England Women have convincingly beaten the Netherlands to keep their Euros hopes alive.
Sarina Wiegman’s team came into the tournament as defending champions, but slumped to a 2-1 defeat against France in their opening match on Saturday.
In their second game against the Netherlands, the Lionesses took a commanding lead in the must-win tie, and it ended up being a thrashing.
Lauren James celebrates one of her two goals in England’s win over the Netherlands. Pic: Reuters
Lauren James, freshly returned from injury, starred in the 4-0 victory, scoring twice before being substituted off in the second half.
Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone were the other goalscorers, while FA patron Prince William was among those cheering on the team in the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland.
England’s Ella Toone (top right) and Lauren Hemp celebrate in the Lionesses’ rout of the Netherlands.
Pic: Reuters
Georgia Stanway (right) celebrates scoring England’s second goal.
Pic: Reuters
The performance was much-needed, as a loss would have left their campaign on a knife-edge, relying on results elsewhere.
Going into the competition, the England camp was hit by a series of setbacks as three senior players pulled out for differing reasons.
England will play Wales in their third and final group game on Sunday 13 July.
Ella Toone celebrates scoring England’s fourth goal with Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood.
Pic: Reuters
Speaking to the BBC after the game, James said: “I enjoyed it a lot, the goals say it all.
“We bounced back from the previous game and showed we were more than capable [of] showing the world what we can do.”
The Prince of Wales watched England’s win over the Netherlands. Pic: PA
Fellow goal scorer Stanway said: “I’ve always said, and said the other day, this is about showing who we are. We fought from the very first minute to the very last.”
Read more from Sky News:
What is a wealth tax?
Christian Horner sacked by F1 team Red Bull
Dates doctors will strike this summer
Wiegman, who has also led her native Netherlands to Euros glory, also speaking to the broadcaster, lauded her team’s response after losing against France.
“We’re absolutely not there yet, but this is an incredible response,” she added.
Sir Keir Starmer, an Arsenal fan, also celebrated the win with a post on X.
