Superb England rout Dutch to revive Euro hopes

England's Lauren James scored twice, portion Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone besides recovered the nett to enactment the defending women's European champions firmly backmost successful the driver's spot astatine Euro 2025 with an emphatic 4-0 triumph implicit the Netherlands connected Wednesday.

Four days aft a lacklustre 2-1 nonaccomplishment to France made Wednesday a must-win match, England came retired firing connected each cylinders successful beforehand of a festive assemblage that included Britain's Prince William.

England and the Netherlands some person 3 points from their opening 2 games successful Group D, level with France who tin spell 3 points wide astatine the acme if they bushed Wales aboriginal connected Wednesday.

England play tourney debutants Wales successful their last radical crippled connected Sunday, erstwhile the Netherlands play France.

James showed precisely wherefore she had been selected contempt not having played for much than 2 months erstwhile the squad was announced successful June due to the fact that of injury. The Chelsea guardant was astatine the bosom of England's attacks and scored a sumptuous opener successful the 22nd infinitesimal earlier netting her side's 3rd connected the hr mark.

James received a lasting ovation -- and a buss blown from her arrogant dada -- erstwhile manager Sarina Wiegman replaced her with Chloe Kelly midway done the 2nd half.

James has present been straight progressive successful much goals than immoderate different European subordinate crossed the past 2 large tournaments, with 5 goals and 3 assists, according to ESPN Research.

"I enjoyed it a lot. The goals accidental it all," James told the BBC.

"We bounced backmost from our erstwhile crippled and contiguous we showed we're much than susceptible of showing the satellite what we tin do."

James opened the scoring erstwhile goalkeeper Hannah Hampton picked retired Alessia Russo with a stunning agelong ball. Russo slipped it to James connected the borderline of the container who worked the shot onto her near ft earlier unleashing a screamer into the apical corner.

Stanway doubled England's pb seconds earlier halftime erstwhile the Dutch struggled to wide the shot and the midfielder was determination to fizz a first-time changeable past wrong-footed goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

An unmarked James completed her treble successful the 60th with an casual changeable from wrong the box.

Toone, who had replaced Beth Mead successful the starting 11, added much misery for the Dutch successful the 67th minute. Russo held up the shot successful the punishment country earlier sending it to a moving Toone, who calmly slotted home.

That extremity condemned the Netherlands to their grounds borderline of decision astatine a World Cup oregon European Championship, having ne'er antecedently mislaid by much than 2 goals.

Wiegman, who coached the Netherlands to the Euro 2017 title, volition person been delighted with her team's effect aft the decision to France, arsenic they thoroughly smothered the Dutch, taking 17 shots to the Netherlands' four.

"How we came together, however we played down the transportation and of people I'm precise blessed with the people due to the fact that that's a monolithic assistance due to the fact that extremity quality tin marque the difference," Wiegman said.

"Also the days into this game, however we looked astatine each other's eyes and said, 'OK what bash we do?', and execution of the crippled plan. I deliberation that truly helped."

They besides kept Vivianne Miedema, who scored her 100th planetary extremity earlier successful the tourney against Wales, nether wraps.

"It's tough, we request to judge it due to the fact that we don't merit thing other today," Miedema said. "England came retired the mode we thought they would and we weren't aggravated anyplace connected the pitch.

"We request to look astatine ourselves -- we wanted to property precocious which didn't enactment due to the fact that we couldn't screen the distances. We cognize however bully England are but I don't deliberation contiguous truly reflected however we are and however bully we tin be."

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.