Women's Football Weekly: England lose to Belgium
36:17 Share

Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts.

Welcome along to the Women's Football Weekly. Lots to get into tonight as we react to all of the Nations League action that's taken place over the course of the last few days. England going 3-0 down on Tuesday evening to Belgium, coming back to 3-2, but not quite enough for Serena Wiegmann's side. We'll get into all of that as we're recording right after the full-time whistle, which means...

that it's a slightly more sociable record time for Jen Beattie. Hello, Jen. Hello. You look absolutely aglow with the joys of spring. I'm way too awake. I'm 30 for me. I'm way too awake. A slightly less sociable record time for Ellen White. Hello, Ellen. How are you? This is my bedtime. I was going to say. If you put me up here, I'll be fast asleep. I didn't know if we were allowed to bring that up, but it's usually bedtime by now for you, isn't it? You make sure you get your eight hours.

Eight hours, are you sure? I'd say eight hours, in inverted commas. Yeah, I think I was asleep by half eight, so I would have already had an hour by now. So yeah, this is for you, the listeners, right? The commitment to the Women's Football Weekly, I love it. Lots to get into tonight.

We'll be chatting a disappointing night for Scotland as well, losing 6-1 to Germany. A really good result for Wales. They drew away to Sweden 1-0 and Northern Ireland beating Romania by a goal to nil. But let's start on England and a stark contrast to their 5-0 winning performance on Friday night.

Ellen, this was a really shocking start for England, falling behind in the way that they did. Yeah, it was not how I anticipated the game to go. I knew it would be very different, having Tessa Woolart in the team, England making a few changes as well. But I thought, coming off the back of that 5-0, I was so excited. I was a bit kind of reserved about us winning 1-0 against Spain. But then when we performed the way that we did against Belgium, just that free-flowing football, really...

really beautiful goals, the intensity, the connections, the relationships. I just thought it was the England that we know and we love and we hadn't seen for a while. Impact subs as well of Aggie Beaver-Jones and Jess Park made a huge difference. And then, you know, I just didn't see that intensity in that first 45 minutes of

And Belgium just took advantage of that. They were well organised and they just kept catching us with that long ball over the top, brilliant runs, no pressure on the ball, back line wasn't dropping enough. And I think you've just got to give full credit to that Belgium team for what they've done in that turnaround in that few days to look back at what they did in that 5-0 loss, to turn it round and to go in and

having scored three goals, it was incredible for them. Great performance by Belgium. Ellen kind of summed it up perfectly there. It's really simple. When you get beaten by a long ball, it's pretty simple. You're either dropping too early or too late. And I feel like when it comes to long balls, you just have to read the game a little bit better and drop. And I feel like the formation with the back five and the four, I was watching the formation, the back five was,

And he was like the furthest forward too, we're almost pinning fullbacks. It was a really interesting, it was so interesting watching that Belgian team the way that they lined up.

No, for me it was counters. I kept getting caught on counter attacks, which when you're playing against a back five and they've got more players to kind of bank up and beat you on a counter. So for England, I think it's disappointing because it's simple ways that they got beat by counters and long balls. If you're watching back as an England team, you're like, that's such an easy fix. And I'd be thinking the same thing if I was in that England line-up.

you know, reflecting on it straight away now. I think for me as well, I get so frustrated. Obviously, I've played the number nine role and I love to press. So it's that understanding of how to press. So are we actually pressing or are we not? And if you're doing one, if you're not doing either, then it's really hard for the players behind you to be able to defend because

So if you're putting a lot of pressure on the ball, you can all be really high, really compact. You obviously, you know, you've got that connection. You're all kind of working off the same hymn sheet. If you're kind of in between, one's putting pressure on, one's not. I think that first goal for Tessa Vollard, Aghabivi Jones kind of put a little bit of pressure on. Then the girl spun. She was out on that right-hand side. And it was so easy, no pressure on the ball. But the back line didn't drop.

So then there's just so much space for her to run into. So it's just, you've got to commit. You're either doing one or you're doing a medium bop. You're doing a low block. So I just think it's that understanding. Obviously, we had, obviously, Nikita Paris, Aga Bibi Jones, obviously, Beth Mead in that front line, Jess Park just behind. So it's just whether they have that understanding, that connection, and that communication and intensity to be able to know what they're actually doing in that press in that first 45 minutes. I just wondered with...

