The Lionesses are the second-best team in women’s football, and it’s not a surprising feat. They reached the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, only to be beaten by Spain in an eventful final that saw Luis Rubiales unceremoniously kiss a Spanish player on the lips, leading to a temporary ban from football.
The Lionesses’ form continued into this year’s Nations League. Sadly, their four wins in six games in a group with the likes of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scotland, coupled with a 6-0 thrashing of Scotland yesterday, were not enough to earn them qualification from their group, which also ultimately ended their 2024 Olympics aspirations.
England manager issues statement after failing to reach Paris Olympics
England recorded a brilliant 6-0 win over Scotland but failed to seal the Nations League and 2024 Paris Olympics qualification on goal difference, thanks to the Netherlands’ 4-0 win over Belgium. This was a hard pill to swallow for the 2023 Women’s World Cup finalists, who have failed again in their quest to win a major tournament since winning last year’s UEFA Women’s Championship.
Manager Sarina Wiegman spoke to the press shortly after the emphatic win, expressing her disappointment while also praising the efforts of her girls.
“I’m very disappointed,” the England manager said. “The team showed lots of character, and we started really well. I thought when Lucy scored that we were going to get this. Then the Netherlands scored, and that’s how close it was.
“I was really proud of the performance, but we’re not through, and it’s very disappointing. If you don’t get through on goal difference, it’s not enough. I still think about what we’ve done, with the EUROS, getting to the final in the World Cup having hardly any rest, going into the first Nations League campaign and, yes, we had moments where we struggled, but we had moments where we did really well; that’s football,” she added.
Wiegman now has a real job of picking her players up for the challenges that lie ahead.
England beat Scotland but failed to qualify
Despite recording a 6-0 win over bitter rivals Scotland, England failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Nations League and also the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
It was a sad day for the Lionesses, who needed to record a 3-goal difference over the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands trashed Belgium 4-0 to maintain a one-goal difference over their English counterparts.
By the end of the match, England had won four out of their six games, even beating the Netherlands 3-2 a few days ago. Sadly, a 2-1 loss in the reverse leg and another 3-2 loss to Belgium made England miss out on qualification despite having as many points as group leaders Netherlands.
Players like Lauren James, who was recognized at the PFA Awards earlier this season, put in an excellent shift for the Lionesses, scoring two goals in two minutes to give his team hope of usurping the Netherlands.
This was another disappointment for the Lionesses, who lost the 2023 World Cup final to Spain in an eventful game that saw Luis Rubiales get temporarily suspended for kissing a Spanish player on the lips.
How will England bounce back from this disappointment?
