Suzanne Wrack was at Den Dreef tonight. Her report is in. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
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A clearly irritated Sarina Wiegman gives her verdict to ITV. “They scored three goals and we scored two ... that’s the simple [answer] … we should have been tighter on the ball … we created lots of chances, we still dominated the game totally … but at moments we lost the ball … we knew they were so dangerous … they were gone on the counter attack … it was really us that made it so hard … they played tough … they played compact … as soon as they won the ball they played on the counter … that’s something we really have to get out of our game … we have to do better in the final third … we were sloppy on the ball and they were ready for that … we have to be tight … we have to win with more than one goal against the Netherlands at Wembley … then we have to win another game too because Belgium is in a good place too … we know we have work to do … we have put ourselves in a hard position at the moment.”
Wiegman also reports that Alex Greenwood is “alright and walking”, such welcome news given how scary her injury looked when she was carried off in a neck brace.
Bronze also relays some good news about Alex Greenwood. “I’ve been told that she’s doing well and is OK … we wish her a good recovery.”
Lucy Bronze speaks to ITV. “We created more chances than the last game, but we were sloppier on the ball in general … the goals came from our loose passes … apart from that, they didn’t create much … we had chances to put the game to bed but were not clinical … we couldn’t get the ball across the line in the last 20 to 30 minutes … it’s just one of those things … a similar thing happened against Holland … we have to work on it collectively and individually … we’ve still got a good chance … we like to step up at Wembley … we’ll look forward to playing Holland and Scotland … it’s not going to be easy … we’ve left ourselves with more to do, but it’s not impossible.”
It’s full time in the other Group A1 match: Scotland 0-1 Netherlands. All of which means this pool is right in the balance. Scotland can’t make the finals, but the other three teams can, and so December will be huge, as England welcome the Netherlands before taking a trip to Hampden. The permutations? Enjoy poring over those, but suffice to say qualification is no longer in England’s own hands, should Belgium win both of their remaining matches.
Netherlands 9pts (+5)
Belgium 7pts (+1)
England 6pts (0)
Scotland 1pt (-6)
England scored two magnificent goals. But for the first time under Sarina Wiegman, they conceded three. Belgium defended resolutely, broke brilliantly, and Tessa Wullaert’s late penalty set the seal on one of the biggest wins in the history of the Belgian Red Flames. England didn’t play badly – they were dominant in terms of territory and possession, and Nicky Evrard had to make a second-half wonder save to deny Fran Kirby – but Belgium were sent out to soak up pressure and deliver some sucker punches, and that’s exactly what they did. A brilliant match … albeit one overshadowed by a serious head/neck injury to Alex Greenwood.
FULL TIME: Belgium 3-2 England
Earps launches. Missipo returns. The whistle goes, and Belgium cavort in celebration, having done a number on the European champions!
90 min +3: Janssens is booked for rugby tackling Walsh. Earps to take the resulting free kick from the halfway line.
90 min +2: A free kick for England out on the left, Delacauw coming straight through Daly. Kelly to take … but her inswinger is way too close to Evrard, who claims, then falls to the floor in the classic clock-management style.
90 min: Walsh has a dig from distance. On the touchline, Sarina Wiegman looks slightly stunned. Her team have been so dominant in terms of territory and possession, and have scored two marvellous goals … yet they’ve been hit with three sucker punches. England have three extra minutes to salvage something.
89 min: That’s Wullaert’s last act of the evening. She’s replaced by Janssens.
88 min: Wullaert puts in a shift at the other end of the pitch this time, making sure Bronze doesn’t burst clear down the right at the expense of a corner … from which nothing comes. Had she mistimed that challenge, the referee would have been pointing at the spot again.
87 min: Belgium have dropped back into their low block. If they pull this off, it’ll be a triple-smash-and-grab for the ages and a tactical triumph for Ives Serneels.
86 min: Den Dreef is bouncing. And no wonder! England have conceded three for the first time in the Wiegman era.