The third goal, I feel like maybe at 2-0, even if you've been caught a bit cold, Jen, is there not a hope there that maybe you'll just be a little bit more compact for 10, 15 minutes? I mean, maybe, but that's not the identity of England against Belgium. Of course, that might be something that they'll adapt going to the Euros, but I'm watching the third goal and I thought it was brilliant movement. You know, drags Lucy Bronze central, creates that big gap.

As soon as your full-back's gone and your centre-back, Lee Williamson, gets dragged out wide beyond the centre of the posts, I'm thinking, for Belgium, that's brilliant. You've dragged them out. You've lost your structure as an England back line. I get what you're saying, but...

You know, that's something that they'd maybe look towards, you know, further down the line or, you know, these next camp, the one last camp before the Euros. But for me, I thought that was great movement by Belgium, dragged England's back line out of shape and looks like a really straightforward goal. But when you look at it, it's just good movement and good ball speed. And yeah, the cross is unbelievable from Filchings, isn't it? It's just that you've got to find really a corridor of about two yards in between England

the Hannah Hampton and the centre backs and the way that she strikes it so sweetly

I suppose the difficulty is if you look at the first and the third goal, both times England have found themselves facing their own goal. They've been turned defensively and put in a really uncomfortable position because of something that starts out in a little bit earlier on, like you said, that inability to make sure that you manage the progression of the opposition. Instead, you're finding that the lines are getting broken maybe once, twice, quite comfortably. Yeah, and I think Jen spoke about them having five at the back. So you've got wing-backs.

So then it's the communication between your fullback and your winger to be like, who's going to take who? So I think when that third goal, and obviously Lucy Bronze kind of comes in field to mark the midfielder that's going in, but then obviously the wingback's flown on the outside and Beth Mead's not there to kind of take that role and be able to track back. That pulls Leah Williamson out. And then that cross.

that cross is unbelievable, but have you seen the movement for Tessa Woolart for that goal is unbelievable. She makes three separate movements, which moved Millie around slightly, Millie Bright around, which means that she has almost like, I don't know, I'm just trying to hold up her fingers, how much space she has to be able to score that goal. It's phenomenal movement and she's an unbelievable player and it just shows what,

a player can do to a team as well, the way that she kind of makes the team 10, 20, 30% better. But then she's a phenomenal talent as well. But if any striker wants to know how to move in the box, you need to watch that goal because it's unbelievable. Is that a balance thing, Ellen, as well? Just because you know that if you make that original stride to the front post, you're going to put a defender on the sort of the tips of their toes almost. So the moment you peel off, it's going to take them too long to react.

Yeah, it's so subtle. It's perfect balance of just, you're kind of making the defender look behind you to be like, where is she? So she's gone forward, then she's kind of come back again, then she's kind of spun around her. And it's just incredible. Obviously, Jen will probably know centre-half better.

kind of how to defend better than I would. But it's just you taking the eye of the defender away from the ball slightly and then their body movement and they can't then move quick enough to be able to defend the ball. So England go into the halftime break having nicked a goal back from Pertwee, from Beth Mead. Knowing Serena as you do, Ellen, will she have hit the roof in there or will she be calm? I think she would have been calm. LAUGHTER

I hope she would have gone in there and just with a rocket, just been screaming and throwing things and just been like, this is absolutely ridiculous. We shouldn't be 3-1 down. We just beat them 5-0. But I think she has to go in there a bit calmly. You've got players that are quite new to the starting lineup. So I think you need to go in with a bit of calmness and just to say, you are very good players, but we need to change a few things here. And I feel like she needed to just say,

You need to show a bit of intensity and be an England player here. You need to run around. You need to show passion, desire. You want to get on the ball. Ball speed, rhythm. And I think you did start to see that in the second 45 minutes.

