In the decisive UEFA Nations League match with the Netherlands, English footballers are counting on a very long run of home matches without defeat. The last loss for the Lionesses in an official match at home was in 2005, in the European Championship against Sweden (0-1). After that, the English won 43 official matches at home and tied 7 times.
At Wembley, where at least 75,000 spectators will be trying to cheer national coach Sarina Wegmann’s side to a much-needed victory from 8:45 p.m., the European champions have won their last four matches. Germany was the last to leave Wembley with a victory in a training match in 2019.
There were 90,000 fans in the stands every time the English won in the famous stadium over Germany (2022 European Championship final), then the world champions the United States (2022 friendly) and Brazil (2022 final). The match with the Dutch national team will be the tenth time that the losing World Cup finalist plays at Wembley Stadium.
But if there was ever a good chance for the Dutch team to pull off the upset, it’s now. Under Wegman, England have lost three of their last five matches, including the first match in the UEFA Nations League last September in Utrecht (2-1). In August, Spain was very strong in the World Cup final. This was followed by a shock defeat to Belgium at the end of October. In the middle, Scotland and Belgium won on their home turf.
England must defeat the Netherlands on Friday evening to have a chance to participate in the Olympic Games. The Netherlands leads the group with 9 points, and England ranks third with 6 points. Only the group winners can still qualify for Paris 2024.
