With over half of the women’s Nations League group-stage games in the can, the wider picture is slowly coming together as some teams already have their fate decided. Here are some of the talking points from Matchday Four.
Belgium get fired up to beat England
The last time England found themselves at Den Dreef in Leuven, they were forced to battle back with a late penalty to save face in a post-2019 World Cup friendly that ended 3-3. On Tuesday night, they fell to a 3-2 defeat thanks to a late spot kick.
After Laura De Neve‘s sublime free kick in the ninth minute, England were on the back foot, but they responded thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby. Tessa Wullaert then levelled things just before half-time and the Belgian veteran was the one to decide the game from the spot, after Georgia Stanway was penalised for handball, with five minutes to go.
For third-placed England, the immediate worry is Olympic qualification which will require two convincing wins and help from another League A Group 1 team along the way given they are three points behind Netherlands. Yet there is the wider concern of the way England lost in Leuven and how they looked short of ideas and inspiration. It’s not a new story for the Lionesses under Sarina Wiegman but, more often than not over the course of the last year or so, England have found the slice of luck or piece of individual brilliance to dig out a win.
Still, credit should go to Belgium for their marked improved from Friday — when they lost 1-0 to England in Leicester — and how clinical they were to claim a memorable win. There are questions about how expansive the hosts can be moving forward and how pragmatic they have to be, playing their third-highest goal scorer at the heart of a back five.
For England, the questions about where the team go from here remain.