It was just then we just didn't create enough chances, I don't think. But I think you do see intent. They obviously wanted to win and were trying. But when England then got on the ball in the second half, Gem, when Belgium started to sit in a bit, I found myself wondering whether that was A, a rise in intensity from England perhaps, or B, Belgium just saying, do you know what, we've done our job now. If we can stay compact,

And if we can just make sure that we're difficult to break down, it could be job done here. Or do you just think that's the natural ebbs and flows of the game that England had upped the intensity, they'd upped the pressure and Belgium couldn't really get out? Natural ebbs and flows, I'd say. But I think the... I thought the key interesting changes were changing two players in the back line at half time. So I'm watching, you know...

Because Ellen's talking about the press and how much the press could have been better. And I was agreeing, but then the changes were in the back line. But then you watch the opening first few sequences in the start of the second half, Jess Carter comes flying out. And you're thinking, right, they want to be more aggressive with that wing backs. And I feel like that changed it. That pinned their wing backs back a little bit more for Belgium. Jess Carter was kind of key to that. And then the changes started to come with the press, with, you know, Kirby and Toon coming in to kind of give that intensity to England's game. But...

Yeah, I thought the key changes came from Jess Carter, if I'm honest, at half-time. Just being more aggressive as that wing-back. There's a huge element always, you know, if you are in that Belgian side and you are 3-1 up, 3-2, can we just see out this result? Because if we keep going and keep getting players forward, England might grow further and further into the game. We were chatting throughout the game and I was like, OK, I'd still expect England to come back regardless if they're 2-3-0 down against this Belgian side.

And that's the respect that I think Belgium were showing England that, you know, we can't go at you for 90 minutes because we know you've got the quality. Yeah, just a lack of... They still had chances. They had way more chances than Belgium. I think it was six on target for Belgium at one point, you know, with three goals. So they still had way more chances and opportunities. But I thought it was...

I would have been so intrigued to see what Wiegman said at half-time, honestly, because I think, if anything, she made the tactical changes, but Ellen's right. We're talking about emotions and passion playing for England and intensity from a front line in the first half just wasn't there. Yeah, well, England dominated the possession in the end, 68% possession, still had fewer shots on target than Belgium, which I think tells you a lot. Belgium...

They managed to keep England in a really uncomfortable area of the field, constantly having to find passes out wide and constantly looking for that ball through the middle. Ended up at one point with Lucy Bronze almost trying to force a penalty and getting booked for diving. But it felt like that was the place that maybe England had got to. They were desperate to try and find some space in between the lines and coming up short quite a lot.

Yeah, and I think, yeah, again, credit to Belgium. They did the nasty things that they needed to. They used the long ball, the counter. They used their speed. They were compact. They defended well. They used their heads. They were physical. And they just made it really, really challenging for England. And England didn't like it. And I think we just couldn't find...

That missing piece of how to win that game. Just moving the ball, creating chances, being clinical. And that was the frustrating thing because that 5-0 win, I was so kind of happy and excited and just thinking like this is the new England that we're going to take to the Euros. And then they go away and perform like this. And yeah, it's just frustrating. This England team with the talent that we've got,

we should be able to go one nil down, maybe two, but still have enough to be able to figure it out, change something, tweak something, you know, have those players that are able to have that something that's

to be able to turn a game on its head and it just didn't quite work for England tonight. But Ellen, the word you're using there is frustrating rather than something more drastic. This is just a frustrating defeat or is there more to this? I think it is just a frustrating one. Obviously, there's a personnel change. You know, we've had injuries, obviously Alessi Russo and Lauren James. But...

I feel like when you have a full strength England team,

you maybe would have seen something different. But I feel like when you're going to an international tournament, you have to have the depth. You have to have impact subs. If someone gets injured, that player coming in has to know their role. Obviously, they're going to be slightly different, but everyone has to have that understanding of what their role is in the team. And that was just a little bit frustrating in this game that some players or just...

the press for me just wasn't quite right, which was catastrophic in the end when you can see three goals. So perhaps, Jen, tonight we've learned a little bit more about just how crucial those two are? I think so. I think you're talking about, we were talking already about injuries or the narrative around England was already about injuries when you're talking about Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Stanway. Throw into that mix, Lauren James, Russo,

Chloe Kelly dropping out. They are big players for England and I don't think... You can't shy away from that regardless of how good the depth is for England. They are key players in that squad whether they start or don't. And I think that's too easy an answer to say maybe but I think it's too much to shy away from in this topic. That's so many big players that if a full-strength England...

