England roar back to keep Paris Olympic dream alive
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England have clawed their way back from two goals down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 in a nerve-jangling Women’s Nations League group game at Wembley to keep their dreams of a Paris Olympic berth alive.
Ella Toone netted a 91st-minute goal while Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp also scored to propel England to second in Group A1 on nine points with one round of group games remaining.
The Dutch top the group with nine points.
“It was a great comeback,” Toone told ITV. “Three good goals. I love playing for England, I love playing football, tonight was really special. But the main thing is that we won.
“The character we showed to come out and get those three goals, everyone wants to beat England, we’ve got that target on our back,” she added.
A two-goal victory would have given England a firmer grip on their destiny.
The group will now be decided on Tuesday, with England facing Scotland, who are fourth on two points, and the Netherlands playing Belgium (third on eight points).
The two Nations League finalists will earn Olympic berths, joining hosts France as Europe’s representatives in Paris.
“I feel a little bit strange,” England manager Sarina Wiegman said. “I am really happy with the win but in the end you hope you win by two goals so you’re in a better position.
“But, coming back from 2-0 down and how we showed up in the second half was so well done.”
Lineth Beerensteyn capitalised on shoddy England defending to score a first-half brace – the Netherlands’ only two shots on target on the night.
Germany defeated Denmark 3-0 to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for Olympics alive.
Captain Alexandra Popp broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, Marina Hegering added a second in the 26th and Klara Bühl scored a crucial third goal in stoppage time.
Thanks to Bühl’s effort, Germany overtook Denmark and are now Group A3 winners. That means they have their futures in their own hands and can advance to the knockouts with a win against Wales on December 5.
Northern Ireland kept alive their hopes of promotion to the top tier of the Women’s Nations League with a 4-0 victory over Albania in Tirana.
Simone Magill scored either side of half-time as Tanya Oxtoby’s side were rewarded for their dominance, with Danielle Maxwell and Megan Bell adding further goals.
Scotland will play in League B of the next Women’s Nations League after their relegation was confirmed despite a strong showing in a 1-1 draw in Belgium.
Marie Detruyer put the hosts ahead on the half-hour in Leuven but Scotland battled back and levelled through a wonderful long-range Erin Cuthbert strike just four minutes later.
The Republic of Ireland secured their fifth win in succession with a laboured 1-0 victory against Hungary.
Eileen Gleeson’s side, already assured of promotion to League A, had to rely on an own goal from captain Henrietta Csiszar midway through the second half at Tallaght Stadium to maintain their perfect record.
Reuters
