85894 Orange Lionesses' injury list continues to grow: Caitlin Dijkstra also drops out, national coach calls up debutant The Orange Lionesses can also not rely on Caitlin Dijkstra for the World Cup qualifying matches with France. Earlier, Dominique Janssen, Vivianne Miedema, Jackie Groenen, Jill Roord and Daniëlle van de Donk were already injured.
85997 Daphne van Domselaar returns in goal Orange Lionesses, Lineth Beerensteyn gets captain's armband National coach Arjan Veurink makes a few new choices for the World Cup qualifying matches with France. Daphne van Domselaar is in goal and Lineth Beerensteyn gets the captain's armband for the first time. Arjan Veurink showed a bit of his cards for the World Cup qualifying match with France on Monday afternoon in Zeist. The extensive list of injuries, supplemented on Monday by Kerstin Casparij, forced him to make new choices. For example, a system with five defenders is not excluded and Lineth Beerensteyn will get the captain's armband for the first time. "She is the only one in the selection who has more than a hundred international matches to her name. And I was curious which players stood up in the transition phase, and Lineth is one of them." In doing so, Veurink makes a new choice in goal. Daphne van Domselaar takes over from Lize Kop, who was in goal for the previous six international matches. The national coach emphasized that the 'really very difficult choice' applies to the international period, but not necessarily to the periods after that. "We have a competition between three good goalkeepers and that will continue for a while. It is a kind of habit to make a decision with goalkeepers. That will probably happen one day, but for me it doesn't have to be at all right now." Van Domselaar is in excellent form and helped Arsenal with great saves to the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the second quarter-final against Chelsea, she was named Player of the Match. "I will never base my opinion on just one match. But Daphne has shown there that she is back and that she is certainly of enormous added value defensively."
Damaris Egurrola is looking forward to dueling with French teammates Damaris Egurrola is looking forward to a special duel against France, in which she will meet many teammates from her football club. "I've been playing in France for five years now. It is an opponent with a lot of power," said the 26-year-old midfielder of the French top club Olympique Lyon. The OrangeLionesses will play a World Cup qualifying match against the French on Tuesday evening in Breda. Egurrola was born in the United States to a Spanish father and a Dutch mother. She played a number of friendly games for Spain, but then decided to switch to the Netherlands. Egurrola made her debut for the Netherlands on April 8, 2022, in a 12-0 win against Cyprus. Egurrola can play her fiftieth international match for the Orange on Tuesday evening against France. "There will be a lot of family of mine in the stands. That's a lot of fun," said Egurrola. Egurrola experienced her peak in the Dutch national team when she scored two important header goals in the Nations League against Belgium in December 2023.
View attachment 329784 Debut in Orange beckons: 'It would be nice if I had to sing a song' (tradition for debutants) The wave of injuries to the Orange women offers opportunities to young players. No fewer than seven leading internationals reported injured to national coach Arjan Veurink for the double confrontation with France. Forced room for newcomers at the Lionesses. Renee van Asten is one of the new faces. The Ajax player is only nineteen and made her debut in Ajax 1 on September 6. Less than a year later, she reported to the big Orange in Zeist. 'This is a dream, yes', Van Asten confesses.
Battered Orange surprises France. The Orange Lionesses have recorded a handsome victory over leader France in the World Cup qualification. After a good start and one successful attack after the break, there was 2-1 on the board in Breda. The Dutch lacked a chunk of experience in West Brabant. Among others, Van de Donk, Janssen, Groenen, Miedema and Roord (all good for at least a hundred international matches) were absent. Goalkeeper Van Domselaar just made her return to the team. In the first fifteen minutes, the Dutch played without hesitation. A volley from Pelova sailed over and an attempt from far from Brugts didn't have the right direction, but Van Asten did hit the goal. After Wilms' free kick, the debutante scored expertly... It was only halfway through the first half that France (FIFA-6) showed itself for the first time: Katoto headed over. The Orange Lionesses (FIFA-11) had to hold off, but did a good job. Led by the duo Buurman and Van Asten (both 19 years old) the compact Orange team gave almost nothing away. France remained dominant after the break and came somewhat fortunately to 1-1: a cross from Baltimore went in via the legs of Wilms and Van Domselaar. The goalkeeper prevented the 1-2 from following quickly. One successful counter gave the Orange the first win over France since 2015. Brugts received the ball via a French leg and shot. The new leader then held on well. I'm so proud of this team. As Johan Cruijff once said: "Elk nadeel heeft zijn voordeel/Every disadvantage has its benefits", the unfortunate injury wave also made the necesary substitutions unavoidable and thus gave them the chance to show themselves and boy, did they do that!!!!
