England lose as Ware's absence again undermines women's game

England lost for just the third time under Sarina Weigman, with the Netherlands scoring the winner in the 90th minute. Photo: Getty Images/Frederic Scheidemann Netherlands 2 England 1

England captain Millie Bright has criticized Ware's «mind-blowing» absence after a Dutch offside goal was upheld in England's 2-1 defeat in Utrecht .

Centre-back Bright insisted that England did not want to use the issue as an excuse for their defeat and that they had only themselves to blame for failing to clear the ball before Paris Saint-Germain striker Lieke Martens struck expertly in the first kick, but talk of the point inevitably escalated after replays showed the goal should not have been disallowed because former Arsenal midfielder Daniel van de Donk was clearly offside just minutes earlier during the build-up to the attack.

Var is not mandatory in UEFA's rules for the new Women's Nations League or the FA Women's Super League, and European women's teams are only really introduced to the technology in the later stages of the Women's Champions League and when they play in the finals of major tournaments. , for example, at the World Championships this summer.

A major defensive mistake costs England dearly as the Netherlands take the lead! 😬#ITVFootball pic.twitter.com/xihpw2iplZ

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 26, 2023

“It’s always disappointing [not having Ware],” Bright said. “I think we strive for the level of play to be as high and professional as possible, but sometimes we have Var, sometimes we don’t, sometimes we have goal line technology. No consistency. But this is by no means an excuse. We put ourselves in this position of not clearing the ball, not getting out of pressure.

“It’s a shame, though, that these are still huge and wrong decisions. But this is where we as players have to keep talking about it, we have to step up, we have to demand better and demand more. This is international football and we don't have VAR in a competitive international match, which is absolutely amazing.»

The absence of officials on video also played a role in England's 2-1 win over Scotland on Friday. where Scotland forward Martha Thomas was very harshly denied a penalty and in the same game the Lionesses saw two 'goals' disallowed for controversial reasons.

Twente striker Renate Jansen came off the bench to score the winner in the 90th minute after England gave away the ball as a gift. Earlier, Arsenal striker Alessia Russo's fourth goal in her last six appearances for the Lionesses appeared to have handed the European champions a point in a much improved second-half display on the evening of Sarina Wiegman's homecoming.

Match details

< strong>Netherlands (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar, 8; Dijkstra 6, Spitze 7, Janssen 6, Brugts 6 (Wilms 6, 7); Groenen 7 (Egurrola 6, 84), Van de Donk 6; Pelova 7 (Kaptein 6, 77), Roord 7, Martens 7; Berenstain 7 (Jansen 8, 84)
Unused subs: Auy, Olislagers, Baitzings, Jansen, Kalma, Lorscheid (c), De Jong (c)
Yellow cards: none
Goals: Martens 34, Jansen 90
England (3-5-2): Earps 7; Carter 6, Bright 5, Greenwood 6; Bronze 6, Stanway 7, Toone 5, Zelem 5, Daly 6 (Kelly 7, 45); Rousseau 7 (James 6, 81), Hamp 7
Unused subs:Hampton (c), Morgan, Charles, Coombs, Parker, Park, Le Tissier, Roebuck (c), Robinson, Staniforth
Yellow cards: Daly
Goals: Russo 64
Referee: Ivana Martincic (Croatia)