England were handed another blow in their Nations League campaign on Tuesday night after losing 3-2 to Belgium.
A late penalty from captain Tessa Wullaert handed the Red Flames victory as the Lionesses tumbled to third place in Group A1.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what has happened to England in the competition.
What’s actually at stake in the Nations League?
This year marks the inaugural Nations League competition in women’s football and takes a similar format to the men’s edition, where 51 competing nations are divided into two leagues of 16 and one of 19.
Crucially there is plenty to play for in the tournament as the winners from League A will reach the finals, which also act as Europe’s 2024 Olympic qualifiers – meaning that a place in Paris is up for grabs.
Tuesday’s loss to Belgium means England’s hopes of Olympic qualification are in danger with only two games remaining in the competition to try and turn things around.
What happened on Tuesday?
Having beaten Belgium at Leicester on Friday night, the Lionesses travelled to Leuven in the reverse fixture on Tuesday hoping to boost their chances of qualification.
They got off to a poor start, falling behind to Laura De Neve’s ninth-minute free-kick before Manchester City defender Alex Greenwood was carried off the pitch on a stretcher following a clash of heads and received treatment on the pitch for over 10 minutes. City confirmed on Wednesday that she will return to the club for further assessment.
England took the lead through goals from Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby in quick succession, but Wullaert levelled things deep into first-half stoppage time.
The Belgian captain came to her side’s rescue again in the 85th minute, slotting home from the penalty spot to leapfrog England into second.
How have England done so far?
Defeat to Belgium handed England their second Nations League loss in four matches, but the Lionesses have already endured plenty of tough challenges in Group A1.
Kicking off their campaign in Sunderland, England were able to seal a 2-1 win in a closely-fought contest against Scotland where the visitors were unable to capitalise on a multitude of chances in the second half.
However, defeat followed in Utrecht as Renate Jansen struck in the 90th minute for the Netherlands to squeeze a 2-1 victory against their former boss Sarina Wiegman.
Lauren Hemp’s goal gave England an important three points with a 1-0 win against Belgium on Friday, but the reverse fixture ended in defeat on Tuesday.
What does the table look like now?
With two wins and two losses, the Lionesses are third in the table, just one point behind the Red Flames in the standings.
The Netherlands are on track for that vital Olympic spot after back-to-back wins against Scotland ensured they sit at the summit, having won three and lost only one of their four games so far.
Scotland are at the foot of the table with only one point picked up throughout the competition, which came during their 1-1 draw against Belgium in September thanks to Sophie Howard’s last-gasp header.
What happens next?View this post on Instagram
England’s slim hopes of Olympic qualification continue in December when the next round of fixtures are set to be played.
The Lionesses kick off matchday five at Wembley, where they come up against the Netherlands on December 1 before travelling to Hampden Park to play their final fixture against Scotland four days later.
Belgium will host Scotland before taking on the Netherlands where two wins would see England miss out on the top spot regardless of how the Lionesses do and Wiegman knows the challenges that lie ahead for her side.
She said post-match on Tuesday: “First of all, we have to win with more than one goal against the Netherlands at Wembley, and then we have to win the other game too, because Belgium is in a very good place too.
“We know we have work to do – we always do, but we have put ourselves in a hard position at the moment.”
Fast Cash Saddlers United, Jones Group Sandy Point, Security Forces and Conaree Fireball International secure wins to commence round two of SKNFA Division One season
Round two of the 2024 SKNFA Division 1 season got under way last week with wins for Fast Cash Saddlers United, Jones Group Sandy Point FC, Security Forces FC and Conaree Fireball International.
On Thursday at the NBGC Technical Center in St. Peters, Security Forces drubbed Rivers of Living Water FC 7-0.
Evanslie Fahie scored two goals in the 13th and 37th minutes while the other goas came from Everette Ritchen in the 34th, David Joseph in the 57th, Shane Clarke in the 60th, Ronaldo Blake in the 73rd and Shamar Douglas in the 86th min.
In Thursday’s second match Lodge Patriots drew 1-1 with TGE Dieppe Bay Eagles.
Sair Morton scored for Lodge in the 54th minute, while Jason Phipps equalized for Dieppe Bay in the 84th minute.
After the match, Coach of Lodge Leon Natta-Nelson praised his players for their execution on the pitch.
“I thought tonight, the first game of the second round, a better playing from the team…the movement on the ball and off the ball was wonderful in the first half,” Natta-Nelson said.
He blamed the goal they conceded on lack of focus.
“That has been our demise for the whole season,” he said, while expressing satisfaction with a point. He said the aim now is to beat teams they lost to in round one of the league.
“We had some developmental players who are just in the first and second year in the league. We have seen some improvement and we hope that we can regroup after this second round, we can go into next season but we will focus on one game at a time,” he said.
In the Tuesday games, Conaree Fireballs United secured a 2-1 win over Molineux before Jones Group Sandy Point drubbed KFC/Trinity Challengers United 7-0.
Leslian Dasent gave Conaree the lead in the 49th minute before Kahml Wattley got the equalizer for Molineux with 16 minutes left in normal time.
I-Dee Caines then got the Conaree winner in the 96th minute.
In the second game, goals from Deshawn Collins (7’), Diontre Eddy (15’, 45’) and Jahlyan Burnt (21’) meant Sandy Point went into the halftime interval with a comfortable 4-0 advantage.
