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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)