Lauren James shines as England thrashes Netherlands 4-0 to revive Euro title defense

ZURICH (AP) — A “proper” England performance saw the Lionesses get the defense of their Women’s European Championship title firmly back on track with a 4-0 win over the Netherlands on Wednesday, thanks to a Lauren James double.

James showed precisely why she had been selected despite not having played for more than two months when the squad was announced in June because of injury. The Chelsea forward was at the heart of England’s attacks and scored a sumptuous opener in the 22nd minute before netting her side’s third on the hour mark.

James has been directly involved in 16 goals in her last 13 starts for England, with eight goals and eight assists.

Georgia Stanway doubled England’s lead on the stroke of halftime and Ella Toone wrapped up the result in the 67th as the Lionesses, watched by Prince William, gave the perfect response to their 2-1 defeat to France.

"This is about showing who we are,” Stanway told the BBC. “We want to go back to proper England. LJ (Lauren James) set the tone with that goal and we all just followed.”

Player-of-the-match Alessia Russo elaborated.

“I think proper English to us just means we’ll work hard, we’ll work until we can’t run anymore, we stick together,” she said. "That’s our standard and our DNA as a team and we definitely saw that today from the first minute right until the end.

“(We) probably could have scored even more as well ... it was definitely something that we wanted to return to and we know that we’re capable of performances like that.”

It was a far more positive performance from England than against France, when it became the first titleholder to lose its opening match at a women’s Euros.

The manner of that defeat was as disappointing as the result, which left England facing possible elimination if it lost to the Netherlands and France avoided a shock defeat against Wales later Wednesday.

France ultimately defeated Wales 4-1 to take charge of Group D with six points from two games, three more than England and the Netherlands.

England plays Wales in their final group match on Sunday, when the Netherlands faces France.

“We have to believe in our chances,” Netherlands coach Andries Jonker said. “If not it’s better not to show up.”

The Netherlands, which beat Wales 3-0 in their opener, had never previously lost a match at a major tournament by more than a single goal — apart from the 2019 World Cup final.

“It is a heavy defeat and we didn’t see it coming," Jonker said. "We thought we would be able to compete.

“We wanted to win, we wanted to qualify directly for the quarterfinals. But I really don’t care this is the heaviest defeat ever.”

The Dutch appeared timid and toothless against a rampant England side. Sarina Wiegman's team dominated from the start against her native Netherlands and had two good chances in the opening 10 minutes with James and Russo both heading narrowly wide.

England took a deserved lead in stunning fashion.

Russo ran onto a long kick from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and surged forward before cutting it back to James, who carved out some space on the edge of the area before lashing a fierce strike into the top right corner.

It was only James' third appearance since injuring her hamstring in April and the 23-year-old was again involved when England doubled its lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

The Dutch defense failed to clear her free kick properly and the ball came out to Stanway for a low drive into the bottom left corner from 20 yards.

England thought it had extended its advantage shortly after the break but Russo’s header was ruled out as Leah Williamson was offside in the buildup.

England did get a third on the hour mark. Lauren Hemp did well on the right flank and whipped in a cross for Toone. Her shot was blocked but James tucked away the rebound.

Toone got her goal seven minutes later with a precise strike into the bottom right corner.

James was given a standing ovation by the England fans when she was substituted moments after her side’s fourth goal.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

William, Prince of Wales stands on the tribune before the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Ella Toone celebrates after scoring her side's fourth goal during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England head coach Sarina Wiegman stands by the touchline during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

From left, England's Ella Toone, England's Lauren James, England's Georgia Stanway, England's Alex Greenwood and England's Alessia Russo celebrate their side's third goal during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Gaetan Bally/Keystone via AP)

England's Lauren James, left, scores the opening goal during theEuro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

England's Lauren James, right, celebrates with England's Alessia Russo after scoring the opening goal during theEuro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Mohamad Al-Assi ran beneath the concrete wall as the sun rose over Bethlehem. His Nikes pounded the gravel, his breath fogging the air as graffiti and paint splatter blurred past with each stride.

The road along the barrier separating Israel from the occupied West Bank makes up a stretch of a marathon route that Al-Assi and thousands of others ran on Friday. The event is open to people in other parts of the world running in solidarity with the Palestinians and another, shorter race was happening in Gaza.

