6 talking points as England suffer last-gasp Netherland defeat in Nations League
After a positive start to their Nations League campaign against Scotland last week, England were beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands on Tuesday evening.
After a rather cagey opening half an hour, it was the hosts who fired themselves in front just after the 30-minute mark. Some sloppy play from the Lionesses was punished by the Netherlands and it's fair to say it had been coming.
England attempted to play it out from the back but Georgia Stanway's ball ricocheted off Jackie Groenen and into the path of Danielle van de Donk, who appeared to be in an offside position. She laid it off to Lieke Martens, who fired an effort beyond Mary Earps.
England appeared to wake up after going behind as Rachel Daly hit the host and both Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze forced saves from Daphne van Domselaar in quick succession before the break. The Dutch, though, remained a threat the other way and hit the woodwork themselves through Lineth Beerensteyn.
The Lionesses looked much better after the break as Hemp forced another save from the Dutch keeper from point-blank range. Alessia Russo then stepped up just after the hour mark with an improvised finish to put England back on level terms.
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Despite England calling upon the services of Lauren James, who has so often been a game changer for the Lionesses, the Netherlands clinched the win at the death with a 90th minute goal. Alex Greenwood gave the ball away in a dangerous area and substitute Renate Jansen put the hosts back in front late on.
England punished for slack defending
The Lionesses' attempt to overplay on the edge of their own area backfired and their sloppiness was capitalised on by the hosts. Stanway was put under pressure by Groenen and she lost possession, resulting in the goal.
With the quality the Dutch have, they were always going to have the firepower to punish England. Gift them an opportunity, they won't miss.
It's a problem Sarina Wiegman will want her side to stamp out of their game. The Netherland's second goal of the night, and the winner, came about in similar circumstances as a poor ball from Greenwood was intercepted and played through to Jansen.
Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze of England look on during the game with Netherlands (Photo by Frederic Scheidemann - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)Going behind sparked England into life
It's fair to say the goal in the first half breathed some much-needed life into what had been a very lacklustre, tightly contested affair. England's first real attempts on goal came after going behind, with Daly, Hemp and Bronze among those to come close to a leveller.
Wiegman's side grew into the game from then on and became a lot more effective in the final third. They weren't getting a sniff and the half-time substitution that saw Chloe Kelly replace Daly offered them another outlet out wide.
It looked like it could pay off but the heroics of Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar kept the Lionesses at bay and kept the hosts in control.
Russo returns with a goal
It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks for Russo as she returned to club action extremely quickly after the conclusion of the World Cup. At the start of the month, roughly two weeks after the final, the new Arsenal signing was already in UEFA Women's Champions League action with the Gunners.
She was afforded a couple of extra days off ahead of this international break, which made her unavailable for selection against Scotland last Friday. The plan was always for her to be ready for this game and it was justified thinking from the manager as Russo stepped up in a huge moment.
Her clever finish put the Lionesses back on level terms at a crucial time in the game and her link-up with Hemp proved to be a strong threat once England got going.
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Alessia Russo of England women during the UEFA Nations League women's match against the Netherlands (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)Lack of VAR proves problematic
Replays showed Van de Donk was in a clear offside position in the build-up to the Netherlands' opening goal, which was missed by the referee and the assistant. However, the lack of VAR meant it wasn't looked at again and the goal stood.
Of course, England were masters of their own downfall on that occasion but Alex Greenwood did well to hold the line and play Van de Donk offside. The flag should have been raised.
In a competition that has so much on the line, including potential qualification for the Olympics next year, the fact VAR isn't in use is bizarre. England themselves had a goal controversially ruled out in their previous game, while Scotland's Martha Thomas was denied a penalty in that same game.
Group blown wide open
After such a promising start, the Lionesses have lost their grip on the group. Belgium can top the group after matchday two with either a draw or a win against Scotland in the other game.
The Netherlands needed a win and they did exactly that. Tonight's result will only put more emphasis on England doing a number on Belgium in their back-to-back fixtures next month.
They will quickly need to put this result behind them with a lot riding on them topping the group. Team GB's qualification for next summer's Olympics depends on the Lionesses reaching the Nations League final early next year.
Sarina Wiegman, manager of England, looks on prior to the UEFA Women's Nations League Group A match against the Netherlands (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)Wiegman returns to Netherlands
This was an understandably strange match-up for the England manager as she came up against her native country, having represented them as both a player and a manager. She won the Euros in 2017 and reached a World Cup final in 2019 as head coach of the Dutch national team, coincidentally matching those achievements during her time as England manager.
Wiegman mentioned before the game it was a nice, but strange, feeling to come up against her home country. Ultimately, her homecoming ended in bitter defeat as the hosts clinched the winner at the death.
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