England 5-1 Netherlands
By Adam Millington
at Elland Road

ENGLAND continued their Euro 2022 preparation with a statement win over the Netherlands on Friday evening.

A second-half defensive capitulation from the Dutch turned a difficult evening into a resounding victory, providing a projection of how Sarina Wiegman’s team may perform against top-class opponents in the summer.

An electric period after the break saw England net four and the Netherlands none, leaving the reigning European champions looking like an embarrassment.

The match seemed to be on a collision course with a Dutch victory with the visitors seeming effortless in their fluid attacking play and comfortably stopping the few England chances. They expertly made use of the gap provided when Lucy Bronze pushed forward on the right, causing problems behind the back line.

Mary Earps was called into action – twice. The first was an impressive feat of goalkeeping from the Lionesses’ number one, exhibiting rapid reaction speeds to adapt to the twists and turns of Lineth Beerensteyn in the box before stopping the shot with her outstretched foot.

Then the two clashed again, but this time in the air. Earps received an elbow to her ribs and received treatment, but she had entered into the aerial duel nonetheless and managed to punch away her effort.

Yet soon her efforts were not enough. The Dutch had a corner, Sherida Spitse – making her 200th appearance – drilled in an inch-perfect effort and it was headed in by Lieke Martens. England seemed miles off the pace.

But soon that would all change and the game would turn on its head. England had been haphazard at best, but that in itself led to rewards. Lucy Bronze misshit a cross which was never destined for the box; instead it sailed over the head of the onlooking Sari Van Veenendaal.

The game entered the break and England looked lucky to be level, however. The quality of their play just had to improve.

So when Alex Greenwood scythed Danielle van de Donk inside of the box and the referee gestured towards the monitor to conduct a VAR reviewal, the Lionesses’ reprieve seemed to be over.

Yet it wasn’t. In fact it was the opposite. Spitse stepped up but blasted wide and the 19,365-strong Elland Road crowd erupted in fits of jubilation. This was, after all, only a friendly match, but the crowd were well up from it.

England raced up to the other end at breakneck speed. The passing was intricate on the right-hand flank but at the same time rapid, every move perfect to the inch. Lauren Hemp found herself with the ball and she whipped it in towards the feet of Beth Mead; there was only one possible outcome.

Then the Dutch defence collapsed. Once seeming to be an immovable behemoth incapable of faltering, quickly it became a sorry mess. England ran rings around it and delighted the jubilant crowd to energetic football.

72 minutes in and they netted again. The pressure had been being applied continually and the goal seemed only a matter of time, but this was a flukey one. Ella Toone whipped in a relatively tame curling effort, but Van Veenendaal produced a true howler and the ball slipped through her hands.

Leeds was bouncing, a true party atmosphere beginning to manifest. Soon Lauren Hemp would gain a goal of her own when she looped a sublime volley into the top-right corner. It was four and embarrassing for the Netherlands.

The capitaulation didn’t steady, it only grew deeper. The clock ticked down and the pressure rose. Beth Mead added a fifth late on and what had seemed an utter impossibility a mere 45 minutes before had now transpired.

England are ready and firing on all cylinders. They’ve now proved they’re ready to battle the best.