England vs Netherlands LIVE: Result and reaction as Lionesses produce stunning Wembley comeback
England 3-2 Netherlands: Ella Toone scored a stoppage-time winner after the Lionesses were two goals down at half time
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England kept their bid to secure Olympics qualification for Great Britain alive in dramatic fashion as Ella Toone’s stoppage-time goal completed a fightback from two goals down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 at Wembley.
Needing a win to remain in contention to finish top in Nations League Group A1, the final position required for them to have a chance of obtaining a place for GB at next summer’s Games in Paris, the Lionesses were on course for a third defeat in the pool as Lineth Beerensteyn notched a first-half brace for the Dutch.
But Sarina Wiegman’s side battled back with two goals in quick succession from Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp around the hour mark, before substitute Toone capped the turnaround in the first minute of time added on to bring a huge roar from the 71,632 crowd in attendance.
It leaves England in second place, level on points with the Netherlands and one in front of Belgium, ahead of concluding their group matches by playing Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Belgium drew 1-1 with Scotland in Friday’s other Group A1 contest.
Follow all the live action in the blog below and here are the England vs Netherlands latest odds.
England vs Netherlands: Team news!
England team to face Netherlands: Earps; Bronze, Carter, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway, Kirby; James, Hemp, Kelly
Netherlands XI: Van Domselaar; Dijkstra, Spitse, Janssen; Pelova, Groenen, Van de Donk, Brugts; Roord; Beerensteyn, Martens
England vs Netherlands
Here is what England have to do to finish top of their group:
The Lionesses must win against the Netherlands. Any other result and they are out of the running to top the group.
If England win, they will likely have to beat Scotland at Hampden next Tuesday: a draw at Hampden would only be enough if Belgium lose to Scotland and then draw against the Netherlands, and even then England would need to beat the Netherlands by two goals to take the head-to-head record.
If England win both games, they will have 12 points and would need Belgium to drop points either against Scotland or against the Netherlands. If England win both games but Belgium win both games, they cannot top the group.
If England win both games and the Netherlands beat Belgium, they will go through only if they win by two goals or better the Dutch’s 2-1 win from the return fixture. The Lionesses must do this to take the head-to-head record.
If both England and the Netherlands both finish on 12 points and with identical head-to-head records (ie both games are 2-1 home wins), then it will come down to overall goal difference in Group A1.
Coming into the final two rounds, England have a goal difference of 0 while the Netherlands have +5.
England vs Netherlands
The cup specialists have so far struggled with the new league. After winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final, the Lionesses face the prospect of a rare failure in the inaugural Women’s Nations League. England must beat Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday to have any chance of topping their group. But given Sarina Wiegman also won the Euros and reached the World Cup final with her native Netherlands, allowing the Dutchwoman to claim the title of the ultimate tournament manager, perhaps the return to must-win, knockout football will suit the Lionesses ahead of a decisive week.
The Lionesses are back in ‘must-win’ mode: Here’s why it can suit them
After a World Cup hangover, England must beat the Netherlands at Wembley to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics alive
England vs Netherlands
What would the Lionesses then need to do to qualify for the Olympics?
England must reach the Nations League final to be sure of their place at the Olympics next summer, as the nominated side for Team GB.
Both Nations League finalists will qualify for the Paris Games - unless one of those teams is France, who qualify automatically.
If France reach the Nations final, the automatic qualification spot will go to the winner of the third place playoff in the Nations League finals.
France, Denmark and Spain are top of Groups A2, A3 and A4 ahead of the final two rounds of fixtures.
What do the Lionesses need to do for Team GB to qualify for the Olympics?
England face two must-win Nations League games against the Netherlands and Scotland
England vs Netherlands
What is the team news?
England are without captain Millie Bright after the Chelsea defender withdrew from the squad due to a knee injury. The centre-back was replaced by Manchester United’s Millie Turner and goalkeeper Mary Earps will captain the Lionesses in her absence.
Beth Mead is back in the England squad for the first time in over a year after returning from an ACL injury. The Euros golden boot winner adds to Sarina Wiegman’s options in the forward line, with Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly all in form.
Vivianne Miedema is also set to return for the Netherlands after her own injury absence and could join Lieke Martens and Jill Roord in attack, but Andries Jonker is likely to stick with Juventus forward Lineth Beerensteyn.
Predicted line-ups
England: Earps; Bronze, Carter, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway; Hemp, James, Kelly; Daly
Netherlands: Van Domselaar; Dijkstra, Spitse, Janssen; Pelova, Groenen, Van de Donk, Brugts; Roord; Beerensteyn, Martens
England vs Netherlands
When is England vs Netherlands?
The Nations League fixture kicks off at 7:45pm on Friday 1 December at Wembley Stadium.
How can I watch it and what TV channel is it on?
The fixture will be shown live on ITV 4, with coverage kicking off from 7pm. It will also be available to stream live on the ITV X website.
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England vs Netherlands
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live blog bringing you all the latest news and updates from the must-win clash at Wembley.
It is due to be a cold evening in the capital, but that does not detract away from the fact that this is a must-win match for the Lionesses.
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