Chills and THRILLS as Lauren lifts Lionesses

ENGLAND defender Lucy Bronze is convinced Lauren James can make an unparalleled contribution to Euro 2025 after the forward’s two-goal night inspired the Lionesses to a vital victory over the Netherlands.

- By RACHEL STEINBERG

The defending champions bounced back from a disappointing tournament-opening defeat to France with an emphatic 4-0 win, and will now reach the quarterfinals if they beat Wales in St Gallen on Sunday night.

Chelsea forward James only returned from a three-month hamstring layoff in late June but, moved out wide on Wednesday night, reminded everyone watching how capable a catalyst she is.

“We know we just need to get LJ the ball in dangerous positions and there could be a goal from anything,” said James’ Chelsea teammate Bronze.

“She's probably the best player in this entire tournament for something special.

“There’s a lot of special players in this tournament. I know the likes of (Alexia) Putellas and (Aitana) Bonmati, a huge amount of talented players, but LJ’s got that something special.