Lionesses already in 'must-win' territory

LAUREN Hemp insists England know what is at stake when they play the Netherlands on Wednesday as they bid to keep their European title defence alive.

- By RACHEL STEINBERG

The Lionesses’ backs are against the wall after suffering a tournament-opening 2-1 defeat to France to set up what is already being billed as a “must-win” meeting with the 2017 champions.

Victory could alleviate some of the danger of England becoming the first defending champions to crash out in the group stage, but they need to spark some swagger back into the side ahead of the critical clash.

“This team, a lot of the time, we thrive under pressure,” said Manchester City forward Hemp. “It’s one of those situations. Every game we go into, we want to win.

“From how we acted in the last ten minutes (against France), we know what's at stake, and we want to get as far as we can.