FROM STADION GALGENWAARD – Returning to the Netherlands for the first time since becoming England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman suffered her third defeat with the Lionesses as her former team ran out 2-1 winners on Tuesday.
Renate Jansen’s 89th-minute winner claimed all three points for the Netherlands after a shaky first-half performance from the European Champions.
England, suffering their third defeat under Wiegman to her former team, face a tough challenge to qualify for the Olympics, slipping into third place in Group One.
England will have to wait until the end of November to face Belgium in a double-header to continue their Nations League campaign.
How the game unfolded
The pace and pressure the Netherlands piled on the World Cup finalists cracked the issues in their midfield wide open. With Keira Walsh ruled out with injury, Manchester United skipper Katie Zelem stepped in but struggled significantly against Jill Roord.
Out of the gate, the Netherlands were dominating against the shaky England side. Having lost 2-1 to Belgium, the home side were under pressure to perform.
Martens broke the deadlock for the Netherlands as England’s chaotic defending led to plenty of errors. Millie Bright’s pass to Georgia Stanway was blocked backed to Danielle van de Donk, who set up the Paris Saint-Germain forward to fire home. Replays showed Van de Donk was offside, but with no goal-line technology or VAR, the goal stood.
In an attempt to counter, Rachel Daly hit the post before Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze both had shots blocked by Aston Villa goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
The half-time formation change proved vital for the Lionesses as Russo netted the equaliser just past the hour mark. Stanway’s attempted shot took a big deflection to land at the Arsenal striker’s feet.
As England thought they were heading home with a point, substitute Jansen tore through England’s defence, her shot from distance winning the game for the Dutch.
GK: Mary Earps – 6/10 – Pulled off some impressive stops but looked nervy for a lot of the game.
CB: Jess Carter – 6/10 – Struggled in the back three but played better after the formation change.
CB: Millie Bright – 6/10 – Was put under pressure a lot and struggled to complete passes but did well towards the end.
CB: Alex Greenwood – 7/10 – Through-balls to Hemp looked good but struggled defensively. Changing formation worked better after half-time.
RM: Lucy Bronze – 7/10 – Matched against Brugts, her pace suffered but put in the defensive miles to make some important blocks.
CM: Georgia Stanway – 6/10 – Struggled against the Dutch’s midfield dominance.
CM: Katie Zelem – 5/10 – Poor against Roord and was overrun far too easily.
LM: Rachel Daly – 6/10 – Struggled against Pelova’s pace and physicality. Subbed at half-time.
AM: Ella Toone – 5/10 – Could not find space and lost the ball several times.
ST: Lauren Hemp – 8/10 – England’s best player on the pitch. Her runs into the box were the best attacking threat that England posed.
ST: Alessia Russo – 7/10 – Had a rough first half but pulled the score level for England in the second half that changed the game for the visitors.
Substitutions
SUB: Chloe Kelly (46′ for Daly) – 7/10 – Her introduction changed the pace and formation for England that worked better than the first half.
SUB: Lauren James (81′ for Russo) – N/A
Subs not used: Hannah Hampton (GK), Ellie Roebuck (GK), Niamh Charles, Maya Le Tissier, Lucy Parker, Esme Morgan, Lucy Staniforth, Laura Coombs, Katie Robinson, Jessica Park
Manager
Sarina Wiegman – 6/10 – Did not make changes quick enough when England were struggling to compete against the high pace and press.
GK: Daphne van Domselaar – 8/10 – Provided a solid foundation between the sticks for the home side and pulled off some impressive saves to keep the scoreline minimal.
RB: Victoria Pelova – 8/10 – Used her footwork well to shake off her opponents and made good runs into the final third.
CB: Caitlin Dijkstra – 6/10 – Pulled out some impressive stops but did not clear England’s goal well enough.
CB: Dominique Janssen – 6/10 – Dominated at the back but could have done more to prevent Hemp’s threat.
LB: Esmee Brugst – 7/10 – Used her pace and found space well. Won the battle against Bronze.
CM: Jackie Groenen – 8/10 – Physicality and dominance heavily influenced the Netherlands’ control of the game.
CM: Sherida Spitse – 7/10 – Played well defensively and was effective in keeping Russo quiet.
CM: Danielle van de Donk – 7/10 – Did well to find space and ran at the defence to keep the pressure on incredibly well.
RW: Lineth Beerensteyn – 7/10 – Applied the pressure and ran at Earps to keep the pressure on England.
ST: Jill Roord – 8/10 – Caused far too many problems for England’s midfielder and dictated the pace.
LW: Lieke Martens – 7/10 – Found herself in the right spaces at the right time.
Substitutions
SUB: Lynn Wilms (77′ for Brugts) – N/A
SUB: Wieke Kaptein (77′ for Pelova) – N/A
SUB: Damaris Egurrola (84′ for Groenen) – N/A
SUB: Renate Jansen (84′ for Beerensteyn) – N/A
Subs not used: Danielle de Jong (GK), Barbara Lorsheijd, Marit Auee, Marisa Olislagers, Jill Baijings, Fenna Kalma
Manager
Andres Jonker – 8/10 – Made subs at just the right time and succeeded in keeping England under pressure and quiet.
Player of the match: Jill Roord (Netherlands)
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