England vs Netherlands Euro 2025 — as it happened
Crisis averted, and then some. Knowing anything less than a win would leave their Euros title defence all but over, England thrashed the Netherlands to regain control of their destiny.
Read Kit Shepard's report in full here.
What were we worried about? This was a fantastic display from Sarina Weigman's side who put their fate in their own hands with this result. Beat Wales in their next game and England will be through to the quarter-finals.
Alessia Russo has put in a great shift, even if she doesn't have any goals to show for it. The striker is replaced by Aggie Beever-Jones, while Lucy Bronze also gets a rest with Niamh Charles coming on.
Ella Toone and Lauren Hemp have come off, with Beth Mead and Grace Clinton getting the final 15 minutes.
A job well done for Lauren James. The scorer of England's first and third goals is replaced by Chloe Kelly for the final 22 minutes.
A long ball forward from Jess Carter finds Alessia Russo in the inside left channel. She tees up Ella Toone, who fires home. Sarina Wiegman's change to the starting team is well and truly justified.
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Lauren James scores again! Ella Toone's shot is deflected into the path of James, who tucks it away calmly. Surely this wraps up all three points for England?
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With the second half only just under way, Alessia Russo has the ball in the next after a great cross from Alex Greenwood — but it is ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
Lineth Beerensteyn has come on for the Netherlands, replacing Jill Roord. The Wolfsburg forward has shades of the livewire France forwards that confounded England on Saturday, and she scored twice against the Lionesses at Wembley in December 2023. Keep an eye on her.
She is one of three Dutch half-time changes. Andries Jonker is clearly not happy with his team.
This is much more like it from the Lionesses. Goals from Lauren James and Georgia Stanway have put them in control. They have created lots of other chances too.
Georgia Stanway has doubled the lead with a powerful shot from outside the area.
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Alessia Russo has had a couple of chances in the space of a few minutes but each time she hasn't been able to get her headers on target. England are posing an aerial threat, though.
Keira Walsh's cross from the right is met by Lauren Hemp at the far post but her header is just over the bar.
A great pass from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton puts Russo on the attack. She cuts the ball back to Lauren James, who thumps home from the edge of the box. What a strike.
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Lauren Hemp sends a great cross into the area but Alessia Russo's header goes just wide.
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The big revelation at kick-off: Alex Greenwood is at left back for England, with Jess Carter at centre back. The pair were the other way round against France — and were run ragged.
Greenwood started her career at left back, while Carter has played well for Gotham FC at centre back this season. The most recent time they played in these positions for England, the Lionesses kept a clean sheet against the USA last November. Will Wiegman's tweak pay off here?
The match has kicked off. Despite their party in the centre of Zurich today, the Dutch fans appear outnumbered by their English counterparts. But they do stand out in that orange. Prince William is also in attendance.
Arjan Veurink, Sarina Weigman's assistant, will be taking charge of the Netherlands after this tournament. But it looks like some supporters would be happy for Weigman to return…
So crucial is England's game against the Netherlands on Wednesday that the myriad subplots are footnotes (Kit Shepard writes).
Of course, Sarina Wiegman's nationality, the teams' imminent trading of coaches and the battle of a high-profile couple have been part of the build-up. However, England are preoccupied with a simple equation — beat the Dutch, or they will be all but out of Euro 2025.
The Lionesses knew that they were in a brutal group going into the tournament, and last Saturday's galling loss to France reinforced its might. Wiegman, their Dutch head coach, insisted England 'don't talk about consequences', but the stakes are unavoidable.
Read the full match preview here.
We're told the Dutch bought 15,000 tickets for Euro 2025, compared to 41,000 purchased in the UK (Kit Shepard writes). However, the Netherlands fans are making all the noise in Zurich's city centre.
Don't know if it's the bright orange, choreographed march or open-top bus, but it feels like they are outnumbering England supporters significantly at the moment.
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Andries Jonker, 62, rarely minces his words, and he was at his outspoken best in the build-up to the Wales game (Kit Shepard writes). His contract expires after the Euros and it will not be renewed, leaving Jonker unhappy.
In an episode published last Thursday, he told the NOS Football Podcast he considered quitting before the Euros. Then on Friday, in the press conference before the Wales game, he responded to an accusation that he was creating a 'puppet show' by questioning the journalist's commitment to covering his team. The frosty atmosphere did not distract the Netherlands enough to cause a slip-up against Wales, but it could debilitate them against tougher opponents.
Jonker once coached Sarina Wiegman and he has a warm relationship with the England head coach. He took charge of the Netherlands in 2022, a year after after Wiegman ended her five-year stint as the Netherlands's permanent head coach.
