James gives Sarina Wiegman’s side lift-off as stunning victory against the Netherlands puts the rest of Europe on alert

England had some royal encouragement at the Women’s European Championship on Wednesday with Prince William in the crowd to watch the Lionesses in their crucial match against the Netherlands.

England's Lauren James scored twice, while Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone also found the net to put the defending women's European champions back on track at Euro 2025 with an emphatic 4-0 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Lionesses’ coach Sarina Wiegman said she “felt tension” before England's bounce back Euros win against the Netherlands. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (9 July), the Dutch captain said she found it “hard” after the England Women’s team lost 2-1 to France on Saturday (5 July).

On the one change: "LJ [Lauren James] is a bit higher up the pitch - she can go in-behind quicker. With Toone, she has played a lot in midfield for us too. She can bring a lot of runs in-behind and exploit the space."

The marquee matchup, which France won 2-1, drew 690,000 viewers, a 329% spike from the previous group stage average.

ZURICH (AP) — England has never lost its first two matches at the Women’s European Championship. If that changes on Wednesday, the defending champion could very well be out of Euro 2025.

England's Michelle Agyemang made a big impression in less than 10 minutes at Euro 2025, and she hopes she can make the most of anytime on the pitch when the Lionesses face the Netherlands in a must-win Group D game on Wednesday.