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Match preview for England v Wales
Lauren Hemp is relishing England renewing their “nice rivalry” with Wales after they meet of their Group D finale at Euro 2025 on Sunday.
Having slumped to a stunning 2-1 defeat to France to begin the event, the defending European champions responded in fashion by thrashing the Netherlands 4-0 in Zurich on Wednesday.
Stunning objectives from Lauren James and Georgia Stanway gave England command earlier than a second from James and a late Ella Toone strike wrapped up a dominant win.
It means England want solely to match the Netherlands’ outcome towards France to progress to the quarter-finals, and they are going to be heavy favourites to take action.
England and Wales are acquainted opponents, having been drawn collectively in qualifying for the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups.
The Lionesses gained three of the 4 conferences throughout these qualification campaigns, drawing the opposite, and didn’t concede a purpose to the Dragons.
While a lot has modified since then, historical past is firmly on England’s facet towards the event debutants, although Hemp is taking nothing as a right.
“It’s an amazing rivalry,” Hemp instructed a press convention on Friday. “These are the video games you need to be concerned in … It’s a derby, we need to win, finish of.
“We’re going to do no matter we are able to to do this. It’s going to be a very powerful match. We’ve acquired a lot respect for Wales.”
Ready to go once more on Sunday 💪 pic.twitter.com/5VljqYt35d
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 11, 2025
Of the efficiency towards the Netherlands, Hemp added: “That simply proves when this workforce are at their greatest what we are able to obtain.
“That has proven confidence in everybody, everybody performed to their strengths, everybody did their job and did it very well.
“Leading into the sport nobody was fazed. Everyone was calm, relaxed and we knew what job we would have liked to do. It didn’t scare anybody and also you positively didn’t see [anyone scared] on the pitch. It made everybody excited and it made the followers excited hopefully from that efficiency we put in and that’s the England we need to present each single recreation we play.
“We’ve felt that [France] loss, we’ve felt it as a workforce, and we’ve tried to show it round and we have now accomplished, and looking out again on the final recreation, how properly we’ve accomplished, we’re hoping to take that momentum into the following … I believe everyone seems to be simply so optimistic and so assured and, when this workforce is like that, we play very well.”
Wales are on the point of elimination following their 4-1 defeat to France.
That was nonetheless an historic recreation for Wales, for whom Jess Fishlock scored their first main event purpose in netting the equaliser.
And coach Rhian Wilkinson was thrilled with what her facet confirmed regardless of a outcome that can imply they are going to virtually definitely be heading dwelling after dealing with England. Wales must beat the Lionesses by 4 objectives and hope France beat the Netherlands.
“Results are secondary to efficiency, I say that on a regular basis. I’d reasonably lose 4-1 and play and present braveness than lose 1-0 and simply sit and never truly give our followers one thing to cheer, and boy did we cheer,” Wilkinson instructed BBC Sport Wales after the France loss.
“It was an enormous, massive enchancment performance-wise from the primary recreation. I suppose as soon as once more it’s simply little errors, particular person errors, and at this degree clearly you’re punished to the fullest extent.
“Wales is a minnow on the world stage they usually’ve earned the appropriate to be right here and to signify our superb nation and now we get to see the distinction. The distinction between the highest groups and the place we’re at.
“This is a really new nation to the soccer world and we confirmed everybody how proud we’re to signify Wales.”
With nothing to lose and loads of satisfaction to play for, Wilkinson will probably be hoping her gamers present the identical braveness as they give the impression of being to drag off an enormous shock and finish England’s defence.