They didn’t let up in the second half with goals from Troy Bassue in the 52nd minute and Dequan Joseph in the 68th minute making it 6-0 before Collins got his second goal of the contest in the 81st minute to complete the day’s scoring.
PSG warming up for Coupe de France final
Paris Saint-Germain will use their final Ligue 1 matches of the season to prepare for the Coupe de France final, so says Luis Enrique.
PSG were beaten at home by Nice early in the season, and are away to the same opposition on Wednesday for their penultimate league game.
Having sealed the Ligue 1 title, PSG failed to overcome Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals, losing 2-0 on aggregate.
While a visit to Wembley on June 1 evaded them, PSG do have the chance to claim another trophy when they take on Lyon in the Coupe de France final on May 25.
When asked if PSG wanted revenge for their loss to Nice earlier in the campaign, Luis Enrique told reporters: "No, not at all to be honest, it is not about revenge, they played very well.
"I congratulated them at the time, there is no desire for revenge.
"They are fully motivated because they are trying to play in Europe next season. For us, the situation is linked to the Coupe de France final. Everyone here should be motivated. Every game at this club matters, there are no friendly games."
PSG lost their second league game of the season on Sunday at home to Toulouse, but are still unbeaten away from home in Ligue 1 this season. Again, Luis Enrique is unconcerned with this statistic.
"I am not bothered about that," he said.
"What is important is that the players who play do so and represent the French capital and the fans in the best way."
Last week, Kylian Mbappe confirmed his departure from PSG at the end of the season, but Luis Enrique gave a rather cryptic answer when asked by a Spanish reporter about the player's possible future with Real Madrid.
"Today it's raining, but it's also a very beautiful day because you can feel this different air," Luis Enrique said with a smile.
"It reminds me of Gijon where I am from. I think I have answered your question."
Yorke wants review of T&T's citizenship law to increase player pool; says 2026 W'Cup qualification needed to positively impact nation
Former Soca Warriors captain Dwight Yorke has joined the calls for a possible review of Trinidad and Tobago’s citizenship law, as he believes a constitutional reform would substantially increase the nation’s player pool, and with it, their chances of FIFA World Cup qualification.
Unlike Jamaica and other countries across the region which have tapped into their heritage players from England and elsewhere, it is not the same with the twin island republic, as chapter two, section 17 (ii) of their constitution states that “A person shall not become a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, if at the time of his birth – (a) neither of his parents is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Soca Warriors Head coach Angus Eve last year pointed out that such a law is hampering the expansion of Trinidad and Tobago’s football, since the majority of other Caribbean territories can invite players whose grandparents have local lineage, to represent their nation on the international stage.
Yorke concurs, as he is also of the view that the legislation has Trinidad and Tobago on the back foot, and is hampering the nation’s chances of progressing, while other countries hold a clear player-selection advantage.
“I think also we’re on the back foot where we’re not opening up to…and I say this openheartedly, that I feel that we’re kind of stifling our opportunity to recruit players,” Yorke told reporters after the Legends All-Star match last week.
He continued: “You’re seeing all the other countries being able to recruit players, and that’s a big factor. We’re a small country and we don’t have many people to choose from. So, anybody with any type of nationality that is linked to T&T that player of a certain level, could only be a benefit for us, so why deprive that.
“That’s something we need to look at, the people and heads of state are the ones to make that decision. But I think we are limiting ourselves by not allowing people who had something to connect to T&T in a bloodstream type of way, having to go through the difficulty of getting the passport.”
That said, the 52-year-old former Manchester United striker, like others believes the 2026 FIFA World Cup represents Trinidad and Tobago’s best chance of making another appearance at the global showpiece to follow their historic 2006 showing.
This as Concacaf powerhouse teams –Canada, Mexico and United States –have earned automatic spots by virtue of being hosts and, as such, will not be a part of the upcoming qualifiers scheduled to begin next month.
So, with three direct qualification spots, plus two more available via an inter-confederation playoff, Yorke said it represents a grand opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to capitalise. Eve’s side is drawn in Group B alongside Bahamas, Costa Rica, St Kitts and Nevis and Grenada.
Dwight Yorke (right) in discussion with other Soca Warriors legends.
“(There’s) five opportunities for us to qualify. It’s never easy but the opportunity is really good for us. If we really get the government, heads of state, sponsors, public sector and people to really invest in football, and give Angus and team all the resources he needs then it can happen,” he reasoned.
“We need those little things to go our way to really improve the quality that we’re so lacking at the moment. Let’s hope the World Cup campaign is something that is really on a positive note and you see the support we have, let’s hope that continues,” Yorke added.
With legends like himself, Russell Latapy and others, having laid the foundation for the current generation to follow, Yorke said the onus is now on those players to make the most of the opportunity to achieve great things on their journey. He again stressed the positive impact that World Cup qualification can have on not only Eve and his players, but more importantly, the country.
“Sometimes you need to take a step back to go forward again. The World Cup campaign is something positive. We need something really positive to happen in the country because there’s so much negative coming out. Let’s hope the World Cup campaign is such a positive one that it rubs off on the younger generation,” Yorke shared.
“It certainly did when I was growing up. We’re probably a bit of a dying breed the Russell, Shaka Hislop and Stern John, the guys who had the opportunity to play abroad. Let’s hope it will encourage the younger boys. The foundation is there, and the opportunities are even greater. You put your work in, and you get your reward,” he ended.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
