more opportunities.

Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to Euro 2017 glory, was back in her home country for a competitive match for the first time since taking over the Lionesses in September 2021.

England drop to third in the group, while the Netherlands move up to second place after Scotland earned a late 1-1 draw with Belgium in the other match in Group A1.

Wiegman's homecoming spoilt by Dutch intensity

Sarina Wiegman reacts during England's defeat by the Netherlands
Sarina Wiegman won Euro 2017 while in charge of the Netherlands and then Euro 2022 with England

The build-up to the match was dominated by the homecoming of Wiegman, who said it would be a "special" evening in Utrecht.

But it did not go well for the England boss as her side were flat in the first half and were punished for their lack of intensity.

The World Cup finalists struggled to deal with the Dutch pressure early on and eventually paid a price when they fell behind.

Martens' finish was composed but Van de Donk looked offside in the build-up and England were understandably frustrated by the assistant referee's decision, which was compounded by no VAR.

England then sprung into life late in the first half - Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze forcing a double save from Aston Villa goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar after Rachel Daly had clipped the post.

But the Dutch also hit the woodwork when Lineth Beerensteyn escaped in behind Jess Carter and lobbed goalkeeper Mary Earps, only to see it bounce back off the underside of the crossbar.

A change of formation by England at half-time, switching to a back four, gave them more stability and chances began to flow but the Netherlands also tested goalkeeper Earps further.

Juventus forward Beerensteyn was a constant threat and struck the woodwork for a second time after the break, while Hemp was England's standout performer and was denied twice by Domselaar in the second half.

A point would have been a welcome prize to take home to England but the Lionesses will need to navigate a double header with Belgium in October and look to take points off the Netherlands and Scotland in December.

Line-ups

Netherlands

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1van Domselaar
  • 3Dijkstra
  • 8Spitse
  • 20Janssen
  • 17PelovaSubstituted forKapteinat 77'minutes
  • 14GroenenSubstituted forEgurrolaat 84'minutes
  • 10van de Donk
  • 22BrugtsSubstituted forWilmsat 77'minutes
  • 6RoordBooked at 90mins
  • 7BeerensteynSubstituted forJansenat 84'minutes
  • 11Martens

Substitutes

  • 2Wilms
  • 4Auée
  • 5Olislagers
  • 12Baijings
  • 13Jansen
  • 15Kalma
  • 16Lorsheyd
  • 19Kaptein
  • 21Egurrola
  • 23de Jong

England

Formation 3-4-3

  • 1Earps
  • 3Carter
  • 6Bright
  • 5Greenwood
  • 2Bronze
  • 8Stanway
  • 4Zelem
  • 7DalyBooked at 37minsSubstituted forKellyat 45'minutes
  • 11Hemp
  • 9RussoSubstituted forJamesat 81'minutes
  • 10Toone

Substitutes

  • 12Kelly
  • 13Hampton
  • 14James
  • 15Morgan
  • 16Charles
  • 17Coombs
  • 18Parker
  • 19Park
  • 20Le Tissier
  • 21Roebuck
  • 22Robinson
  • 23Staniforth
Referee:
Ivana Martincic
Attendance:
24,000

Match Stats

Home TeamNetherlandsAway TeamEngland
Possession
Home47%
Away53%
Shots
Home12
Away13
Shots on Target
Home7
Away6
Corners
Home2
Away3
Fouls
Home8
Away9
Watch on iPlayer bannerWatch on iPlayer footer

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

1131 comments

  • Comment posted by shaun, at 21:02 26 Sep 2023

    I think England are becoming arrogant, they need to get a grip otherwise everything will fall apart.

    • Reply posted by Brian, at 21:05 26 Sep 2023

      Brian replied:
      They are starting to believe their own hype, that's the problem.

  • Comment posted by FacePalm, at 21:02 26 Sep 2023

    Why do they keep messing around with the ball in defence? England keep inviting pressure on and end up giving it away in dangerous areas far too often!

  • Comment posted by colin, at 21:06 26 Sep 2023

    Maybe now the media will stop all the hype and report realistically. England do have good players but are not producing as a team. How many games since they actually played well? The world cup showed they are nowhere near the side that performed so well in the Euros. Tonight is no surprise.

  • Comment posted by catseye27, at 21:07 26 Sep 2023

    Sadly the woman's game has gone the same way as men's, money is all that matters. Seriously, playing for your country should be the highlight of a players career.

  • Comment posted by martyn, at 21:06 26 Sep 2023

    I ask again how is Georgia Stanway up for world player of year? When will Sabrina try any other squad players. Tomorrow reports will say Stanway, Zelem, Toone, Kelly under preformed and yer they are never rested and as one example Jordan nobbs as the creative and shooting skills never gets a minute on field? Seriously going backwards the England team as too many undroppables that should be dropped

    • Reply posted by John, at 21:09 26 Sep 2023

      John replied:
      Where was Nobbs tonight? Injured?
      Not named in subs.

  • Comment posted by Timperley Big Shorts, at 21:02 26 Sep 2023

    Oh dear. Poor team selection, poor tactics, poor substitutions, poor manager................that's 2 defeats in last 3 games.............

    • Reply posted by Topper, at 21:06 26 Sep 2023

      Topper replied:
      Same team, same subs but manager can do no wrong. Flat as a fart.

  • Comment posted by monicjo1, at 21:08 26 Sep 2023

    No complaints, totally outplayed by the Dutch. If you can’t pass, give the ball away and play backwards you won’t win games.

