England 4-0 Netherlands: Lionesses' Euro 2025 campaign ignited as Lauren James scores double in must-win game
Match report as Lauren James, Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway scored for England as they beat the Netherlands in a must-win Euro 2025 clash; the Lionesses have given their chances of reaching the quarter-finals a huge boost; England are currently second in group D
Thursday 10 July 2025 09:18, UK
England answered their critics with a thumping 4-0 win against the Netherlands in a crucial Euros 2025 match, as Lauren James scored twice.
It was a night and day performance from their insipid defeat to France on Saturday. England were facing a must-win clash against the Netherlands, with a defeat almost certainly knocking the holders out of the Euros after just two games.
They looked like a team with a point to prove, dominant from the opening minute, appearing balanced and energetic, and harrying the Netherlands at every turn. Essentially, the Lionesses did to the Netherlands what France did to them at the weekend.
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James had come under the spotlight having been included in the England squad for Euro 2025 despite not playing since April due to a hamstring injury. Some questioned if she should start at all in Zurich.
But James soon showed why Sarina Wiegman backed her again, this time on the wing as Ella Toone came in as the No 10. It was a stunning strike to open the scoring, rifling the ball home with power after being found by Alessia Russo.
Georgia Stanway doubled England's lead in first-half injury time with a similarly brilliant goal, hit low and hard past Daphne van Domselaar from range.
The Netherlands' best spell came at the start of the second half after a triple substitution, but Russo thought she had spoiled the party as she nodded home five minutes after the break.
However, Leah Williamson was offside in the build-up and the goal was ruled out by VAR, with Russo now having goals disallowed in successive games.
But soon after James slotted home England's third following some horrible defending from the Netherlands. Ella Toone's shot rebounded into her path and the Chelsea star coolly finished from close range.
It was then Toone's turn to find the net, assisted by her best friend, Russo. She picked up the ball from the Arsenal striker, riding a challenge from Victoria Pelova before squeezing the ball home. While Russo did not come away with a goal, she did pick up two assists.
England are second in group D after France's win against Wales in St Gallen on Wednesday night. The Lionesses face Wales in the final game of the group on Sunday, with a win guaranteeing their progress to the last eight.
What are England and France's final group game permutations?
England will reach the quarter-finals if they beat Wales, or if England draw and the Netherlands do not beat France.
Also, the Lionesses can reach the last eight if they avoid defeat by four goals or more and the Netherlands lose.
England will finish top of the group if they win and the Netherlands beat France by a margin of fewer than seven goals.
Meanwhile, Netherlands will reach the quarter-finals if they beat France by three goals or more, or with any win if England do not beat Wales.
They can also reach the last eight with a draw if England lose.
Netherlands will finish top of the group if they win by seven goals or more, or with any win if England do not beat Wales.
Wiegman pleased with England response
England boss Sarina Wiegman to BBC Sport when asked what pleased her most about the performance: "The response of the team after the France game.
"I'm very happy with the score because it's a massive help because goal difference can make the difference.
"Also the days into this game, how we came together and looked into each others' eyes and said 'OK, what do we need to do?' and executing the game plan really helped.
"I also thought the Netherlands were struggling to keep up the levels so we did really well. I'm really proud of the team but we're not there yet. But this is an incredible response.
"I would not expect 4-0, absolutely not. First you want to win and you have to win, and if you can win by more than two goals, then you know you're almost in the best position going into the Wales game."
Stanway: We're ready to go back to proper England
England's Georgia Stanway told BBC Sport:
"I think it [her goal] took a little deflection, I'll have to watch it back, but I'm just happy to have made it 2-0.
"Once we got to 3-0, we could settle a little bit because once we opened the doors and they get one back, you never know what can happen.
"This was about showing who we are and we're ready to go back to proper England. We fought from the first minute to the very last."
England's Lauren James to BBC Sport: "I enjoyed it a lot. The goals say it all. We bounced back from our previous game and today we showed we're more than capable of showing what we can do.
"As long as I'm helping the team in any way I can, whether that's providing for scoring, I try to do my best in each game. Hopefully as the games keep going on, hopefully I can be more involved."
Bronze: Performance shows we can beat anyone
England full-back Lucy Bronze told Sky Sports News:
"We knew there was a lot of noise after the first game, I think maybe a bit overly negative. We knew we didn't play well but it was a really good France team.
"We know when we play well, when everything's working together, we can put on performances. A performance like today could beat any team in this competition.
"But that's this tournament, it's about bringing your best game every single time. We know we've got a tough group but we now need to go up against Wales.
"We showed how much we can stick together. We know that there's a lot of noise on the outside. We have a lot of cameras and mics put on our face and told how bad we are a lot of the time.
"So we've shown that we can stick together, that we have a lot of confidence in each other. I think you saw that from the very first minute of this game… I think going through that in the France game brought out a better performance in us.
"On paper, people might think it is a bit unmatched against Wales, but it's a big rivalry. We don't take anything for granted. We knew we needed to win and getting a lot of goals was a big goal of ours as well, because you never know what's going to happen in the final game."
Williamson: One of the highest pressure games we've played
England captain Leah Williamson told Sky Sports News:
"We've never been in this situation. Even playing such a hard first game, everything's been different.
"I don't think it's a test as a captain, it's just more of a test of us as humans and today that was probably one of the highest pressure games we've played.
"Our place in the tournament was on the line and we played like that, which makes me really proud and I think that's what you get when you come together.
"We're such a tight-knit group. The whole group hasn't been together for that long but there's girls that have come all the way through the system together.
"We know each other so well and we feel like we can push each other, but I think the other night we took it to a point of loneliness rather than real coming together.
"But today we wanted to come together, we wanted to show the best of each other and get the best out of each other, and that's what you just saw."