Honestly, I don't want to say it. They would have rolled over Belgium. A fully strength England team would have beaten them back to back. Let's get a little bit of reaction from out in Belgium. Rob Schofield is with England boss Serena Wiegman. Thank you, Ben. Yes, I'm here with England manager Serena Wiegman. Serena, how frustrating is that and kind of what went wrong for you today? Yeah, absolutely frustrating. Really disappointed with this result, but also with a part of the game.

We expected that they would do different things. We expected, of course, a crowd that would drop deeper. And we'd realised back that they're very dangerous, even more dangerous than the counter-attack, because we know they have that. And we just didn't start well. And we conceded three goals within half an hour. And that's hard to take. And not good, of course, which they did really good. But not what you want. I think then we came better in the game.

We had possession, we dominated, but we had scored three goals at least, or to win four of course, which of course we tried to do, and we scored two, which is absolutely not enough. That was a better second half, but I think overall of course we're not satisfied with this way we presented ourselves.

They certainly raised their level and Voulaert made a massive difference. I just wanted to ask you about that left-hand side. You took Millie Bright and Niamh Charles off at half-time. For you, was it a kind of a concentration thing, those errors? Was it more structural than that? Can you just give us a little bit of insight on what your thoughts were down that side especially? Yeah, there were a couple of structural things too. So first of all, I thought we had to be sharper, we had to be better on the ball and...

We solved a couple of things. They tried to overload the side, so we solved that. But also, I thought we needed more pace on that side. To the team's credit, it didn't look like you missed any players on Friday night in that fantastic performance. Would it be fair to say, especially as you pushed to get the goals, that you felt the absentees tonight? No, I wouldn't say that. Of course,

Of course we miss players, but I think how we were on the pitch, we have enough good players to play really well because that's what you saw too. They didn't get, I don't think they get any shots, any shots the second half. We played better, we played fully on their half of the pitch. So yeah, I think it's...

Yeah, I wouldn't use that as an excuse. That's absolutely fine. One bright spark, of course, was Michelle Hagenbeck's goal. I mean, 41 seconds, what an impact. We know she's talented. There's lots of excitement about her. I mean, has even that kind of cameo performance there given you food for thought moving forwards?

Well, that goal that she made was just incredible. The composure, the first touch and then the second touch. It was an incredible goal. So, yeah, that's unfortunate. We should celebrate that more. Of course, the disappointment is now...

more there but I think we'll look back at that goal because that was incredible and of course for her really nice that she comes on and within the minute she has that moment. And finally Serena whether it's in context of this Nations League group or perhaps you're building towards the summer as a whole is this

Is this a setback for you or do you see it more as a result of circumstance perhaps? Well, at the moment, so short after the game, it's an absolute setback. I'm really disappointed and so are the players.

You don't want this to happen, but it has happened. We stick together, we move on, players go back to club and when we come back in May we go again and we make sure we do things better. I think from this camp, the two games, we have had some very good things and now tonight we had a couple of not so good things, but also things that we did do well. Of course the result is absolutely not what you want,

But yeah, move on. And yeah, I would almost say sometimes, yeah, that's life. Thank you, Serena. Thank you for giving me so much time. Thank you. Rob Schofield with the questions to Serena Wiegmann. If we are to try and take some positives for England for tonight, Michel Adjemang's

In introduction to the game, 41 seconds, two touches and she's found the back of the net. Jen, do you want to just talk us through what a talent she appears to be? She's unreal. So she was an academy player when I was at Arsenal still and she used to come up to training and was sometimes involved in match squads and kid you not, she would do that in training. She's an incredible box player, unbelievable finisher.

she doesn't need more than one two touches exactly what you saw tonight and to see just to see a kid come on and you know obviously on loan to Brighton and getting her minutes and improving as a player every day but

I hope she gets her moment tonight. I know it was a really tricky, hard loss for England and Serena Viemann even sounds deflated in that interview there and I can only imagine but I hope she gets her moment because that is an unbelievable player to come on 41 seconds to get your first senior goal away from home in a really hard game and what a goal. Come on. I'm just hoping she gets her moment and she's congratulated by teammates because