GOAL! Belgium 3-2 England (Wullaert 85 pen)
Belgium’s captain steps up and whips into the left-hand side of the net. Earps chose correctly, and gave it her best shot, but nobody was reaching that. Not even a keeper who has saved a penalty in a World Cup final.
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Penalty for Belgium!
83 min: Daniels is much more assured in attack. She cuts in from the left wing and curls a cross into the mixer. The ball pings off Stanway’s left arm, and the decision is inevitable. Stanway doesn’t bother arguing the toss, hanging her head in despair instead.
82 min: Daniels dallies on the edge of her own box, allowing Hemp to take up possession and wedge into the box. Toone goes a split second too early and up pops the flag. Daniels breathes again.
81 min: From deep on the right, Walsh wedges diagonally towards Daly, who heads towards the bottom left from six yards. Evrard turns the effort around the post for a corner, and the hosts clear the set piece.
79 min: Kemp’s sheer presence forces Wijnants to concede a corner on the left. Kelly sticks it under the Belgian crossbar. Evrard does exceptionally well to claw it out under pressure from Hemp. A sense that a goal could be coming here.
77 min: Bronze drills a low shot into a crowded box. De Caigny blocks and Belgium clear.
76 min: Hemp crosses from the left. Daly swivels on the penalty spot but can’t connect properly with her volley, which squirts harmlessly wide right. England are certainly pressing for the winner, but one significant exception apart, haven’t made Evrard do too much during this second half.
75 min: Kelly Cruyff-turns her way past Deloose down the right, but her low cross isn’t half as good as the trick. Belgium clear.
74 min: Belgium’s turn to make a double change: they swap out Blom and Detruyer for Delacauw and Daniels.
73 min: Toone rakes a long pass down the middle in an attempt to release Kelly. Overhit. Evrard claims.
71 min: Daly and Walsh combine crisply down the left. A cross is half cleared. Stanway attempts to return the ball with interest, only to blooter wildly over the bar.
70 min: Stanway spins and drags her way into space down the inside-right channel. A glorious turn; such a shame the attempt to release Daly through the middle was overcooked. Still, what skill.
68 min: A double change for England as Kirby and Russo are replaced by Toone and Daly.
67 min: Kelly wins a corner off Deloose down the right, and takes it herself. She fires it long, but Bright is busy tussling with Missipo at the far post and can’t leap to meet the ball.
65 min: Walsh pings a clever diagonal pass towards Bronze, just to the right of the six-yard box. She tries to hook back for Hemp but can only extend a leg to divert the ball into the arms of Evrard. England are beginning to make chances again.
64 min: From a tight angle on the right, Russo ripples the side netting with another off-target shot. It’s not been her evening. Meanwhile in the other game, Esmee Brugts has given the Netherlands the lead over Scotland on the hour.
62 min: Take nothing away from Earps, though. The save still had to be made, and she did so with characteristic confidence.
61 min: … then suddenly Wullaert goes haring off after a long ball down the left, gets the better of Carter, then Bright, and pearls a shot towards the bottom right. Just a bit too close to the keeper, though, and Earps parries brilliantly. England clear their lines. Wullaert, having been one on one with the keeper, wears a look of intense frustration.
60 min: It’s high tempo, but passes aren’t sticking for either side.
58 min: A rare period of scrappy play. It’s been a great match, open and entertaining.
56 min: Hemp nearly skins Deloose down the right but the Belgian sticks stubbornly to her side and eventually draws a frustrated foul. Hemp thought she’d got away there. Resolute defending.
54 min: A ball into the England box from the left. Blom waits to slam home, but Charles reads the danger and intercepts. Meanwhile they’re showing replays of England’s aforementioned near miss … and what a save that was by Evrard! She was in mid-air, going the wrong way, but stuck out an arm to stop Kirby’s shot flying in. It would have been some goal; it was some stop instead.
