Report: England WU23s 1-1 Netherlands

England women’s under-23s were denied two wins out of two in the international window, following a late Netherlands equaliser in a 1-1 draw in Shrewsbury.

A first-half strike from Lenna Gunning-Williams looked to be enough to secure victory for the Young Lionesses, before a last-gasp effort from Eva Oude Elberink levelled the score with seconds remaining.

And Lauren Smith’s side will now play against Friday's opponents again in the semi-finals of the WU23 European Competition next month.

After threatening early on, it was England who took the lead in the tenth minute. Jess Simpson dug out an inch-perfect cross from the byline, which found the head of Gunning-Williams and she directed the ball into the bottom corner.

The Dutch looked to respond immediately through several set pieces and in the 19th minute, Mirte van Koppen was presented with a golden opportunity but Khiara Keating was able to deny the winger with a superb save, preserving the hosts’ lead.

The visitors continued to dominate the possession, but Keating was largely untested as the first half went on.

Smith’s side struggled to progress the ball into the final third, but Elanor Klinger had a chance to double the Young Lionesses' lead in the 35th minute.

The winger almost latched onto the end of an inviting Isobel Goodwin cross, but was inches away from making contact with the ball.

This led to a flurry of chances for the hosts before half time, as Goodwin whipped another dangerous cross into the 18-yard box which narrowly avoided Gunning-Williams before the goalscorer almost headed home from a corner just minutes later.

A lively start to the second half saw England almost add to their lead, but Megan Collett’s cross was well defended by the Dutch defence. Collett nearly found the back of the net just seconds later, with her shot rising above Regina van Eijk’s crossbar.

On the hour mark, the visitors made several forays into Keating’s penalty area but the Young Lionesses defended well, as they cleared any danger.

However, in the 68th minute, the Manchester City stopper was called into action as she turned a goal-bound effort behind for a corner, which England were, again, able to clear.

Smith’s side turned defence into attack with their next move when Gunning-Williams’ delivery was almost turned home by a Dutch defender. Van Eijk was able to prevent her side from conceding a second with an acrobatic tip over the crossbar.

Seconds after coming on in the 82nd minute, Jessie Gale nearly had an immediate impact from the bench. The forward rounded Van Eijk and delivered a looped cross into the area, but the visitors were able to clear the ball once more as both sides looked for decisive goals.

England looked to be heading to victory, but a sharp finish from Eva Oude Elberink levelled the game for the Dutch in what proved to be the game’s last action.

England: 1 Khiara Keating (Manchester City), 2 Megan Collett (Southampton), 3 Jess Simpson (Southampton, on loan from Manchester United), 4 Maisie Symonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 5 Gracie Prior (Manchester City), 6 Teyah Goldie (London City Lionesses), 7 Lenna Gunning-Williams (Tottenham Hotspur), 8 Lexi Potter (Chelsea), 9 Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses), 10 Erica Meg Parkinson (Valadares Gaia), 11 Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University)

Substitutes: 14 Ruby Mace (Everton) for Symonds 46’, 18 Lexi Lloyd-Smith (Bristol City) for Goodwin 46’, 12 Olivia McLoughlin (Leicester City) for Parkinson 64’, 17 Mari Ward (Bristol City) for Collett 64’, 20 Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea) for Simpson 69’, 23 Jessie Gale (Bristol City, loan from Arsenal) for Klinger 82’

Substitutes not used: 13 Katie Cox (Aberdeen, on loan from Chelsea), 15 Sarah Brasero (West Ham), 16 Hannah Silcock (Birmingham City, on loan from Liverpool), 19 Cerys Brown (Nottingham Forest, on loan from London City Lionesses), 21 Evie Rabjohn (Celtic), 22 Natalia Negri (Ipswich Town)

Head coach: Lauren Smith

Goals: Gunning-Williams 10’