Orange Lionesses stunt against France and are fully in the running for direct qualification for the World Cup The Orange Lionesses have caused a huge upset in the World Cup qualification. In Breda, the battered selection of national coach Arjan Veurink was too strong for top country France with 2-1. Debutant Renee van Asten and Esmee Brugts shot the Netherlands to the lead in the group. With smiling faces and tired arms in the air, the Lionesses seek each other out. The referee has just blown the whistle for the last time and the scoreboard of the Rat Verlegh Stadium of NAC reads 2-1. Something that seemed almost impossible beforehand. And although France had the most ball possession, the victory is not entirely undeserved. It is simply the result of a plan that has been executed excellently. That plan had been adjusted considerably due to the long list of injuries. Seven key players, from captain Dominique Janssen to top scorer Vivianne Miedema, had withdrawn. It had minimized the chances against the top country, no one had to beat around the bush beforehand. National coach Arjan Veurink emphasized that the Orange Lionesses wanted to make it 'as difficult as possible' for the French. That was done by dropping back, staying compact, sometimes keeping possession of the ball and aiming for the transition. It was a bit un-Dutch, Veurink admitted. "But a nice counter is also beautiful football", he concluded with a wink. Dream debut for Van Asten Veurink decided to start with selection debutant Renee van Asten in the starting line-up. The 19-year-old defender of Ajax was in the selection for the first time after the cancellations of Caitlin Dijkstra and Dominique Janssen. At the training sessions, she convinced Veurink, who hinted at a surprise in the line-up a day before the match. Van Asten, flanked at the back by peer Veerle Buurman, immediately proved her worth. Defensively, she played with confidence and - except for one miss - she was not to be caught making mistakes. The one mistake was forgotten after the 11th minute, when she got the ball at her feet in the French penalty area. With a beautiful volley, she found the long corner and made her debut a dream debut: 1-0. That was especially a scare for the visitors. Unlike the Netherlands, only one result is acceptable for France at this stage of the World Cup qualifying phase: to become first and qualify directly for the tournament in Brazil. But the compact Orange frustrated the star team. Where the Dutch functioned as a unit and made a lot of dirty meters, France hoped to make the difference with individual actions. But that resulted in only few chances in the first half. Marie-Antoinette Katoto headed over once and there was some danger from corner kicks, but nothing that would wake Daphne van Domselaar up from tonight. That did not apply to the equalizer shortly after halftime. Sandy Baltimore made it to the back line and tried to cross low. Via the foot of Lynn Wilms, the ball rolled along the back line to Van Domselaar, who did not see it coming. The ball landed unluckily in her own goal via her feet: 1-1. Domselaar mends the miss Van Domselaar recovered from the miss a few minutes later. The Dutch put some high pressure, around which France played professionally. The attack ended with Katoto. The Lyon striker shot at goal from close range, but saw her effort turned away by the Arsenal keeper. Shortly after, she also tapped a shot from Baltimore out of the top corner. It turned out to be essential. Because that beautiful counter that Veurink talked about was still to come. After a quick build-up, midfielder Wieke Kaptein was found. She sent Esmee Brugts into the depths, who shot the only real chance of the Netherlands in the second half past goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin: 2-1. It turned out to be the decision. The Dutch held their own in the nerve-racking final phase and took the lead in the group with 7 points. France remains on 6 points. It suddenly makes the chances of direct World Cup qualification, only reserved for the group winner, realistic.