The race, known as the Palestine Marathon, was held for the first time in three years and was among the first big international events in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Festivals, conferences and holiday festivities that once drew thousands have been scaled back or canceled because of the war in Gaza and heightened Israeli restrictions.

It marked a turning point for Al-Assi, 27, who was released from Israeli detention six months ago. Video from that day shows him gaunt-faced and hollow-eyed, his once muscular legs weakened after more than two and a half years of prison.

He began training in December, gradually upping his mileage every month since. He ran 62 miles (100 kilometers) that first month, and in April reached 135 miles (217 kilometers), according to his account on the tracking app Strava.

He jogs in the morning after his mother wakes him up in their home in Dheisheh, a Palestinian refugee camp made up of graffiti-covered cinderblock homes in tangled alleyways.

“The main difficulties we face are the cars on the roads and the presence of Israeli security forces along the route where I train,” Al-Assi said.

He had to suspend his training several times because of military operations in the camp.

“I would return home feeling hopeless because I couldn't do what I had intended to do,” Al-Assi said.

In the West Bank, runners cannot complete a 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course without hitting a checkpoint or military gate, which is why Friday's marathon route looped around the same circuit twice.

They ran up through the narrow streets of two Palestinian refugee camps and down to a farming town next to Bethlehem where fields are divided by the concrete wall, barbed wire and cameras. The course hooked back to finish at Bethlehem’s Manger Square.

Organizers say the race highlights restrictions facing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where checkpoints can disrupt even routine commutes and where open land for hiking, biking and running is increasingly taken by Israeli settlements and outposts.

“Marathon runners anywhere may ‘hit a wall’ under the physical and emotional strain of completing the 42-kilometer race course," they said on the marathon's website.

But in the West Bank, they added, "runners literally hit the Wall.”

At a time when the West Bank’s economy is struggling and in the shadow of Gaza's fragile ceasefire and stalled rebuilding efforts, the atmosphere in Bethlehem was celebratory. Crowds gathered near the Church of the Nativity to cheer runners at the race's early morning start and finish. Bagpipes blared and drummers pounded out traditional rhythms through streets along the route.

On a beachside road in Nuseirat in central Gaza — which is roughly the length of a marathon — 15 disabled people, including amputees, ran a 2K, and a couple thousand of people ran a 5K. Thirteen years after the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, canceled a 2013 marathon because Hamas forbade women from participating, the women were back.

Haya Alnaji, a 22-year-old woman who ran in the 5K, said the number of people taking part reflected that Palestinians in Gaza were determined to live and persevere despite the devastation wrought by more than two years of war.

“All of Gaza loves sports,” she said.

Al-Assi was arrested in April 2023, and imprisoned under administrative detention, which allows Israel to hold detainees for months without charge. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Palestinians are being held under that system, according to Israeli rights groups and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

In October 2023, Al-Assi was sentenced for transferring money to suspicious entities, a charge he denies. Israel closely monitors money transfers — particularly to Gaza — for fear that funds could end up in the hands of militants. Palestinians, however, say donations and charitable contributions are often swept up in the dragnet. Israel’s military, Shin Bet and Prison Service did not answer questions about Al-Assi's charges.

In Israeli prisons — where detainees routinely complain of inadequate diets — Al-Assi said nearly everyone goes hungry. The weight he lost eroded the endurance built through 10 years of training.

“I have more muscle mass than fat, so when I lost weight, the loss came from my muscles rather than fat,” he said. “This had a major impact on my physical fitness.”

He also had to regain the mental fortitude to run a marathon.

“I was emotionally shattered after spending such a long period in prison,” he said.

On Friday, he collapsed to his knees, bowing and thanking God after finishing second overall, as supporters and journalists encircled him. He dedicated his run to Palestinians still in Israeli detention.

“After 32 months in prison, Mohamad Al-Assi is first in his class!” he shouted through tears, raising his hands and looking up to the sky.

__ Imad Isseid contributed from Bethlehem, West Bank and Abdel Kareem Hana from Nuseirat, Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian amputee runner takes part in the 2-kilometer Palestine Marathon along the coastal road near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian runners take part in the 5-kilometer Palestine Marathon along the coastal road near Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Runners participate in the Palestine Marathon in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Runners pass by Israel's separation wall as they compete in the Palestine Marathon in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian Mohamad Al-Assi, who was released from Israeli detention six months ago, runs past Israel's separation wall as he trains ahead of the Palestine Marathon in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Metz)