    • Reply posted by User0224807073, at 21:54 26 Sep 2023

      User0224807073 replied:
      Not the great team Mark Sampson built. Now we are beginning to see what Weigman's team will be like. A long slow decline.

  • Comment posted by Nordic noir, at 21:00 26 Sep 2023

    Sorry, but that was a very poor performance from England, Netherlands obviously wanted to win more than us

    • Reply posted by Wombat, at 21:03 26 Sep 2023

      Wombat replied:
      England too arrogant and thought they had it at 1-1. Lauren James was awful when she came on.

  • Comment posted by digital dg, at 21:01 26 Sep 2023

    A much better second half from England probably justified a draw but the Dutch looked a handful throughout. For me, England have been flattering to deceive since the Euros, apart from the great performance against the Aussies. Things aren’t just clicking at the moment.

    • Reply posted by SD, at 21:04 26 Sep 2023

      SD replied:
      Agree 👍

  • Comment posted by Brian, at 21:04 26 Sep 2023

    Well that was rubbish!

    • Reply posted by The Spin Doctor, at 22:40 26 Sep 2023

      The Spin Doctor replied:
      World cup hangover still not gone away, perhaps?

  • Comment posted by discoveranother, at 21:11 26 Sep 2023

    Wiegman like Southgate, too conservative, doesnt change players. Passing between players very poor over the last year.

    • Reply posted by Alba, at 21:16 26 Sep 2023

      Alba replied:
      England's players are like Southgate and Wiegman respectively. A dour nation of plodders.

  • Comment posted by 2112col, at 21:05 26 Sep 2023

    Im afraid England are becoming too prdictable.last 3 games very poor perfomance

    • Reply posted by User0224807073, at 21:55 26 Sep 2023

      User0224807073 replied:
      Weigman is hopeless, can't even get them to pass straight.

  • Comment posted by Johnty, at 21:03 26 Sep 2023

    The better team won imo. As for England, they're showing uncertainty with their identity of play. Very disjointed at times and once again silly mistakes costing goals. England gave Netherlands far too much space, just as they did against Spain in the WC final. I think a few players need a reality check and that they shouldn't assume they will always guaranteed an automatic starting place.

  • Comment posted by markie, at 21:05 26 Sep 2023

    Really poor standard of football from both teams.

  • Comment posted by D1704310354500, at 21:03 26 Sep 2023

    Congratulations to the dutch girls on their victory over the English press and punditry

    • Reply posted by Viva Espana, at 09:16 27 Sep 2023

      Viva Espana replied:
      Netherlands A 2 Netherlands B 1

  • Comment posted by DGB, at 21:09 26 Sep 2023

    England look a shadow of the side that won the Euros. Only time they played positively was when they went behind.

    • Reply posted by User0224807073, at 21:56 26 Sep 2023

      User0224807073 replied:
      The Euro's team was built by Mark Sampson.

  • Comment posted by over-and-out, at 21:05 26 Sep 2023

    Looks like the England women are getting like a man diving about committing fails specially Daly this England team. Hasn’t got it anymore. Will surprised if they win any more silverware in the next 20 years with all nations catching them up. They certainly were hopeless tonight.

    • Reply posted by In the name of the game, at 23:01 26 Sep 2023

      In the name of the game replied:
      They need to play the England way . Forget about trying to be someone else . It does not work .

  • Comment posted by harty105, at 21:14 26 Sep 2023

    This is not a WC finalist- more like a Sunday team performance. Holland had done their homework whilst England played truant

  • Comment posted by Tallrover, at 21:04 26 Sep 2023

    Embarrassing lazy defending in both this game and the Scotland game. My team Blackburn have conceded 7 in the last two games and this performance made them look like an Italian international back line.

  • Comment posted by GK Coach, at 21:22 26 Sep 2023

    Have to again question earps. She costs england a goal a game yet considered one of best in the world. Even in tonight's game she was 2nd best keeper.

    • Reply posted by Johnty, at 21:44 26 Sep 2023

      Johnty replied:
      To be fair, Earps can't control other players making mistakes that lead to the goals. I think she could have moved better for the first one conceded tonight, but there was absolutely no stopping the second goal. The goal conceded in the WC final was the other players giving away the ball in bad positions too.

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Tuesday 26th September 2023

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Belgium21103214
2Netherlands21013303
3England21013303
4Scotland201123-11

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1France22003036
2Portugal210134-13
3Norway201134-11
4Austria201112-11

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Denmark22007166
2Germany21014223
3Iceland210114-33
4Wales200216-50

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Spain22008266
2Sweden21013303
3Italy21011103
4Switzerland200206-60

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Republic of Ireland22007076
2Northern Ireland210113-23
3Albania201112-11
4Hungary201115-41

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Finland22005056
2Slovakia21014403
3Croatia210125-33
4Romania200213-20

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Serbia22006156
2Poland22005236
3Ukraine200224-20
4Greece200217-60

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Czech Republic22004136
2Bos-Herze21103214
3Slovenia201113-21
4Belarus200224-20

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Malta22003036
2Latvia21014133
3Andorra210125-33
4Moldova200214-30

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Turkey22005056
2Luxembourg21103124
3Georgia201114-31
4Lithuania200204-40

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Azerbaijan21102114
2Cyprus21102114
3Montenegro21011103
4Faroe Islands200202-20

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Kazakhstan21102114
2Israel11005053
3Estonia201105-51
4Armenia100112-10

M

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Bulgaria21101014
2Kosovo10100001
3North Macedonia100101-10
View full UEFA Women's Nations League tables

Elsewhere on the BBC

Also in Sport