• Read more: Who will the Lionesses play next? Your guide to the Netherlands
Sarina Wiegman has resisted drastic selection measures (Kit Shepard writes). Ella Toone has replaced Beth Mead in England's starting XI, but the rest of the team is unchanged.
The inclusion of Toone, the Manchester United midfielder, means Lauren James will move to the right-wing position vacated by Mead. Toone will play in the No10 role James occupied in the 2-1 loss to France last Saturday.
This line-up will, in theory, give England's midfield more balance. James prefers to drift forward and has only played 90 minutes of football since early April owing to a hamstring injury, meaning she struggled in a taxing role last Saturday. England's midfield was overwhelmed by France and Toone, a more natural midfielder than James, should help avoid a repeat scenario against the Netherlands. Playing James in the front line should also maximise her roaming attacking threat.
Otherwise, Sarina Wiegman has persisted with the same XI that started against France. The back four of Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter struggled on Saturday but has been preserved. Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway will continue as a midfield duo, supported by Toone. Hannah Hampton retains her place in goal.
As a result, there is no place in the line-up for the likes of Grace Clinton or Michelle Agyemang, who both caught the eye off the bench against France.
The Netherlands also make one change. Chasity Grant, of Aston Villa, comes into the midfield in place of Jackie Groenen. For what it's worth, Grant gave Bronze plenty of problems down Chelsea's right flank on the opening day of the 2024-25 Women's Super League season.
England need to treat Saturday's loss to France like a splash of cold water in the face (Izzy Christiansen, former England midfielder writes). France looked sharper, won the midfield battle and bullied Sarina Wiegman's side.
The Netherlands are another dangerous opponent. They are ranked 11th in the world (France are tenth), won Euro 2017 and will have a little swagger after easing past Wales 3-0 in their opening game.
How can England beat them? Adopt France's approach from Saturday. In Jill Roord, Danielle van de Donk and Victoria Pelova, the Netherlands have lots of superb technical players who thrive with time on the ball, but they can struggle against aggressive, high pressing.
I would therefore bring Grace Clinton into the starting XI. The midfielder played purposefully against France after coming on in the 77th minute and, although she is only 22 and in her first major tournament, looked comfortable with the occasion's intensity.
• Read more: England must start Grace Clinton in midfield to avoid being bullied again
If you haven't already, make sure you listen to the latest episode of The Game. Former England international Izzy Christiansen and Kit Shepard the women's football reporter for the Times and Sunday Times join Tom Clarke to assess England's poor start to the defence of their European title.
Where did it go wrong against France? Was it selection, tactics, substitutions? The team look at where England can improve how they might react to being under pressure this early in the tournament. Lastly they and look ahead to the who they would pick to face the Netherlands in a must win game on Wednesday.
This game is full of subplots, from Sarina Wiegman taking on her homeland to a match-up involving one of the highest-profile couples in women's football (Kit Shepard writes).
Much like France, the Netherlands are a title contender, possess some world-class players, and put off-field turbulence behind them by starting their campaign with a win. If England are to stay in the tournament, they must be at the top of their game.
Nevertheless, the Netherlands arrived in Switzerland in uninspiring form. They only just managed to qualify automatically for the Euros despite having a relatively undaunting group, while their two most recent competitive matches before the tournament were a 1-1 draw at home to Scotland and a 4-0 defeat by Germany.
World ranking 11Best Euros result Winners (2017)
• Read more: Who will the Lionesses play next? Your guide to the Netherlands
England's opening-round loss means it's time for football's favourite P-word: permutations (Kit Shephard writes).
If England lose this evening, then they will be out if France at least draw with Wales. Given the Netherlands romped past Wales 3-0 last Saturday, England cannot rely on a favour from their neighbours.
If England draw they will stay alive mathematically. However, assuming France beat Wales, England would need to beat Wales and hope France defeat the Netherlands on the final match day on Sunday to stand a chance of progressing on goal difference. Considering France would already be through and the Netherlands have it all to play for in this scenario, banking on help from the French also feels naïve.
More positively, if England win by two or more this evening, then qualification is back in their hands. If they win by one, defeat Wales while the Netherlands beat France, then three teams will finish on six points and we will be into a complex goal-difference battle.
Good afternoon and welcome to The Times' live coverage of England vs Netherlands as Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses look to salvage their Euros title defence after a disappointing defeat by France in their opening game. England take on the group D leaders in a crunch game knowing that only a win will keep them in control of their own fate in the tournament. With kick off from Zurich at 5pm, stay tuned for live updates and analysis from Kit Shepard at the Stadion Letzigrund throughout the afternoon.
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