52 min: England are so close to taking the lead again. Russo makes to run down the inside-left channel but cuts back, then spins and sends a diagonal pass towards Bronze, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Bronze cuts back for Kirby, who looks to have slammed home into the bottom right … only for Evrard to somehow get something on the shot, taking enough pace off to allow De Caigny to clear off the line! Magnificent play all round!
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50 min: Kelly’s flat corner looks dangerous, but De Caigny clears and Belgium counter. Detruyer, barrelling down the inside left, has a chance to release Kees down the middle, but Carter steps in to intercept.
49 min: Carter sends a forensic pass down the right-hand channel in the hope of releasing Bronze. Just a bit too much on it. But England come again, through Russo down the left, and she earns a corner off Cayman. Kelly – who else? – to take.
48 min: Nothing comes of the set piece. But this is a lively start to the second period by the Lionesses.
47 min: … and Russo should be scoring from it. Kelly’s dipping delivery is magnificent, dropping at the feet of Russo, six yards out. But Russo can’t get her feet sorted allowing Evrard to block. Russo has to settle for a corner instead.
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46 min: Missipo slides into Kirby from the back. That was right out of the old-school. A calling card that leads to a yellow one. Free kick for England and a chance for Kelly to swing another dangerous one in from the right.
Belgium get the second half underway. No changes. Incidentally, in the other Group A1 game, it’s goalless at half time between Scotland and the Netherlands at Hampden.
… and here’s the latest from our very own Suzanne Wrack. “Update: Alex Greenwood is conscious, talking and being monitored by medical staff at the stadium.”
Some promising news regarding Alex Greenwood. According to Laura Woods on ITV4, Greenwood is “conscious and talking”.
Half-time entertainment.
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HALF TIME: Belgium 2-2 England
A really entertaining game of football … albeit one overshadowed by the head/neck injury suffered by Alex Greenwood. No news on her condition yet.
45 min +12: For the first time this evening, the game gets a bit scrappy. Kelly tries to jink her way past Deloose down the right but is stopped in uncompromising style by the Belgian full back. A proper juddering bodycheck. All referee-approved.
45 min +10: Kelly is clipped by Kees out on the England right. She takes her sweet time to retie her bootlaces before getting up to deliver the free kick long. Stanway can’t connect at the far stick. Vanhaevermaet slices a clearance high but the mistake doesn’t cost Belgium, who clear their lines nonetheless.
45 min +8: Well, that came against the run of play, and from nowhere to boot. England have dominated possession and territory from the get-go, but the hosts are so dangerous on the counter.
GOAL! Belgium 2-2 England (Wullaert 45+6)
A simple long pass down the middle rips England open. Wullaert gets ahead of Carter and Bright and doesn’t let her lead in the chase slip. She takes a touch to the right, before arrowing a low drive across Earps and into the bottom left. What a finish by the Belgian captain!
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45 min +5: England continue to dominate possession. They stay patient, pinging it around the middle, this way and that. Suddenly Walsh, who is beginning to pull strings, whistles a pass down the right channel and nearly releases Kelly. Not quite, but that’s a fine example of the patience Sarina Wiegman was preaching before the game.
45 min +3: Detruyer is booked for making sure Bronze doesn’t take a quick free kick.
45 min +1: Stanway sends an effort high and wide left. Belgium could do with hearing the half-time whistle, but there’s a big problem with that.
45 min: There will be 14 minutes of additional first-half time. “Wow – you don’t see many like that header by Bronze,” writes Charles Antaki. “Crouching, waiting, sizing up a target 15 m away, then applying just exactly the right amount of force to send it over the keeper and safely into the net. Brilliant.”
GOAL! Belgium 1-2 England (Kirby 44)
This is simply sensational. A long pass down the left for Hemp to chase. She cuts back into the box, glides past two defenders left in the dust, then tugs back for Kirby, who opens her body and slots confidently across Evrard and into the bottom right. What a dribble, what a finish, what a return to international football after a year out for Fran Kirby!