She didn't even celebrate and for me, I get it, the context of the game but I hope deep down she's absolutely buzzing because I am for her and I'm hoping everyone else is but I get it, really tough game but what a talent and you know, she's,

Made her name for herself now. There's no better intro to a senior squad than that in an international debut. So credit to her. I thought it was awesome. I was shouting in my living room for that one because I was like, oh my word, knee up, a volley. Like, come on. Unbelievable. It's so quick, isn't it? The way that she just transfers the ball from her knee to then just...

zipping it into the top corner. Ellen, have you ever scored one like that in a game where England have lost, but you've been really pleased with your goal and you're sort of thinking like, I really want to celebrate. No, that is, she's a phenomenal talent, isn't she? I think, take her to the Euros. I think, take her to the Euros as a wild card. Something, she just, she's come on and no fear. Yeah.

absolutely no fear some excitement something different and I think just something fresh someone not like a bit of naivety you need in the team sometimes we had that at the Euros with the likes of kind of Russo and and Tooney where they didn't really know what what was happening so I think

It would just be crazy because I just think she just offers something so different. I just think she'd just add just another dimension to the England team. It's kind of like that blissful ignorance where you're not aware of the enormity of the stage. I was just like 19. I just looked at her age and I was just thinking, I want to say a squad player to have as a wildcard exactly what you're saying, Ellen.

and having known her personally, she is the best kid. She'd be the best in that environment. She'd want to go and learn. I'm sure she's already doing it, but in terms of her attitude coming into that team, she's unbelievably respectful. What a team player, and to fill that role, if Wiegmann does take her as a well, I think, what a shout. I back up your opinion on that.

Appreciate it. No, I was just going to say about... I don't want to keep going. We won the Euros. But what happened... Do you want me to tell you about it? So it was in 2012. What a summer. What a summer, right?

Sorry. So I feel like the way we won it was the subs and the impact that they made, the roles and the understanding they had. Obviously, no, they weren't happy sitting on the bench, but to have those players that can make such a huge impact, which Agamemoe Jones did, Jess Park did,

Ajiman could do that. It'd be, it'd be incredible. And I feel like having someone who is so youthful would be thriving in that environment. She knows she's been in the international kind of youth setups. Um,

So, Serena, could you pick her for the Euros? It'll be really exciting. Well, you do want that, don't you? You want to look at your bench and think if you need a bit of spark. I mean, tonight was a prime example. It felt as if England were having so much territory and possession at a really slow pace that you were looking and thinking, who's going to bring that spark? And, I mean, she brought it straight away, Jen. Well, and also in games like that, right? In the more expansive games where you need, like,

Maybe you bring on more of a pace or a runner who's going to run. But if you need someone who, when I'm talking about a box finisher, she's unreal. She's going to have multiple players in the box. You're playing against a back five, not much space to turn and get a shot away. She can do that. So in those kind of games where it's tight,

And those kind of tactical, I think she'd be awesome for it. Just looking ahead then, she's absolutely announced herself on the international stage tonight, been in good form, obviously domestically. But is that what it takes to force your way into a squad at this stage? We're so close now. It's not long to go. There's not a huge amount of opportunities to prove yourself. Is it just one moment sometimes that can book your spot? 100%. Definitely. Yeah.

One moment, obviously we don't want to see Alessia Russo injured, but you get that chance. Obviously, she's just come back from under-19s and to be put into the squad. Yeah, you get that moment. Obviously, she's probably trained quite well as well and Serena needs something different in the game. She's taken her chance and we've seen some England players recently...

that have been at a number of camps but haven't taken their chance they were in camps they you know if you've taken your chance you've got you've been given minutes you've been given caps but you haven't quite given you know taken your chance she's gone in there in 41 seconds she's announced herself and been like look this is what I can do and it's exciting um and I feel like it's something different that we haven't seen for a while just a young young

person player who's just gone I want to play for England and this is what I do and I want to go to the Euros potentially she's probably not even really thought about before but now potentially she could be on that plane let's just quickly dive into one more selection issue and dilemma that Serena Vigman will have back-to-back starts for Hannah Hampton does that make her the number one you think Jen or is that still very much up for discussion I'm coming more and more likely for her to be number one I think

I think I would always have been surprised if it was Hampton and not Erps, but I think when you're getting back-to-back starts this close to the Euros, it looks like she's getting the nod. And look, I get it. I think they're both different players. Personally, as a centre-back, I would miss Erps' communication and vocal prowess and presence on the pitch. But if you're looking at Hampton and her distribution out the back, shot stopper just getting better and better, her form for Chelsea at the minute...

