England forward Beth Mead called for more consistency after the Lionesses required a dramatic comeback to beat the Netherlands 3-2 at Wembley and keep their hopes of qualifying for next summer’s Olympics alive.
The Nations League contest marked a first appearance for second-half substitute Mead in more than a year since she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament last November, just a few months after the Arsenal veteran had won the golden boot at Euro 2022 and also been named player of the tournament.
England will need to beat Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night to have any chance of advancing in the inaugural tournament, with only the group leaders progressing.
Mead said: “The days when I’ve struggled in the gym, long, hard training days of not being able to play football and do the thing that I love, it makes it worthwhile to run out there in front of such big crowd getting a great reception and a ruthless second half of football.
“We can [flick on at a moment’s notice], but we need to do that for 90 minutes. The first half let us down. We were chasing the game and you don’t want to be 2-0 down at half-time.
“But we had the belief in the team, we knew we could score goals and we came out in the second half and I thought the team was amazing. Every single person on the pitch and every player that came on is a game changer. And now we’ve got to do that for 90 minutes and be more consistent throughout the (next) game.”
England and the Netherlands have identical head-to-head records after Friday night’s meeting, which saw goals from Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Ella Toone follow Lineth Beerensteyn’s first-half brace, but the Oranje Leeuwinnen now boast a 4-1 advantage on goal difference.
The Lionesses, therefore, will hope for both improvements to their defence, which spluttered in the build-up to the Dutch opener, and a bit of help from Belgium, who travel to the Netherlands for their own final group stage encounter on Tuesday night.
England could secure top spot with a victory should the Netherlands drop points, but if both they and the Dutch win the Lionesses will require a comprehensive win over Scotland to overcome the goal difference, a situation many have pointed out as unusual considering those same Scottish players would be eligible for Team GB.
Mead, who started every game of England’s Euro 2022 triumph, was actively engaged from the bench throughout the first period, and passed on her observations at half-time before coming on for Chloe Kelly to start the second half.
She added: “Obviously I didn’t know I was coming on until quite late at half-time but everybody in this team can make an impact on the game, whether you’re playing or not playing.
“I think tactically, if you see something, give somebody that information to make the team better. And I think we did that really well at half-time. We give each other the belief and then the players that came on give the energy to the rest of the girls on the pitch. And ultimately that’s probably why we had such a good second half.
“[The win] gives us that little bit of energy again. We know we’re capable of that. We’ve just shown it in front of such a big crowd on such a big occasion and now we’ve got to do it consistently.”
Alex Sandro leaves Juventus cherishing Bianconeri connection after Monza win
Alex Sandro celebrated trophies and finals with Juventus but says he will cherish his bond with the Bianconeri supporters the most after an emotional farewell on Saturday.
The Brazil international waved goodbye in Turin for one final time against Monza, signing off with a goal in a 2-0 victory at Allianz Stadium.
Alex Sandro made a record-equalling 327 appearances for Juve, matching Pavel Nedved's record for the most by a foreign player in the club's history.
Yet the versatile defender will be moving onto new beginnings after Juve ended the season third in Serie A.
"It was emotional for me, I have never cried so much in my life," he told DAZN, having joined the club in 2015.
"I am proud of myself and what I achieved. Over the last few days, I told everyone that the trophies and finals were lovely, but what I take away is the bond with the people."
Paolo Montero was in interim charge once more for the clash with Monza, in which Federico Chiesa was also on target.
The Juventus caretaker also oversaw a 3-3 draw with Bologna after Massimiliano Allegri was dismissed, and Montero acknowledged he has not changed much in terms of tactics.
"I honestly did not come here to transform anything, but to collaborate and I am proud to be with these players," Montero told DAZN.
"Every time they play, I sit in the stands to watch them, so it was an honour to be here with them."
Montero referenced Chiesa as one of Juve's key players going forward.
"We evaluated the players in the best shape," Montero added. "Chiesa has the quality to play on the right like at Fiorentina or the left like for Italy.
"He is a champion with a very positive mentality and is prepared for the Euros this summer.
"Chiesa makes the difference, I saw that at the stadium. If he continues to play at this tempo, he creates spaces and becomes deadly in one-on-one situations.
"These players can play wide, central, left or right, the important thing is that they have space to take men on."
Emotional Van de Donk disappointed by Lyon failure in Women's Champions League final
Danielle van de Donk acknowledged Lyon were deserved losers in the Women's Champions League final against Barcelona as the French side capitulated in Bilbao.
Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas were both on target in the second half, as Barca beat Lyon for the first time and won the Champions League for a third season out of the last four.
Ada Hegerberg, the all-time leading scorer in the Women's Champions League, headed over from Lyon's best chance as the eight-time European champions offered little apart from that.
A disappointed Van de Donk offered an honest appraisal after the 2-0 defeat, telling DAZN: "I'm very emotional. Nobody likes to lose a final and we were here to win it.
"It's a shame we didn't create enough. Barcelona deserved the win but I'm proud of my team, we gave it our all."
Van de Donk and Lindsey Horan found space tough to come by against an impressive Barca, with the Lyon midfielder admitting there could have been a change to the game plan.
"I play more as a 10 and Lindsey a bit more as a six," she added. "We were a bit low in the midfield so couldn't get the press right and that is usually our strength.
"Credit to Barcelona, they did amazing. I wish we could have pressed them a bit more, I think that could have made a difference."
Bonmati played a key role in helping Barcelona become the first team to win three domestic trophies and the European crown in a single season, since the rebranding of the Women's Champions League.
Jonatan Giraldez's side have scored 129 goals in Liga F this season, winning 27 of their 28 games and drawing the other, conceding just nine times.
To further their celebrations, Barcelona also finally ended their struggles against Lyon.
"It's the first time we've beaten Lyon, I'm proud of the team, and we know that with these fans we have, we can't fail," Bonmati told DAZN.
"It's incredible what we're living through as a team, I'm so lucky... to see we're creating that for so many people and the historic amount of fans we've brought.
"It's the proudest I've felt, I wouldn't change it for anything."
'We cannot replace him' – Mbappe departs PSG 'filled with joy'
Kylian Mbappe says he is leaving Paris Saint-Germain with his head held high but Luis Enrique does not expect to replace his star forward.
Mbappe announced this month he would leave the French capital at the end of the season after a seven-year stay during which he became their all-time top scorer, with 256 goals.
His last game for Luis Enrique's side came in Saturday's Coupe de France final at Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with first-half strikes from Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz securing a 2-1 win against Lyon.
"It was both difficult and enjoyable because it's a final, and in the end, we won. It's filled with joy," Mbappe told reporters.
"It's all good memories, many years, both at PSG and of course in this league. We leave with our heads held high, especially with a trophy, and we only keep the positives."
Mbappe has been heavily linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Asked why he had not announced his next club yet, the 25-year-old said: "Because I think that the best thing to do is to finish these goodbyes.
"I think all I wanted was to finish well with my club. There's a trophy. I think there's a time for everything.
"I'll announce my new club in due course. I think we're just a few days away, so there's no problem."
PSG head coach Luis Enrique says there will be no single replacement for Mbappe, placing the focus on the entire team.
"I have had the good fortune to coach Kylian this season, it has been a difficult one for him after seven years at his club and all that he has achieved, it is difficult to say goodbye," Enrique told a news conference.
"There is no substitute for Mbappe, we cannot replace him, we will do it through the team and four, five or six signings we can make.
"Kylian's replacement will be the team that, along with the fans and our ambition, will try to win everything in the following seasons."
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