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42 min: De Neve can’t continue, and is replaced by Wijnants. When play restarts, England nearly take the lead. Walsh, quarterbacking from deep, sprays a delightful diagonal pass towards Bronze, bursting into the box down the inside-right channel. Bronze heads. Evrard parries. Russo can’t guide the rebound into the unguarded left-hand side of the net, sending her instinctive shot wide. So close.
41 min: Kelly drifts in from the right and sends a bobbling, dipping shot inches wide of the bottom left. Evrard had it covered.
40 min: England want a second, and press Belgium back. The hosts still haven’t decided what to do with De Neve, who appeared to have pulled something when hacking clear.
GOAL! Belgium 1-1 England (Bronze 38)
Before Belgium can make their sub, England equalise against the 11 women! Kelly curls the free kick long from the right. Bronze rises on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box and sends a looping diagonal header over the stranded Evrard and into the top right!
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36 min: Bronze makes good down the right and wins a cheap free kick off the clumsy Detruyer. But before it can be taken, De Neve goes down, the physio comes on, and the internationally recognised mime for substitute is performed. Not sure she’ll be able to continue.
35 min: England do their best to get back to business, and Kelly sends a corner in from the right. Evrard claims it well.
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33 min: Blom has been cleared to continue, by the way. The top of her head is swathed in bandages, bar a space for a topknot. A relief that she’s healthy. Play restarts though everyone’s clearly a little bit distracted.
31 min: Greenwood is carefully transferred onto the stretcher and a warm ovation ripples around Den Dreef as she is taken down the tunnel. Godspeed Alex Greenwood. Carter comes on in her place.
29 min: As the physios continue their work on Greenwood, both sets of players keep warm by gathering in separate circles and pinging passes to each other. Both teams clearly trying to keep their minds on the job, but it’s difficult in such circumstances, and the concern is etched obvious on every single participant.
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27 min: They’re taking their time with Greenwood, putting a neck brace on before loading her onto a stretcher. Hopefully this is all simply precautionary, and they’re taking no chances. They’re quite rightly taking as long as they need to ensure Greenwood is safe and healthy.
25 min: Blom is up and appears to be fine to continue … but having gone over to check on the stricken Greenwood, looks fairly shaken and upset. It was a completely honest and accidental collision between two players competing hard for the ball, but her distress is totally understandable.
23 min: The England physios are taking their time to administer the proper care to Greenwood. Meanwhile Blom has been properly bandaged up, her head fully wrapped. Perhaps she’ll be able to continue?
21 min: Greenwood is face down on the turf and hasn’t moved at all. The stretcher is called for. It very much looks like she’ll not be able to continue. Blom doesn’t look in a great way either, but thankfully she’s sat up, albeit only so she can get a bandage pressed onto the top of her head.
19 min: Blom and Greenwood both duck into a shoulder-high heading contest for a 50-50 ball … and both take a sore one as their heads collide. That was a full-blooded challenge with a very unpleasant outcome. Both players stay down and on come the physios.
18 min: Bronze tries to release Hemp down the inside-right channel, but the goalscorer De Neve comes across to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. For all of England’s possession, Evrard hasn’t been forced into serious action yet … and look at the score.
16 min: Hemp has the beating of Deloose down the right. She sashays past but her cutback isn’t quite as composed as the run. But England come again, Walsh shoveling a pass down the right for Bronze, who stretches to cross only for the offside flag to pop up. England are getting a lot of joy down this flank.
14 min: Charles and Hemp combine well to win a corner down the left. Kelly whips dangerously towards the near post. Belgium just about clear their lines, but England come straight back at them and Bronze pearls a long-distance effort inches over the bar.
12 min: That was an exceptional free kick by De Neve … but England played a role in their own downfall there, first by the loose pass from Kelly, which gave Belgium their first impetus of the evening, then when Kelly looked to buy a cheap free kick only for the decision to go the other way. Mistakes cost England in the Netherlands; they’d like to avoid a similar self-defeating story tonight.
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10 min: England respond immediately through Bronze, who wins a corner down the right. Kelly takes long. Vanhaevermaet heads clear at the far post.