She looks like she's getting a nod. Purely back-to-back starts. I think this close to a tournament, if you're getting that as a player, the likelihood, her starting 11 seems to be coming together more and more as it gets closer. So for that, yeah, I would say that Hampton's looking more likely to be number one. Do you need to know, Ellen, before you go to the tournament? Is it important for the group to know? I think so. I think to put the...

Number two, especially in the right headspace to be like, I'm the number two, um, to be able to be that support system. Um, and I think just before the game, I think Serena said Hampton is slightly ahead, um, which makes me kind of think that she is at the moment, her number one, um,

But what amazing goalkeepers we have. We're very blessed, aren't we? Mary's been absolutely phenomenal. Her experience, what she's done on the international stage, tournament after tournament. So it's going to be challenging for her in that sense that if she is number two, that's a big challenge to be sat on the bench and supporting Hannah Hampton. But at the same time, Hannah Hampton is a phenomenal goalkeeper. So I think...

And obviously we've got Kiara and Anamor has as well. So, you know, there's a lot of very good goalkeepers that we've got. And lots can still change. I mean, as we've seen over the course of the last 72 hours, plenty can change and you can put yourself in the frame very, very easily. The Nations League will return for those final two games in May of England playing against Portugal and then Spain before attention will very much turn to Switzerland. We're still waiting to find out.

at what point we'll know England's pathway before Switzerland, who they will likely play, who they want to try and get potentially games in against in order to gear up for that. But definitely Portugal and Spain on the horizon to come.

I'm Zing Singh. And I'm Simon Jack. And together we host Good Bad Billionaire. The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names. Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few. And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire. That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

I'm Aaron Paul. And I'm Joby Mackenna. And on Wednesdays on the Football Daily, we bring you 72 Plus, the home of the EFL from Five Live Sport. As we'll get stuck into the latest from the Football League and beyond. I can't put a finger on why we weren't as energetic...

as we usually are. What they've got there is genuinely good people that really care about that football club and the fans have been huge in terms of the backing that they've given to this group. That's 72 Plus, the EFL podcast only on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. On the Football Daily, the Women's Football Weekly with Ben Haynes, Ellen White and Jen Beattie.

Let's talk about the other home nations too. All in action this evening. And we'll start with Scotland. They unfortunately went down 6-1 to Germany, but that doesn't really tell the story of the game. Scotland have got themselves into a really good position, got themselves in front and then shipped six goals after leading for 50 minutes in a really short space of time. What happened tonight, Gem? I'm struggling with this one. You put it really well there, kind of the description of the game, but...

My struggle is the whole narrative. Right, morale's already going to be low. You haven't qualified for the Euros, but my narrative has always been the squad's good enough to be there, but I find it so hard to sort of stay with that narrative when you're conceding so many goals in quick succession like that. Germany are a top team. We all know that.

But if Scotland really want to have this narrative of we deserve to be at the Euros, we deserve to be qualified, you can't do that on any domestic level, but especially not international level. So that for me was frustrating. You know, Kylian, we are stepping up, big players in that team, but to ship that amount of goals in quick succession, you know, you need your leaders on the pitch to kind of take the reins in moments like that. And it didn't happen. So that for me is the frustration. Two big losses back to back is never nice.

but you'd still think that based on conceding four prior, you'd be more defensively solid. And so to concede that amount, it's just that crazy time period in a game where you're thinking, what's just happened? How did that happen? And you have no time to even think because it's all happening so fast. But that's when, yeah, really hard one. I can't even imagine the changing room after that game, having conceded 10 goals.

you know, across a camp is not in any position that a player or a team needs to be in. But I think it's just so difficult, you know, when you don't qualify for tournaments and you're conceding that amount of goals, it's so hard to change the narrative. So a really, really tough camp for those Scotland players. And it must be incredibly difficult to take, Ellen, when you are doing everything you can to try and keep composed and tight at the back.

