England’s hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics on behalf of Team GB were dealt a blow as they lost 3-2 to Belgium in a thrilling Women’s Nations League match on Tuesday night.
Belgium come from behind to shock England
The Lionesses, who had beaten the same opponents 1-0 in Leicester on Friday, looked set to repeat their victory when they took a 2-1 lead in the first half through Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby. However, Belgium fought back with two goals from their star striker Tessa Wullaert, who scored a penalty in the 89th minute to seal a historic win for the hosts.
England had started brightly and created several chances, but they were caught out by a free-kick from Laura De Neve in the 18th minute, who curled the ball past Mary Earps from 25 yards. The visitors responded quickly and equalised four minutes later when Bronze headed in a cross from Lauren Hemp. Kirby then put England ahead in the 28th minute with a clinical finish after a clever pass from Nikita Parris.
However, England’s defensive frailties were exposed again as Belgium levelled the score just before the break. Wullaert, who plays for Manchester City, pounced on a loose ball and fired a low shot past Earps from the edge of the box. The second half was more evenly contested, but England failed to convert their opportunities and paid the price when Georgia Stanway handled the ball inside the area and conceded a penalty. Wullaert stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Wiegman admits England have work to do
England manager Sarina Wiegman was disappointed with her team’s performance and admitted they have put themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the Olympics. She told ITV: “This was a game [where] I think we should have been tighter on the ball. The tempo wasn’t great but we did create lots of chances and we dominated the game totally.
“We lost the ball and we knew they were dangerous on the counter-attack. It was us that made it hard for ourselves.”
Wiegman, who led England to the Euro 2022 title and the World Cup final, said they need to improve their finishing and their defending if they want to compete with the best teams in the world. She said: “We have to be more clinical in front of goal and we have to defend better as a team. We have to be more compact and not give away so much space.”
England, who are ranked third in the world, have now lost three of their last five games, having also been beaten by Australia and the Netherlands. They are third in their Women’s Nations League group with six points from four games, behind Spain and the Netherlands who have nine points each. They need to win their group to have a chance of qualifying for the Olympics, which means they have to beat the Netherlands by more than one goal at Wembley in December.
Greenwood suffers head injury
England’s night was also marred by a serious injury to Alex Greenwood, who had to be stretchered off after colliding with Belgium’s Janice Cayman in the first half. The Manchester City defender was unconscious for several minutes and received oxygen on the pitch before being taken to hospital.
Wiegman said she was concerned about Greenwood’s condition and hoped she would recover soon. She said: “It was very scary. She was out for quite some time. We don’t know yet how she is doing but we hope she is OK.”
Greenwood’s injury disrupted England’s rhythm and forced Wiegman to make an early substitution, bringing on Millie Bright for her 100th cap. The Chelsea centre-back said she was proud of reaching the milestone but disappointed with the result. She said: “It’s an amazing achievement but it’s overshadowed by the performance and the result. We’re gutted.”
