Women’s Euros Group D: England v Wales, Netherlands v France

By Hannah Chadwick (14/07/2025)

Above: England’s bench celebrate their win. Photo: Girls on the Ball.

England 6-1 Wales

Team news and context:

Sarina Wiegman named an unchanged starting 11 from England’s win over the Netherlands. For Wales, Olivia Clark returned between the sticks after losing out for the France game. Ahead of the game, both teams were technically able to qualify for the quarterfinals depending on what happened in the other group D match.

Scorers: Stanway 13’, Toone 21’, Hemp 30’, Russo 44’, Mead 72’, Cain 76’, Beever-Jones 89’

Highlights:

Cymru started the game strong, successfully holding the England attack at bay. That was until Stanway was challenged in the box — the VAR decision was a penalty, which Stanway stepped up to take. Clark went the right way but couldn’t stop it. A defensive mistake from Cymru, alongside the inability to clear their lines, meant the ball fell to Russo, who laid it off to Toone. Her first shot was denied, but her second was not. It was a scramble in the box for the Cymru defenders.

There was hope for Cymru as Fishlock worked her magic and laid the ball off for Angharad James, who sent her shot in, but it was saved by Hampton. England got their third as James made the run, found Toone, who sent the cross in to Hemp — but Clark couldn’t make the save.

England were relentless as James and Stanway both had shots on target, but Clark managed to keep them out. A lapse in concentration from the Cymru defence meant that Toone linked up with Russo and beat Clark to the post. Wales got their chance from a corner as Rowe slammed her effort narrowly over the bar. A lack of concentration from Hampton meant she passed the ball straight to Fishlock, who sent her shot wide.

A switching of players around in the formation caused some confusion as Park was left unmarked in the box, and Clark managed to get her fingertip to it. England continued to press high and remained hungry for more as Beever-Jones found Mead, who sent her shot past Clark.

After being dropped to the bench following a poor performance against France, it seemed Mead had just solidified her place in the lineup for the quarterfinals.

There was joy for Cymru as Fishlock broke through the midfield before finding Cain, who sent a powerful strike past Hampton — Cymru’s second goal of the tournament. Although this goal opened up some issues for England, especially at right back, with Bronze being out of position, just like she was for the French winning goal. Charles came on soon after to replace her, potentially testing out a new formation for the quarterfinals. Charles soon created some action — she picked up the ball in space and found Mead, who successfully sent her cross to the head of Beever-Jones, who sent the ball into the roof of the net.

Player of the match: Ella Toone

Ella Toone was a constant star for England in this game, linking up with Russo on multiple occasions and successfully penetrating the Cymru defence.

Cymru goalkeeper Clark also had a tough game but made some impressive saves.

What next for the teams:

England will play Sweden in the quarter-final, and Wales will take this experience and build their squad. They will also start planning for their next tournament qualifiers, determined to make history again.

Netherlands 2-5 France

Team news and context:

After seeing a slightly different squad when France played Cymru — with several first-team players rested — they were looking to maintain their 100% win record in the tournament. Both teams could still qualify for the quarterfinals, setting the stage for a tense encounter. Depending on the outcome, it would also be Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker’s last match in charge of the OranjeLeeuwinnen.

Scorers: Toletti 22’, Pelova 26’, Bacha 41’ OG, Cascarino 64’ 67’, Karcahoui 90+2’ Pen

Highlights:

An early chance came for the Dutch as Pelova’s shot from distance forced Peyraud-Magnin into a save. France went on the attack, meaning Van Domselaar was forced into a double save to send Karchaoui’s effort around the post. The Netherlands looked promising as Chasity Grant forced Peyraud-Magnin to make a save, but could only watch as Pelova connected with the ball outside the box and sent it home.

There was a lot of back and forth between the two teams as Les Bleues broke forward and Pelova brought down Baltimore to keep France at bay. Bacha’s free kick was easily claimed by Van Domselaar.

It was a nightmare moment for France as Bacha made a defensive error and cleared the ball into her own net. The Dutch ignited the fire and were all over the French.

France came out of half-time all guns blazing as Katoto was found in a sea of white shirts, and Van Domselaar was unable to save it. France stayed on the attack as Cascarino danced past orange shirts and sent a strike into the top corner to score her second of the game.

The Dutch continued to crumble under pressure as Casparij brought N’Dongala down in the box and Karchaoui converted from the spot.

Player of the match: Delphine Cascarino

Cascarino was the standout player after her second-half performance. She was always looking for her next goal, and her first was arguably the goal of the tournament so far. Pelova also deserved a mention for her consistent overall performance; she was the best Dutch player on the pitch today.

What next for the teams:

France will play Germany in the quarter-final, while the Netherlands will begin their journey home and prepare for the arrival of their new head coach, Arjan Veurink, who is currently England’s assistant coach.