From Elland Highway – England whet supporters’ urge for food for Euro 2022 with a thumping 5-1 victory over reigning European champions Netherlands at a raucous Elland Highway on Friday night – the Lionesses’ ultimate pleasant on house soil earlier than the event kicks off on 6 July.
The 2 sides – who’re each fancied to go deep at this summer season’s championships – had performed out a tightly contested encounter within the opening 50 minutes. However with the scores delicately poised at 1-1 after Lucy Bronze had cancelled out Lieke Martens’ header, Sherida Spitse missed a spot kick, and England went up the opposite finish and took the lead via Beth Mead. Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and a second from Mead added additional flourish on the scoreline because the Lionesses finally ran out emphatic winners.
The Netherlands had opened the scoring via Martens, who rose highest to move house Spitse’s nook after 22 minutes.
The objective appeared to spark the Lionesses into life, they usually started to take pleasure in extra possession within the Netherlands half, earlier than levelling the scores on 32 minutes – in barely fortuitous circumstances. Fran Kirby’s barely miss-hit go discovered Bronze, and her sliced cross inadvertently discovered the highest nook.
The Netherlands got the chance to retake the lead within the second half after Alex Greenwood was belatedly penalised by VAR for bringing down Danielle van de Donk. Nonetheless, Spitse could not add a objective to her help to mark her two hundredth look, discovering the surface of the submit from 12 yards out.
It proved to be a sliding doorways second, and inside a minute England had the ball behind the web. Hemp latched onto Keira Walsh’s very good ball in behind, and her inch good cross was buried by substitute Mead.
Fellow substitute Toone added a 3rd with 20 minutes remained, carving out the opening herself with a intelligent feint, earlier than her curling effort squirmed beneath Sari van Veenendaal.
Two minutes later, it was 4. Toone once more was on the coronary heart of the motion, cracking the submit from contained in the field, earlier than the ball finally discovered its method to Hemp, and the England winger despatched a sweetly struck volley into the again of the web.
Mead slammed house from shut vary on the stroke of full time after the Netherlands did not clear because the Lionesses wrapped up a press release victory over certainly one of Europe’s perfect.
GK: Mary Earps – 6/10 – Made a superb cease along with her ft to maintain out Beerensteyn. Sound with the ball at her ft.
RB: Lucy Bronze – 7/10 – Made an important final ditch deal with to maintain out Beerensteyn, levelled the scores considerably by accident with a sliced cross-come-shot.
CB: Millie Shiny – 5/10 – Sloppily conceded possession in her personal field within the construct as much as the Netherlands’ opener. Caught out in behind on a few events with the tempo of the guests’ entrance three.
CB: Alex Greenwood – 5/10 – Drew a save from van Veenendaal with a wise, low free kick. Conceded a penalty with a foul on Van de Donk after the Netherlands’ midfielder beat her for tempo.
LB: Rachel Daly – 7/10 – Made an essential final ditch deal with to maintain out Pelova within the first half because the Netherlands midfielder charged in the direction of objective.
CM: Leah Williamson – 7/10 – Cool and calm in tight areas and all the time an possibility for the again 4. Moved to centre again for the ultimate half an hour.
CM: Keira Walsh – 8/10 – Out-jumped by Martens because the Netherlands’ winger gave the hosts the lead. Instrumental in England’s second, selecting out Hemp with a superb go in behind. Grew into the sport and was oozing confidence by the top.
AM: Fran Kirby – 6/10 – Teed up Bronze for England’s equaliser after selecting up a unfastened ball in a pocket of area. Her first begin since February for membership or nation, confirmed flashes that she’s on the way in which again to her finest.
RW: Chloe Kelly – 6/10 – Grew into the sport and acquired the higher of Wilms on a few events in the direction of the latter phases of the primary half, selecting out a few harmful crosses. Changed at half time.
ST: Beth England – 5/10 – Got here inside a whisker of creating contact with a Daly flick on within the six yard space, however in any other case largely starved of service.
LW: Lauren Hemp – 8/10 – An unusually subdued first half as she struggled to get within the recreation. All change within the second; created England’s second objective, bursting previous Janssen and selecting out Mead. Added a fourth with a candy, candy volley. The Lionesses have been at their finest when she was concerned.
SUB: Beth Mead – 8/10 – On the scoresheet with certainly one of her first touches of the sport, drifting into the field and connecting cleanly with Hemp’s cross, and added one other nicely taken objective because the clock ticked down.
SUB: Alessia Russo – 6/10 – Cracked the bar in stoppage time following a intelligent run off the shoulder.
SUB: Georgia Stanway – 6/10
SUB: Ella Toone – 8/10 – Solely on the pitch 25 minutes, however managed to hit the submit and get herself on the scoresheet. Actually full of life.
SUB: Jess Carter – 6/10
GK: Sari van Veenendaal – 5/10 – Could not have completed a lot about England’s first two targets, however allowed Toone’s effort to squirm below her physique for England’s third.
RB: Lynn Wilms – 5/10 – Had been doing a extremely efficient defensive job on the often damaging Hemp within the first half, hardly ever permitting her to show and cost in the direction of objective – till being crushed for tempo by the England winger within the construct as much as the hosts’ second and shedding the battle agains the England winger.
CB: Aniek Nouwen – 5/10 – Sound defensively within the first half, seemed shakier within the second with the presence of van de Gragt.
CB: Stefanie van de Gragt – 7/10 – Sound defensively, hardly gave Beth England an inch. Changed at half time, and her facet conceded three in her absence.
LB: Dominique Janssen – 5/10 – Had a superb battle with Kelly within the first half, misplaced the run of Mead for England’s second.
CM: Sherida Spitse – 6/10 – Supplied the set piece supply from which the Netherlands opened the scoring – an honest method to mark her two hundredth (two hundredth!!) worldwide look. Clipped the submit with a penalty.
CM: Jackie Groenen – 5/10 – Slipped and conceded possession within the buildup to England’s equaliser.
CM: Victoria Pelova – 6/10 – Made a number of superior runs from deep to get past Beerensteyn, and alternated with Roord on the correct flank on a few events.
RW: Jill Roord – 6/10 – Typified the Netherlands’ dynamic ahead line, sometimes dropping into midfield, sometimes pulling large and stretching the England backline. However unable to have any actual telling attacking impression on proceedings.
ST: Lineth Beerensteyn – 6/10 – Denied twice within the first half, first by a Bronze block after which by the ft of Earps. Modified it up by coming deep and pulling lengthy. Changed after an hour.
LW: Lieke Martens – 7/10 – Gave the Netherlands the lead by evading Walsh and flicking house a header from a nook. Changed at half time.
SUB: Danielle van de Donk – 6/10
SUB: Caitlin Dijkstra – 5/10
SUB: Vivianne Miedema – 5/10
SUB: Esmee Brugts – 5/10
SUB: Damaris Egurrola – 5/10