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 England (De Neve 9)
De Neve takes a one-step free kick, curling it over the wall and into the right-hand side of the net. Simple as that! Earps stunned with no chance! Such a brilliantly placed free kick!
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8 min: Kelly goes over under pressure from Kees from behind. She expects a soft foul to be punished, but the referee sees nothing in the shove. Instead it’s a handball by Kelly, just to the right of the D.
6 min: Most of the early play is happening in the Belgian half … hold on! Scrub that! Kelly gives the ball away cheaply in midfield, allowing the hosts to counter. Suddenly Wullaert is tearing clear! She aims for the top left … but Earps palms around the post. But no matter, because the flag goes up for offside.
5 min: Bronze slips Russo into space down the right. Russo has the jump on Deloose … but she’d gone way too soon. Up pops the flag.
4 min: Russo is impeded out on the left flank and it’s an early chance for England to send a free kick into the Belgian box. Kelly to swing it in. Evrard punches miles clear with confidence.
3 min: Since you ask, the brass band are playing a version of The Final Countdown by Europe. A strange choice for the first couple of minutes, but each to their own.
2 min: The Den Dreef is packed to the rafters. Some brass-band-based bedlam. But a quiet start on the field.
England get the ball rolling … but only after taking the knee.
The teams are out! Belgium in red, England in white. Once the anthems are done, we’ll be up and running.
Belgium boss Ives Serneels takes his turn. “We enjoyed Friday … we try to do the same way but maybe enjoying a little bit more with a better result … we like to play here in Leuven … we like the stadium, our fans like it.”
Sarina Wiegman speaks to ITV. “We expect that we will have the ball a lot and be close to the final third of the opponent … I hope Fran Kirby brings us calmness, the final pass, patience … Niamh Charles has developed very well, she played a good game on Friday, she is very attacking … the biggest thing for us is in possession, final third, being even more patient, finding the right pass, have the right connections … just a little more to make goals out of the chances we create … we approach every game to win … we want to reach the final and win the Nations League so we want to win this game … we will be very motivated.”
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England make one change from Friday night. Fran Kirby is back and replaces Ella Toone, who drops to the bench.
Belgium make two changes. Jassina Blom and Sari Kees return from injury so Feli Delacauw and Jody Vangheluwe drop to the bench.
The teams
Belgium: Evrard, Kees, Deloose, De Neve, De Caigny, Cayman, Vanhaevermaet, Detruyer, Missipo, Wullaert, Blom.
Subs: Lemey, Lichtfus, Philtjens, Vangheluwe, Van Belle, Littel, Iliano, Delacauw, Daniels, Wijnants, Fon, Janssens.
England: Earps, Bronze, Charles, Bright, Greenwood, Walsh, Kelly, Stanway, Kirby, Hemp, Russo.
Subs: Roebuck, Hampton, Keating, Carter, Wubben-Moy, Morgan, Le Tissier, Zelem, Toone, Clinton, Daly, Park.
💪 Tonight's #Lionesses to face Belgium... pic.twitter.com/tLCTNXTuy6
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) October 31, 2023
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Preamble
A big test awaits England in Leuven tonight. Group A1 currently looks like this …
Netherlands 6pts (+4)
England 6pts (+1)
Belgium 4pts (0)
Scotland 1pt (-5)
… so while Sarina Wiegman’s side aren’t yet in must-win territory, they don’t have too much in the way of wriggle room. The Lionesses have yet to hit the heights in this Nations League campaign, doing just enough to squeak wins against Scotland and Belgium, and going down to a careless defeat against the Dutch. “We want to improve on our game,” says Wiegman, and they may need to against a Belgian side who impressed in Leicester last Friday and have already seen off the group leaders at home. With the Netherlands expected to see off the Scots at Hampden this evening, any dropped points will crank up the pressure on England ahead of December’s double-headed denouement against the Dutch and Scotland. Big test tonight all right, then. Kick off is at 7.30pm GMT. It’s on!
