England's Hemp says 'arm around each other' is needed ahead of Netherlands match

ZURICH :England forward Lauren Hemp urged team unity following the Lionesses' disappointing 2-1 defeat by France in their Euro 2025 opener, as the reigning champions face the Netherlands on Wednesday with the risk of an early exit looming.

"I'd probably say it's more of an arm around each other (than calling each other out)," Hemp told reporters on Sunday. "When times are tough, we've had difficult conversations on the pitch at times. I think after it, off it, you've got to come together rather than push each other further apart.

"I think that's what this team is good at, is getting around each other and supporting each other, because obviously we're then going to need everyone back up to their best on Wednesday."

Captain Leah Williamson had said England were undone by a "cheap sort of emotional defending" against a France team that ran circles around them for most of the night.

England do have a history of slow starts in tournaments, such as their narrow victories over Austria at Euro 2022 and Haiti at the 2023 World Cup, where they eventually reached the final. Hemp emphasised the team's ability to rise to the occasion.

"We thrive under pressure," Hemp said. "Every game we go into we want to win, and from how we acted the last 10 minutes of the game, we know what's at stake, and we obviously want to get as far as we can, and we are reigning champions that is important to remember that and gain confidence from that."

The team held a light training session on Sunday at their Zurich base, with Hemp and other starters observing while more rested players trained. The session was open to local girls from clubs and schools as part of a thank-you gesture, with players posing for selfies and signing shirts afterward.

Hemp, along with