On paper, France is the strongest opponent in the group, but due to the loss of points against Poland, the duels with the French were immediately crucial in order not to fall behind. The Dutch also had something to put right after the painful 5-2 defeat at the European Championship last summer, when France ended the tournament of the Netherlands. This time, Veurink had to do without Vivianne Miedema, Jackie Groenen, Daniëlle van de Donk, Jill Roord, Dominique Janssen and Kerstin Casparij, among others. As a result, debutante Renee van Asten was immediately put to the test. She of all people wrote history at an early age. After eleven minutes, a free kick by Lynn Wilms fortunately fell at her feet. Van Asten did not hesitate for a moment and took a hard shot: 1-0. It was not only her first international goal, but also the thousandth goal in the history of the Orange Lionesses.
I've been saying for some time that they need to bring more young players into the team. Ajax are competitive in the league with a team that is mostly all U-23 with the exception of Spitse.
86216 'Just don't give a shit': how a young inexperienced group of Orange Lionesses did beat France. For eleven years, the Orange Lionesses did not manage to beat France. On Tuesday evening, a young and inexperienced group succeeded. "I told the girls: just don't give a shit." Proud, proud and more pride. In the catacombs of the Rat Verlegh Stadium, the reactions of the Orange Lionesses to their stunt against France (2-1) all come back to the word pride. They are not necessarily proud of themselves, but especially of teammates, of the national coach, of the game plan, of the result. Everything. "If we put down a match like that, you can only be incredibly proud, right?", concludes Lineth Beerensteyn. National coach Arjan Veurink repeats that a little later at the press conference in almost the same words. "If you look at how much passion they played with tonight, you can only be proud, right?" Despite the compliments of players, the national coach absolutely does not want to attribute the surprising result against France to himself. The players, the staff, the fans. They should get the compliments. "But I mean that sincerely," he emphasizes late on Tuesday evening in Breda. "Of course I make the decisions, but it's a team effort." Still, the hand of Veurink and his technical staff was unmistakably reflected in the Lionesses' game. The contrast with about a year ago is great. For example, opponents at the European Championship (including France) did not need many opportunities to score much against the Netherlands. An important spearhead of Veurink therefore became 'harder to beat'. This was reflected on Tuesday evening. France had the ball continuously, but ran into a true Orange wall. The star players were expertly taken out of the match and Veurink's plan was executed almost flawlessly on a detailed level. "Women's football is developing so fast. Nowadays you have to be prepared against every opponent for the moments when you are pushed back." The national coach thought it was the best game so far defensively. "We were very compact, the lines close together. It was very difficult to play through. But winning duels also looked good. At a certain point, the shoulders started to droop with France, then you know that you are doing well." But especially the mentality and atmosphere in the group of players seem to have been decisive. The cracks and tensions that Veurink had inherited from the dramatic European Championship seem to have largely been repaired because the foundation has been thoroughly addressed. Where players in Switzerland did not always go through fire for each other, every dirty meter was made on Tuesday evening and everyone was continuously encouraged by each other. Beerensteyn certainly sees Veurink's hand in this. "In everything, actually. How we trained as a collective came out on the field today. And Arjan encourages us as a collective and has said that we have to play football with guts and fight. We all had a lot of confidence. You may not, but we did Lineth Beerensteyn Beerensteyn herself also played a role in this. The attacker is by far the most experienced in the depleted selection and was given the captain's armband for the first time. "I have to be honest: I did shed a tear when I heard that. It is really a huge honor." She makes herself heard a lot within the group and on the field, but as captain of a young group of Lionesses, she spoke to them extra. "I said to all those girls: we just don't have to be bothered, just don't give a shit and just play football with a lot of guts. And of course just have fun. You have nothing to lose." A little shit and rashness was the last ingredient for the success recipe of the stunt against France. The question, however, is to what extent it can be repeated next Saturday, when the away game against France is scheduled. Because even with all the right preparations and tactics, France has the individual quality in the selection to score more. What is certain is that even then almost the maximum result will be achieved. The foundation of the Orange Lionesses seems to have been repaired and the dream of group victory and direct World Cup qualification is alive. Although Veurink does not want to think about that yet. First adjust the tactical plan in detail and prepare for Saturday. "It's a bit premature to walk the polonaise. But yes, it is feasible. You've seen that, haven't you?"
