Lionesses slump to defeat in Belgium

England's chances of progressing in the Women's Nations League suffered a significant setback with a late 3-2 defeat in Belgium. 

Just four days after their 1-0 win over Belgium, Sarina Wiegman picked a nearly identical line-up, with only one change as the now-fit Kirby replaced Ella Toone on the bench.

With just nine minutes into the match, Mary Earps was caught off guard and the hosts broke the deadlock. 

Belgium's center-back, Laura De Neve, took a free-kick from 25 yards out and expertly found the bottom corner of the net while Earps scrambled but couldn't reach it.

The scoreline became less significant 10 minutes later when England's defender, Alex Greenwood, and Belgium's striker, Jassina Blom, collided heads in an awkward manner, leaving both players on the ground for a few minutes.

Blom, with her head bandaged, eventually got up and walked off the pitch for further assessment. Medical staff continued to care for Greenwood, who was eventually placed on a stretcher that had been waiting by her side for several moments.

In the 38th minute, Lucy Bronze scored with a looping header after Chloe Kelly's free-kick to draw the Lionesses level.

England managed to take the lead six minutes later, when Lauren Hemp cut inside from the left, moved past several Belgian players, and found Fran Kirby, who elegantly slotted the ball into the far corner.

The first half saw an additional 14 minutes of added time, during which Belgium managed to level in the sixth added minute, with Justine Vanhaevermaet delivering a perfectly-weighted through ball to Tessa Wullaert, who calmly finishing into the bottom corner.

The second half also started with plenty of action, with both Kirby and Wullaert denied their second goals of the evening by Evrard and Earps, respectively.

Substitute Rachel Daly had a chance to score in the 81st minute, thanks to another superb delivery from Keira Walsh, but Evrard made a save at her near post. 

With five minutes to play, England's fortunes took a further hit when Yana Daniels's cross struck the hand of Georgia Stanway inside the penalty box.

Wullaert stepped up to the 12-yard spot and placed perfectly into the side of the net, sealing the win for the hosts.

This result leaves the Lionesses in third place in the group, as they try to finish at the top of their Women's Nations League group, in order to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games as part of Team GB. They now have two crucial matches remaining in December against the Netherlands and Scotland.