England play out friendly draw with The Netherlands | OneFootball

England played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw with The Netherlands in a behind-closed-doors friendly match at the KNVB Campus in Zeist earlier today.

The Lionesses took on the Dutch as part of their preparations for next week’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifiers, however, the two sides couldn’t be separated in the Utrecht province.

England took the lead against The Netherlands when Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones converted a Beth Mead cross from close range. The hosts fought back though and they ended the match on level terms thanks to a goal from Chimera Ripa.

In total, 20 players featured in the match for England. Both Mary Earps and Niamh Charles didn’t play any minutes, however, the pair are on camp and head coach Sarina Wiegman expects them to be fit for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifying next week.

England resume their UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifying campaign with a fixture against The Republic of Ireland at Carrow Road in Norwich next Friday. The Lionesses will then complete their group fixtures with a match against Sweden in Gothenburg on Tuesday 16 July 2024.

England are currently in third place in their group. The top two sides qualify automatically for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 whereas the third-placed side will go into the play-offs.