Holland Women vs England Women. UEFA Women's Nations League Group A1.
Stadion GalgenwaardAttendance24,000.
Match report as Lieke Martens' fine opener saw the Netherlands ahead as they dominated first half; Alessia Russo scooped home the equaliser for England; Renate Jansen's 90th-minute rocket won the game for hosts as they registered their first Nations League win
Wednesday 27 September 2023 13:47, UK
Millie Bright said it was "mind-blowing" that VAR was not used in England's 2-1 Nations League defeat against the Netherlands.
Andries Jonker's side were looking to atone for a shock defeat to Belgium in their opener on Friday, and did just that with a brilliant first-half performance. Lieke Martens' fine, curling finish in the 34th minute saw the hosts deservedly ahead at the break - although replays showed there was an offside in the build-up.
VAR is not mandatory in the Nations League group stages - it is at the discretion of the host nation - and the Lionesses also had two goals struck off for offside, neither of which could be confirmed by VAR.
Speaking after the defeat England captain Bright told the BBC: "This is international football and we do not have VAR in a competitive international game, which is mind-blowing.
"There is no consistency. It is always frustrating (to not have VAR). We push the level of the game to be so high and professional, yet we sometimes have VAR, and sometimes we don't and sometimes we have goalline technology.
"It is really unfortunate that these are still huge decisions that are incorrect. That's where we as players have to keep speaking about it, we have to step up, and we have to demand better, and demand more."
England struggled for much of the opening 45 minutes, outplayed and outfought in almost every area. However, a tactical tweak at half-time from Wiegman - playing her home country on Dutch soil for the first time - saw the Lionesses improve.
They made it count too as Alessio Russo - who had been rested for the win against Scotland - scooped home the equaliser in the 64th minute, netting her 15th goal in 30 international caps.
But the Lionesses were sloppy throughout and a poor pass from Alex Greenwood was gobbled up by Renate Jansen, who sent a 90th-minute rocket past Mary Earps to secure the Netherlands' first win of the Nations League campaign.
The Netherlands were the far better side in the first half, but did not work the goalkeeper as much as they would have liked early on. However, Jill Roord's effort from range was collected by the Earps in the 21st minute.
Not long after an angled effort from Caitlin Dijkstra forced another fine save from Earps, the Netherlands deservedly went ahead.
Errors from Millie Bright and Georgia Stanway allowed Danielle van de Donk to play the ball into Martens feet, with her fine curling finish beating both Earps and Bright. Replays showed Van de Donk was offside, but with no VAR, the goal stood.
England finally sprang into life in the last five minutes of the half. It began after Rachel Daly flicked an effort onto the post out of almost nothing, with both Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze then forcing spectacular saves from Daphne van Domselaar.
Immediately after, the Netherlands could have doubled their lead. However, Lineth Beerensteyn could only lift her own effort onto the top of the crossbar in a flurry of late activity.
England reverted to a back four in the second half, with Chloe Kelly replacing Daly. It saw Lauren Hemp move out to the left-wing, where she was far more effective. Just before the hour, she forced a sensational point-blank stop from Van Domselaar at the back post as Hemp went to slot home.
The pressure continued to grow from England and they equalised soon after. Stanway's cross into the area pinged off a Netherlands defender, landing in the path of Russo. She then stuck out a foot to skilfully scoop the ball into the top corner.
The game then opened up for both sides as they worked the respective goalkeepers, and it looked to be heading for a draw until the 90th minute.
An unconvincing pass from Greenwood allowed Jansen to pounce. She then drove into the area and hammered a superb finish past a leaping Earps, securing a deserved win for the Netherlands.
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
"The writing was on the wall against Scotland. An error-strewn performance nearly proved costly, and it was surmised post-match that against more ruthless opposition some of those mistakes would get punished.
"So it proved against the free-flowing Netherlands, who ran rings around Sarina Wiegman's side in the first period, prompting an emergency change of formation at the break.
"Both goals came from England incompetency. They got caught over-playing on multiple occasions, losing the ball deep in their own territory, before two devastatingly good finishes from Lieke Martens and substitute Renate Jansen. "We gifted them two goals," Millie Bright reflected afterwards. She's not wrong.
"It happened in the World Cup final against Spain. England are not particularly adept at relinquishing the majority of possession - it unsettles their ball players. Shape gets ragged, defenders are dragged out of position, control is lost in the middle third, and then you bank on Mary Earps rescuing the situation.
"The afterthought will be one of negativity, particularly after failing to capitalise on Alessia Russo's superb equaliser, but all is not lost. There was a lack of freshness - perhaps rotation is necessary? But Wiegman won't panic.
"Come October, where England will face Belgium home and away, there will be a cohort of sharper players who are in a domestic flow, and capable of finding their more regular rhythm."
England manager Sarina Wiegman to ITV Sport:
"(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one. The first half they were the better team. I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal - but before that we got lots of huge opportunities too.
"And it's just one moment that we don't manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That's very, very disappointing.
"I also think when they scored their first goal, we didn't do well, we didn't play well, but it's so obviously offside. That needs to be seen.
"I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so [having VAR] would absolutely help. It's just a little bit disappointing."
England midfielder Georgia Stanway to Sky Sports News:
"The first half was not up to our standards at all, we were really poor, both in and out of possession. We just didn't get our rhythm at all.
"But in the second half when we changed formation, we had more quality on the ball and I think it as a game of two halves. The goals were two mistakes, but also a little bit of VAR could have been helpful in that situation.
"But that's football. It [the Nations League] is still in our hands and we've got four games that we need to turn up for.
"[Not having VAR] is where women's football still needs to make changes. Everyone can see on TV, everyone can see when you're looking up at the screen in the stadium how offside it is. These are the moments when VAR really needs to come into play because this is the standard.
"We're competing to play in an Olympics and it's fine margins in situations like that."
England captain Millie Bright to ITV Sport:
"It's hard. I think we have some good parts of the game where we dominated. I thought they were ruthless when they had opportunities and to be honest we gifted them two goals. That's really disappointing on our behalf.
"When you concede in that manner it's disappointing, especially when games like this really matter. We'll reflect, we're still well in it, it's just one game. There is all to play for, we won't let heads drop and be negative.
"Games are getting harder and harder and opponents better and better. We've got to reflect and develop. [On Tuesday] we just couldn't find that way to win.
"Periods of the game were good - second half we came out a different team. Much better quality in possession, but when you gift two goals like that it makes it really hard."
Most of the England contingent will now return to their respective WSL clubs - Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway aside - to kick off the domestic campaign on October 1.
The Lionesses are next in action in late October in a Belgium double-header, which begins at the King Power Stadium on October 27, and ends with a trip to the Den Dreef Stadion in Leuven on October 31.
