UEFA Women's Nations League 2023-24: Epic England comeback keeps Team GB Olympic hopes alive
England produced a stirring second-half fightback against Group A1 leaders Netherlands, as world champions Spain and France qualified for the semi-finals.
Football
England came back from 2-0 down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 in football's UEFA Women’s Nations League at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday (1st December).
The victory means England can still win Group A1 and reach the semi-finals of the competition with two quota spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games available at next February’s finals.
In front of a record Women's Nations League crowd numbering 71,632, Lineth Beerensteyn scored twice in the first half with England goalkeeper and captain for the day, Mary Earps, perhaps feeling she could have done better on both occasions.
Having failed to disrupt the Dutch passing rhythm before the break, the World Cup runners-up were far more lively after the restart with Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp scoring in quick succession to level the scores after the hour.
And a minute into injury time, Lauren James picked out Ella Toone who sidefooted home through Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar’s legs to secure a vital win, although not by the two-goal margin they needed to take control of their own destiny.
Belgium are one point behind both the Netherlands and England after they drew 1-1 with Scotland. They can finish top if they defeat the Dutch in Tilburg on Tuesday and England fail to beat Scotland.
With a goal difference of +4 against England's +1, victory for the Dutch would almost certainly send them through. However, Sarina Wiegman's side could still progress - and keep alive Team GB's Olympic quota hopes - if they record a comprehensive win at Glasgow's Hampden Park and overturn that sizable goal differential.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
France and Spain take contrasting routes to Nations League semi-finals
France crushed nearest rivals Austria 3-0 in Rennes to clinch top spot in Group A2.
Eugenie Le Sommer scored her 93rd international goal early in the second half after Amandine Henry had opened the scoring for Les Bleues. Marie-Antoinette Katoto completed the scoring six minutes from time.
Alexandra Popp put Germany on their way to a vital 3-0 win over Denmark in Rostock which saw them go top of Group A3.
The pair are now level on 12 points with the Germans knowing a win over Wales in Swansea on Tuesday will see them through to the Nations League semi-finals.
World champions Spain won Group A4 despite going down 3-2 to Italy in Pontevedra.
Athenea del Castillo gave the home side the lead, but second-half goals from Valentina Giacinti, Michela Cambiaghi and Elena Linari put the Italians in front.
Esther Gonzalez pulled one back for Spain, but Montserrat Tome’s side suffered their first defeat since their world title triumph to leave France as the only unbeaten side in the competition.
It did not prove costly, however, as nearest rivals Sweden went down 1-0 to Switzerland in Lucerne. Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic early goal saw the Swiss earn their first points of the campaign.
Sweden’s defeat means Spain cannot be caught with La Roja joining France in the Nations League semis.