England Crushes Netherlands 4-0 As Lauren James Bags Brace

And just like that, England march on – and there was a 23-year-old from south-west London with her fingerprints all over it.

Lauren James, whose name has long been uttered in tones reserved for the greats, turned the Letzigrund Stadium into her personal playground on Wednesday night.

Effortless and unfazed, James tore through the Dutch defence with a mixture of elegance and power that made the game look deceptively simple. This was her stage, and the stadium was in awe.

James was involved in all of the first three goals, but it was her opener that people should return to on their highlight reels.

It started with Hannah Hampton, whose precise pass sliced through the Dutch midfield. Alessia Russo raced onto it, drove to the byline, and cut it back to James at the edge of the box.

James needed just three touches to shift into space before unleashing a stunning strike into the top-right corner. The Chelsea forward spun away in celebration, a smile plastered across her face.

After a difficult performance against France, Sarina Wiegman stuck with her greatest asset, and her faith was vindicated.

The Netherlands, fresh off a 3-0 win over Wales, were suffocated by England’s relentless pressing and committed defending. All week, the Lionesses had drilled one-v-one scenarios – a weak point exposed by France – and here, they responded in style.

Wiegman made just one change to her team, bringing in Ella Toone for Beth Mead and shifting James to the right wing.

A more defensively-minded No 10, Toone was deployed to bolster a midfield that had been overrun in the previous match, which she achieved to great success. Alex Greenwood also moved to left-back, with Jess Carter dropping into central defence.

Both sides came out with intensity. Georgia Stanway had promised England would look more like a ‘proper England’ side – committed to the physical battles – and she set the tone with a crunching early challenge.

The Netherlands nearly struck first when captain Vivianne Miedema latched onto a loose ball, but her touch let her down, and Hampton was quick to smother.

England responded moments later. Lauren Hemp surged down the left and crossed for Russo, who found herself unmarked but couldn’t keep her header on target.

With 20 minutes gone – the point where England’s energy had faded against France – the breakthrough from James came, and the fans in white and blue breathed a visible sigh of relief.

MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS
England (4-2-3-1): Hampton 8; Bronze 7.5 (Charles 84), Williamson 7.5, Carter 7, Greenwood 7.5; Stanway 8, Walsh 8; James 9 (Kelly 69, 7), Toone 8 (Clinton 75), Hemp 8 (Mead 75); Russo 8.5 (Beever-Jones 84)

Subs not used: Moorhouse, Keating, Le Tissier, Wubben-Moy, Morgan, Park, Agyemang

Scorers: James 22, 60, Stanway 47, Toone 67

Manager: Sarina Wiegman

Netherlands (4-3-3): Domselaar; Casparij, Janssen, Veerle Buurman (Spitse 46, Brugts (Dijkstra 46); Kaptein, Groenen (Egurrola 86), Pelova; Grant, Miedema (van De Donk 66), Roord

Subs not used: De Jong, Kop, van Der Zanden, Wilms, Jansen, Snoeijs, Leuchter

Booked: Dijkstra

Manager: Andries Jonker

Referee: Edina Alves Batista

Attendance: 22,600

Just before the break, England struck again. James swung in a free kick that was headed clear by Esmee Brugts, but only as far as Russo. She laid it off for Stanway, who drove a fierce low shot into the bottom-left corner to redeem her performance from the opener.

After a sloppy performance against the French – a performance which she spoke about in the aftermath with refreshing honesty – the Bayern Munich midfielder was visibly elated to get her name on the scoresheet.

England picked up where they left off in the second half. Russo had a goal ruled out after five minutes, with Leah Williamson caught offside in the build-up.

James struck England’s third with a poacher’s effort before the hour mark had passed. Toone’s shot was blocked, and James passed it past Arsenal’s Champions League-winning goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar and into the back of the net.

Ever a player for a big occasion, Toone struck England’s fourth before Wiegman withdrew James for Chloe Kelly. James received a standing ovation as she walked around the pitch.

Dailymail.co.uk