UWNL: Dutch stun England on Wiegman return; Spain, Germany & France win | OneFootball

More UEFA Women’s Nations League action took place on Tuesday. Here is what went down.

The four Group A winners will move to the semi-finals, where the champions earn a spot at the 2024 Olympics.

Spain blast five past Switzerland

Scorers: Garcia 15′, Bonamti 45+1′, 49′, Gabarro 57′, Oroz 87′

Spain’s new era continues to flourish in the wake of the Luis Rubiales scandal with a perfect run in the UEFA Women’s Nations League.

After needing to grind out a dramatic win over Sweden, the FIFA Women’s World Cup winners easily ran past Switzerland.

Mariona Caldentey stripped goalkeeper Elvira Herzog of the ball and teed up Lucia Garcia for 1-0 before midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati took control of the game.

The adidas Golden Ball winner first acrobatically volleyed home before curling the ball in from the top of the box minutes after the restart for a brace.

Spain then piled more misery on Switzerland when Inma Gabarro added a fourth after pouncing on a loose ball, and Maite Oroz later scored a stunning volley from outside the box.

The result means Spain are top of Group A4 with two wins from two while Switzerland are last.

Wiegman suffers defeat on return

Scorers: Martens 34′, Jansen 90′; Russo 64′

England manager Sarina Wiegman returned to her native Netherlands on Tuesday, where her former side pinned back the Lionesses.

A little luck went the way of the hosts for the opener, but England seemed a step behind during the match.

Georgia Stanway was dispossessed, and the ball eventually fell to Lieke Martens, who curled it up and beyond Mary Earps. There was no VAR, but Danielle van de Donk did appear to be offside in the build-up.

The Lionesses needed to find a spark in the second half, and Alessia Russo’s creativity to poke home a deflected shot helped draw things level after the break.

However, another England mistake haunted the visitors at the death when 32-year-old Renate Jansen came off the bench to seal it for the Dutch after a misplayed pass from Alex Greenwood.

The result means England sit third in Group A1 while the Netherlands are second.

Portugal capitalise on Norway’s mistakes

Scorers: Jacinto 37′, Costa 44′ (P), 69′ (P); Maanum 32′, Terland

Portugal picked up a shock win over Norway after making the most of the opportunities handed to them.

The visitors did strike first through Frida Maanum when she curled the ball into the top right corner from outside the box.

But the hosts responded instantly when Andreia Jacinto capitalised on a loose ball in the box before they took the lead from a Carole Costa penalty.

The visitors ensured they wouldn’t be written off that fast, but after Elisabeth Terland made things level with two each, another defensive error allowed Costa to convert a second penalty for Portugal.

The result means Portugal are second in Group A2 while Norway sit third.

France win 500th match

Scorer: Renard 5′

France celebrated playing their 500th match in all competitions with a win on the road in Austria.

A strong start led to the eventual winner when Wenndie Renard got on the end of a free-kick from Selma Bacha.

Despite only eight shots (three on target) by the end of the match, Austria struggled to respond and ultimately fell short of the comeback.

In all competitions, France now have 294 wins, 91 draws and 115 defeats to their name over 52 years.

They currently sit at the top of Group A2 with two wins from two while Austria are bottom of the table.

Germany let goals fly against Iceland

Scorers: Bühl 19, 78′, Gwinn 35′ (P), Schüller 68′

Germany responded to their shock loss to Denmark and poor Women’s World Cup run with a strong win at home over Iceland.

The hosts dominated the match over 90 minutes with 25 shots to three, 73% possession and four goals from three different scorers.

Klara Bühl stunned the visitors (and maybe her teammates) when she cut in on her right and drove home a stunning curler from outside the box before Giula Gwinn doubled the lead after converting a penalty.

In the second half, the hosts continued to overwhelm Iceland and Lea Schüller’s thumping head made things 3-0 before Bühl secured a brace on the night with a second from distance.

The result means Germany sit first above Denmark in Group A3 while Iceland sit third.

Sweden bounce back in Italy

Scorer: Kaneryd 14′

The world’s No. 1 ranked women’s team won their first match of the tournament after edging past Italy.

The lone goal arrived when Sweden made the most of one of their only two shots on target early on.

Lina Hurtig continues to be in top form and dribbled in from the left before the ball fell to Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who turned things 1-0.

Italy managed to take control of the match, but with poor finishing (one shot on target from 16), Valentina Giacinti, Cristiana Girelli and company were ineffective in their pursuit of an equaliser.

The result means Sweden sit second in Group A4 behind Spain, while Italy sit third after their first loss.

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