And welcome to our live coverage as English women, also known as the Lionesses, take on Dutch women. Funnily enough, there is one lion on the Dutch team’s logo, the emblem of the Royal Dutch Football Association, as opposed to the three on the English logo. Funnily enough, that is also the nickname for the English opponents tonight Lionesses which translates to, yes, the lionesses.
Either way, this is a crucial match for Sarina Wiegman (Dutch and also coached the Dutch women’s team from 2017-2021) and her team, who are currently third in the UEFA Nations League group after four matches, having won two won and lost two. .
Just like with the men, you have to wonder if the Nations League matters that much? Well, that depends of course. It’s another trophy to win, but it’s hardly a sadness if you don’t win it. A more relevant point for this match is that England are the nominated team for the Great Britain Olympic team and England need to win tonight to keep Team GB’s chances of qualifying for Paris 2024 alive.
To achieve that, England must win both this match and the next match against Scotland to secure top spot in Group A1 and thus secure Great Britain’s qualification for the Olympic Games. Yes, it’s a bit strange that they have to beat one of the other countries that make up the selection group for Great Britain, but overall it’s all a bit of a strange system.
Wiegman said about the match: “I think the team is ready for it. We are very excited to play at Wembley. We are very clear about how we want to play and what we want to do and I see good things on and off the field, and that gives me confidence that we are really ready.”
#England #Lionesses #Netherlands #live #Womens #Nations #League
