Sarina Wigman belittled the English title for the euro after beating 5-1 the starters, the Netherlands, in their penultimate friendly match before the tournament. “I think there are a lot of favorites for this tournament and we are one of them,” she said ironically.
England were forced to come out from behind for the first time during Wigman’s term, but Lucy Bronze scored the answer to Like Martens’ first-half goal before Sherida Spitis took a penalty from the outside of the crossbar, waking up the loose home team. Beth Mead’s instant response a minute and a half after the penalty put England ahead before Ella Town and Lauren Hamp scored in a quick sequence for the then-violent country, and Mead added a late fifth.
Netherlands manager Mark Parsons said 5-1 was “terrible to hear” and that he took responsibility for the heavy defeat. “It was a very difficult evening,” he said. “The only thing we wanted to avoid by taking on a big game and a big team at the beginning of our preparations was this result. I feel a great responsibility. ”
Wigman made five changes to the team that overtook Belgium last week, including choosing Beth England to lead the line with record-breaking goal scorer Ellen White, absent from Kovid.
It has been a long time since England faced the Netherlands. Wigman was then in the opposite dugout, leading his team to a 3-0 semi-final victory over England before continuing to secure the home side’s Euro triumph for the Netherlands in the 2017 final.
As the Dutch manager now with England and Englishman Parsons replaces Portland Thorns for the starters, and England plays in orange while the Dutch put on white shirts, all fans who crave their next hit from Stranger Things will have satisfied their appetite with a game that it seems to have been played in Fell Down.
If there were concerns about how ready Fran Kirby was for the tournament this summer after the Chelsea midfielder’s timeout with a fatigue problem, they were partially dispelled in the first half against the runners-up at the 2019 World Cup. number 10 was clear within two minutes as she and Chloe Kelly neatly combined on the right.
Lauren Hamp and Beth England are celebrating after Lucy Bronze’s effort hit the net. Photo: Nick Potts / PA
Wigman wanted tighter tests for his lionesses before the start of the euro at Old Trafford on July 6, and it looked like he would get that on Eland Road. Mary Earps did a good job of denying Lynette Beerenstein at close range after the striker escaped the Bronze.
Then the visiting team took the lead and the source was known. Martens applauded England’s defense in 2017 and her header near the corner post avoided static defenders between her and the door and caught Earps reacting slowly.
Kirby had some serious challenges and in the 32nd minute, when the latter came to the striker, he managed to throw the ball to the right when it came down, Bronze collected and caught the ball to the far post and it twisted.
Shortly after the break, there was a VAR check for a Dutch penalty after Alex Greenwood knocked off Daniel van de Donk’s leg in the penalty area. The central defender received a yellow card for the careless challenge, but Spitz, who made his 200th appearance for his country, deflected the penalty from the outside of the crossbar.
The response from England was immediate. Just 90 seconds after missing the penalty, England took the lead. Keira Walsh sent a slippery pass in Hemp’s run and the Manchester City striker raced to the left before sending a cross, which was returned by reserve Mead.
A series of changes for both sides led to the entry of Vivian Miedema from Arsenal, the Netherlands’ record scorer, and Ella Town from Manchester United was given the chance to claim his role as 10 on the air, replacing Kirby.
The effect of the substitute was immediate. Rachel Daly, who was superb all the time, released Towne, who circled Lynn Wilms and threw the ball low into the far corner.
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Is bench strength the biggest weapon in England this summer? “It’s an absolute weapon,” Wigman said. “Whether this is our greatest strength, I do not know.”
Two minutes later, England had four. The bronze cross from the right was deflected from the base of the beam by Tuun before the ball hit clearly, but only to Hemp, who made his volley into the corner. In the 90th minute, Mead continued his exciting form for England, catching the missed ball after a wrong goal by Alessia Rousseau to shoot.
It’s just friendly, but Parsons is trying to look beyond England. “The quality of the players, the resources that WSL invests, the work that the clubs do,” he said. “It’s very difficult to say they’re not favorites.”
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