And you see the sort of finishing we saw from Hoffman and Freigang tonight. Unbelievably good in front of goal. Some of the best finishes I've seen. Adjibang still takes the biscuit for that one, though, to be fair. Yeah, they were beautiful finishes, but I feel like they were maybe a yard or two off

or getting close to the ball. Just Germany were maybe two or three gears better. They were just moving the ball with more intensity, more physicality, and they just seemed to just glide. And I just didn't see that physicality in the Scotland back line. There was just a bit of confusion, and it just seemed a little bit off balance.

off the pace I would say which is frustrating and difficult to see you don't want to see a team concede five goals in 21 minutes you don't want to see that no one wants to see that

So I do feel really disappointed for them to have conceded the way that they did when you see that some of the players that they've got in that team are such phenomenal talents. And I want to see the home nations doing well. I want to see them competing. I want to see them at the major tournaments. Where Scotland seem to be lacking a bit of momentum, tonight Wales picking up a really good draw away against Sweden.

And still missing, Ellen, still missing big players that could have a huge impact for them at the Euros. At this point as well, I mean, as we pointed out before with England, you want to be starting to move in the right direction and feeling as though you have a plan and you have a bit of momentum going into the summer. Yeah, you definitely do. I think you've got to give credit to Rhian Wilkinson and what she's doing for Wales. Obviously, yes,

They were missing Jess Fischlach, Kerry Holland, and obviously, you know, Sophie Ingle's not back yet as well. But she's brought this team together, showing this passion, togetherness, competitiveness,

They're obviously, she's spoken before about being the lowest ranked team at the Euros and they've obviously played Denmark recently, they've played Sweden and they're competing. But they want to win matches essentially is what they want to do. But I feel like they're putting themselves in an amazing position going into this Euros with what they're doing against top, top opposition. I think you've got to give credit to the players there.

but also Rhian as well for what she's done for this Wales team. I think also, Ellen, I've been in that situation where you don't qualify, you don't qualify, and then you qualify. And that switch, when you're coming into January, that calendar year, knowing you're going to play in a tournament, I've definitely felt that switch where you're like, right, OK, we're going to be playing on a world stage in a few months.

and just that feeling of it coming together and performing against top teams you know you've done the business of qualifying now it's about fine tuning those details and getting results and to get that against Sweden I thought was awesome I thought in terms of a confidence boost going into a major tournament I remember playing against USA and top teams leading into the World Cup and you were thinking right okay if we can get

decent results against top teams that we couldn't even compete against a couple of years ago were going to be in a good run. So I can only imagine exactly what you said. Missing big players all in Fischlach to get ground out a draw against Sweden is awesome. Elsewhere, good win for Northern Ireland tonight. They beat Romania by a goal to nil. And finally, just to finish,

Jen was at the USA Brazil game. Man United's goalkeeper, Phelan Tullis-Joyce, earned her first senior cap for the US Women's National Team. Is this the best kept secret in the WSL finally out there? I think it might be, you know. I was buzzing for her. I think she, you know, off the back of, what's she on, 12 clean sheets for Man United and doing incredibly well over here.

I thought she looked great. I thought she looked confident in the net. I think that's quite a daunting place to step into your national team for your first camp. But Brazil didn't test her too much, but I will say I thought she looked really confident and assured of herself. And I think it's the perfect year also for a US national team without a major tournament this summer to go in and test players in that environment and see how they play out. Obviously, she'd

been in as a training player before but she earned her first camp and I kind of love how Emma Hayes took that opportunity obviously knows the English game really well and would have known the narrative around her doing really well so yeah

Credit to her. I thought she looked really confident and what a moment for her. Lovely stuff. Thank you so much, Jen. Thanks, Els. That's where we'll leave it for this week. On the next episode of the Football Daily, Kelly Cates will have all of the reaction to the Champions League with Arsenal facing Real Madrid in their quarterfinal first leg. For now, though, it's goodbye from us.

I'm Zing Singh. And I'm Simon Jack. And together we host Good Bad Billionaire. The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names. Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few. And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire. That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.