(Stanway 58′, Hamp 60′, Thun 90+1 | Berenstein 12′, 35′)
WEMBLEY – If the lionesses are still in Paris next summer, you might not see them drinking hot chocolate at the Arc de Triomphe and strolling along the Champs-Élysées. The Olympic dream is not dead yet.
Ella Toon’s 91st-minute winner produced a remarkable turnaround – England’s biggest under Sarina Wiegman – as they managed to beat the Netherlands for the first time in their reign and boost their Nations League qualification hopes, which remained dependent on the result in the 91st minute. last game day.
Escaping the rat race and avoiding a third summer of competitive football in a row may not have been the worst outcome, but what was even better was the newfound resilience that pulled England out of the clutches of adversity.
Their response to all three goals showed that they were aware that the last few months had not been good enough. Georgia Stanway left without applause, stone-faced and determined to look out onto the pitch. Lauren Hamp’s curling try prompted cries of relief and Toone’s confident finish ultimately brought out the Wembley roar that has become so famous among European champions. Now this is something they can no longer take for granted.
Scripts no longer write themselves.
When Jess Carter and Lucy Bronze collided, all they had to do was look up and see Lynette Birenstein looking at them, preparing to overtake Mary Earps. The whistling was superficial and aimless. In response, the Dutch fan, comically dressed for the occasion, picked up a huge pair of gold trainers and roared into the frosty evening at Wembley.
For Earps, England’s footballer of the year and captain, it was his second humiliation of the evening. She endured Alex Greenwood’s screams as Berenstain’s warm bullet slipped from her hands, but it wasn’t all her fault. Keira Walsh should never have been caught with the ball; Carter should not have stood in the way of approval.
It was the autumn of what was needed for England and the GB representative nomination brought them very close to paying a heavy price.
The chaos was fun – the injustice will continue. Hemp forced Daphne van Domselaar to save and shortly before the Dutch’s first goal, a goal kick was taken instead of a corner. Even worse: on the eve of the second minute, Berenstein was offside.
The reality is that the determination to reach Paris in 2024 should not be downplayed, regardless of the details. It speaks volumes that Wiegman put her England job on hold in 2021 because she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to lead her native Netherlands at the Tokyo tournament.
It would be especially cruel if her own country dashed England’s hopes on Friday night – but it’s a matter of life and death, she pulled out her bag. It was recognized that something needed to be repaired. Alessia Russo was dropped, Hamp moved into ninth place and Niamh Charles took Rachel Daly’s place at left-back.
Another trip to Scotland is planned for Tuesday, aimed at easing the shame of being eliminated from the League of Nations. England were clearly still not at their best and on a night of confusion on both sides it was sometimes difficult to remember that this was the scene of the European Championship victory 18 months ago.
One can still find solace in memories of those happy times here on the outskirts of North London and the return of Beth Mead, making her first appearance for the national team since the cruciate ligament tear that forced her to miss the World Cup. For both England and Meade, the comeback was even sweeter than the failure.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.