Key events
Serena Wiegman has a quick chat:
We started really sloppy and they exploited us. We conceded three goals within half an hour which is of course not good enough. I think we played a better second half, but overall it wasn’t good enough.
She’s asked if she’s worried about the team’s inconsistency:
We expected this and we were prepared for this. We said this was going to be a totally different game. We’ve been here before. I think this game it also had to do with being ready and being really focused, and that’s what we didn’t do the first 30 minutes. That’s the biggest lesson we can learn from this.
Leah Williamson, the England captain, has a chat:
We started too slow. They were very quick. We didn’t damage them with the ball in the first half like we did in the previous game. You’ve got to deal with runners better than we did today. I don’t think that should be an area of weakness for us. We just gave them too much space in the spaces they wanted. It’s disappointing. We should be winning this game, that’s why we’re frustrated.
It was more to do with them, and us not jumping up as much as they did. They came out a completely different side to the one in Bristol the other night, we just didn’t adapt well enough.
That Agyemang goal, though. Just superb. It’s been a bad night for England, but that was so, so sweet.
So England drop to second in the group with seven points. Spain are top, with nine points, and Portugal third with four, one ahead of Belgium.
“We want to show that we are better than we were then and we can do a lot better,” Sarina Wiegman said yesterday referring to England’s last trip to Leuven, when they lost 3-2. Well, they didn’t do a lot better.
Final score: Belgium 3-2 England
90+6 mins: But England give the ball away one final time, and the referee ends it!
90+6 mins: Into the sixth minute of stoppage time and it’s still not stopping.
90+5 mins: It goes straight to the other keeper, though, and Lichtfus catches.
90+4 mins: Agyemang wins a corner. The keeper’s coming up!
90+4 mins: Stoppage time has been mainly taken up by a succession of free-kicks.
90+2 mins: England have a free kick but Blom goes down after being pushed gently in the neck by Esme Morgan. Morgan and Blom are both booked.
90+2 mins: One more substitution sees Teulings go off and Tinne De Caigny come on.
90+1 mins: Toone sends a shot bouncing wide from 20 yards, as four minutes of stoppage time are signalled.
89 mins: Teulings is booked for protesting a throw-in decision. There was only one minute of stoppage time at the end of an action-packed first half, which suggests the fourth official is unlikely to delivery good news for England when she raises her board in a few seconds.
88 mins: Belgium crowd the penalty area as they prepare to take the corner, but it’s played short and there is zero chance of it going anywhere near anyone in that penalty area.
87 mins: A rare foray forward for Belgium ends with Dhont’s cross deflecting behind for a corner, just their second of the game.
84 mins: Proper jeopardy in the game now. Carter is brought down by Dhont on the left, but the free-kick is headed behind by Williamson.
82 mins: Toone is booked for fouling Cayman. She did reach out as if to pull her back, but I’m not sure she did any pulling at all.
82 mins: Agyemang took 41 seconds to get on the scoresheet. And what a goal it was!
GOAL! Belgium 3-2 England (Agyemang, 81 mins)
Unbelievable! The ball’s lifted into the area where Agyemang controls and then volleys inside the near post in one smooth movement!
80 mins: That’s Park’s last contribution, as she’s replaced by the 18-year-old debutant Michelle Agyemang.
79 mins: From the free kick England win a corner, from which they win another corner, from which (eventually) Park’s shot is deflected over the bar for another.
78 mins: Another booking, Delacauw punished for taking out Bronze on England’s right, which is where the ball seems to be spending most of its time.
76 mins: Bronze wins this one, but Cayman does enough to stop her controlling the header, which goes wide of the far post. Belgium bring Elena Dhont on for Philtjens.
75 mins: England win a corner, but it’s just too high for Bronze. Then Deloose fouls Williamson and there’ll be another chance to stick it in the mixer.
73 mins: England are playing with a front five now. Davina Philtjens becomes the first player to be booked, for stopping Toone from taking a quick free kick.
70 mins: A couple of changes for Belgium: Jassina Blom replaces Eurlings, and Feli Delacauw comes on for Detruyer.
68 mins: Beever-Jones tries to get on the end of a Bronze cross, but steamrollers through Tysiak to do so and gives away a free-kick.
66 mins: Toone has a shot from the right-hand corner of the penalty area. It would have had to be absolutely perfect to beat Lichtfus and nestle as intended in the top, far corner. It wasn’t. Goal kick.
63 mins: Belgium slice England open down the left, but the linesman rescues the situation with a very generous offside call.
62 mins: England have shown more urgency in this half, have committed more numbers forwards, and Belgium have been almost entirely on the back foot. They need a goal, though.
60 mins: England bring on Ella Toone for Clinton, and Fran Kirby for Parris.
58 mins: Missed! From the corner Bronze wins the header well but it’s just too high for her and she can’t control it. Goal kick.
57 mins: Save! Williamson’s 30-yard shot is high and hard, down the middle of goal but dipping just under the bar, and Lichtfus does well to tip it over the bar.
55 mins: Bronze goes down in the penalty area and the referee blows her whistle … and books Bronze for diving. She burst between Vanhaevermaet and Tysiak, but there isn’t enough space for a human and contact is inevitable, is insignificant, and she goes down anyway. Perhaps a booking is harsh, but it certainly wasn’t a penalty.
52 mins: England create a chance, but not only can they not take it, they don’t even have a shot! Perhaps the ball ran a bit too far in front of Mead, but she could have flung her leg at it at the expense of control. Instead she just lets it run, catches up with it on the byline, and is then closed down.
49 mins: A decent start from England, it’s just the whole finding-a-teammate-inside-the-penalty-area thing. A free-kick from the right is sent into the area, and touched behind for a corner.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! Suddenly and from nowhere the game kicks off again. England have brought Jessica Carter and Esme Morgan, and taken off Charles and Bright.
Half time: Belgium 3-1 England
45+2 mins: And that’s it! England have a foothold in the game thanks to that penalty, but given how little they’ve created it’s hard to feel optimistic for them. England have had one shot on target, and needed a penalty to get that; Belgium have had four, all but one from open play.
45+1 mins: Just one minute of stoppage time after four goals and a couple of injuries, you say? OK …
44 mins: England are playing the ball around well enough in midfield, but Belgium are giving them nothing anywhere near their penalty area.