Compliments for Renee van Asten (19) after debut against France: 'It doesn't matter who she's up against, bizarre' Renee van Asten couldn't believe it when she made the 1-0 against France on Tuesday evening, whom were surprisingly defeated 2-1 in Breda. The Ajax defender was already overjoyed that she was in the selection of the Orange Lionesses for the first time. And then also score an important goal. The smile does not disappear for a moment from the face of Renee van Asten (19). She is still stunned while recovering from an Orange debut that she describes as 'indescribable', but also reacts razor-sharp. When she is asked about France's disallowed goal in the opening phase after a mistake of hers, she says coldly: "Shock moment? Well, if it's cancelled, I can't really be shocked about it." It is indicative of the self-confidence with which she was on the field during her debut. Of course she was nervous. She hadn't seen the debut in the selection coming, nor the debut in the starting line-up and she hadn't thought of her first goal at any time. "I really came here without expectations." But in the eleventh minute, the most unexpected scenario came true: Van Asten scored. She won the header duel after a free kick, the ball fell at her feet and she shot the 1-0 into the far corner. "I don't know what feeling it was, but I've never felt that. Really, I think just pure joy, enthusiasm. Yes, really indescribable actually." Teammates and national coach Arjan Veurink sprinkle compliments on Van Asten. And it's not so much about the goal, but mainly about her play, self-confidence and daring. She showed that in the third minute of the match. Under pressure from the French top attackers, she decided not to shoot the ball away, but to dribble in calmly, full of risk, between the stars of Olympique Lyon and Chelsea. "Wonderful to see," Veurink said about that moment. "Renee has already made a very good impression on me recently. And last week that was confirmed. And that she is able to show this at this level, at such a young age, with so little experience. And also score a goal. Yes, that deserves a big compliment." Lineth Beerensteyn, who wore the captain's armband partly due to the absence of seven experienced players, agrees. "If you put down a game like that on your debut and score a goal on top of that, yes, you can only be proud of that. I really enjoyed her today. How she slams in every duel... It doesn't matter who she's up against. Bizarre." Peer and friend Veerle Buurman, who plays for the English top club Chelsea, stood next to Van Asten in defense. She too is overflowing with pride and uses the word 'bizarre' for how well the plan was executed. "She fulfilled her first international match really great. It feels familiar to play with her." Van Asten has heard the compliments of her teammates, but also likes to give them back. "That is also typical of this week. They really supported me enormously and took me by the hand. I really ended up in a warm bath." Van Asten has not thought about what this means for her career or position with the Dutch national team. "Today I'm just going to enjoy it. My family was there, I'll go there in a minute. I am very happy that I can share it with them."
86339 I start with shaming Voetbal International, for not having an article about today's super important Orange Lionesses qualifier. Looking for an article about the match I couldnot find it, so I turned to the search engine: No articles found. It shows their real interest in it. Only after the match they come with reports, but here we are on huge matchday.....ZEROOOOO
Tonight Can the Orange Lionesses stunt again against France? On Tuesday, the Orange Lionesses booked an important victory over top country France in the World Cup qualification. In Breda, it was 2-1. As a result, the team of national coach Arjan Veurink is in the lead in group 2. Can the Lionesses stunt again tonight and take a big step towards the World Cup? The kick-off is at 21.10 in Auxerre.
Wonder how good the French coach Laurent Bonadei is. Whether he can find ways to disrupt the Orange Lionesses defense, because the defensive posture of the Orange Lionesses was solid.
Demmit, in the last seconds the goal against, while France actually creates almost nothing. Without Baltimore they actually seem a very mediocre team, with several players with intent on hurting the opponent with dirty fouls. The Orange Lionesses actually had the real chances, but didnot convert them into goals. Well, time to roar in the second half as the first half has shown it can be done.
A draw was a fair result for this match. Dutch defended very well against a more physical French team. They need to work on passing into space which was very poor and French defenders had easy pickings to stop Dutch attacks. A good example of this was the bungled 4 on 2 break in the 2nd half that came to nothing. I thought Keukelaar was wronged in the 65th minute when she beat the French defender to the end line and was going to get past her. It was a clear pull down that was not called. van Asten was not so good in this game with some very poor passing and jumping in challenge where she only got a Yellow Card. Demaris just lost to a more physical player on the French goal off the free kick. That stuff happens. Even with the criticism, it is good to see a lot of new players in the lineup and doing very well. they now are on top of the group. they need to take care business against Poland and Ireland.
86452 I supposed the defensive style of play of last Tuesday (2-1) would no longer be a surprise to coach Laurent Bonadei . So the Orange Lionesses had to be better late on Saturday night in Auxerre, especially on the ball. A tough task for the young team of national coach Arjan Veurink, who decided to choose Janou Levels over Brighton player Marisa Olislagers only at left back. Especially against a France with a drive. National coach Laurent Bonadei did not accept the game in Breda and decided to field technically strong players to break the Dutch wall quickly. Yet it took at least half an hour for France to push the Lionesses so far back that you can speak of a wall. In the opening phase, the Dutch were fully involved, were dangerous from corner kicks, were the strongest in football and had a great chance through Esmee Brugts. But there was a lack of serious power in the attack of the Orange to finish the few chances. Something you have to do if you want to beat France. Defensively, things went better. From the moment the Dutch were pushed back, France still created little. The game was similar to that in Breda. Continuous threat, but Daphne van Domselaar was hardly seriously tested. Until the injury time of the first half. Baltimore found the head of striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto with a fine cross, who had been functionally eliminated for three halves by the defensive plan of the Orange. The Lyon striker did not miss this one opportunity: 1-0. In the second half, the Orange Lionesses had to take risks. Romee Leuchter and a little later Lineth Beeresteyn left the field, exhausted from a tiring duel in which they were increasingly easily put off the ball. With Lotte Keukelaar and Chasity Grant, talents came into the field who can surprise, but are a few sizes smaller than the defenders opposite them. Orange Lionesses howver forget to punish French mistakes. Of course, it was a very tough task to get two results within four days against France, the number 6 in the FIFA ranking. Under Veurink's predecessor Andries Jonker, a point was rarely taken against an opponent from the Top 10 of the world rankings, let alone a victory. But the Lionesses, unbeaten under the new national coach, continued to believe in it Then it is important to punish every slip of the opponent. The Orange Lionesses in Burgundy failed to do that in the first 75 minutes. Like that breakout in which the Dutch rushed towards two French defenders with four players, but Kaptein's pass was not up to par. Chance, no almost a certain goal I would say, was gone. The Orange Lionesses continued to fight against physical France all over the field and Chasity Grant, who had come in for Leuchter, prevented Baltimore from pulling the trigger on a dangerous French attack. That thoughtful intervention turned out to be worth its weight in gold. Genius equalizer It seemed impossible. France had more chances, started to play for time and the attackers of the Orange were hardly reached. In the 77th minute, the deep ball to Esmee Brugts also seemed to roll over the back line. But she believed in it and successfully put pressure on Elisa de Almeida. The defender worked half away and Brugts picked up the ball from the sideline. Wieke Kaptein, who had taken over the captain's armband from Beerensteyn, reacted quickly and sprinted into the penalty area. Brugts swung the ball perfectly in front of the goal and the 1.71 meter tall Kaptein headed high into the goal: 1-1. I'm very proud of this team and their resilience. The French women made the match a very physical fight, in which they several times crossed the line, but it didnot work. Wieke after the match said they all believed in it and they had in mind : "stick to the plan".
A remarkable turnaround has taken place under Veurrink. Self-confidence and camaraderie have blossomed and the more or less forced influx of new players has created a new dynamic in the selection, no spot is as guaranteed as it was before. Although we're now in pole position, it still means we have to win both remaining matches, especially the one against Ireland, assuming France wins both too.