Wales 0-3 Netherlands highlights: Vivianne Miedema scores 100th international goal as Oranje start in style at Women's EURO 2025

The Netherlands started their Group D campaign with an assured 3-0 win against Wales in Lucerne inspired by Vivianne Miedema's 100th international goal.

What happened?

Vivianne Miedema became an international goals centurion as the Netherlands cruised to victory over Wales at Allmend Stadion Luzern.

Having dominated the first half and hit the crossbar through Jill Roord's long-range strike, the Netherlands took the lead on the stroke of half-time with a landmark goal as Miedema completed a skilful flourish on a run towards the penalty area with a sublime finish into the far corner of goalkeeper Olivia Clark's net.

Tournament debutants Wales made changes in a bid to shift the one-sided momentum at the break, but the introduction of forward Ella Powell for defender Esther Morgan could not prevent their opponents from swiftly extending their lead.

Veerle Buurman's excellent cross-field pass found Daniëlle van de Donk, who teed up Victoria Pelova inside the box on the right to angle a crisp finish beyond Clark.

Victoria Pelova points the way to an opening win for the Netherlands after scoring their second in clinical styleUEFA via Getty Images

Roord struck the crossbar again with an emphatic left-footed effort from closer proximity four minutes later, and Jackie Groenen repeated the trick in thunderous style shortly afterwards to make a third Netherlands goal feel something of an inevitability.

Esmee Brugts obliged seconds after Groenen wobbled the woodwork, meeting Pelova's inviting cross from the right with a neat first-time volley at the far post for the Barcelona midfielder's third goal since the start of EURO qualifying as part of a potent opening display by the 2017 champions.

Player of the Match: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)

Vivianne Miedema celebrates with the Player of the Match award

 
"We witnessed a winner in action today. Scoring the first goal of the tournament is so important for every country, and the time and manner in which she did it was just phenomenal. Vivianne has so much football intelligence; it's no coincidence that, at just 28, today she scored her 100th international goal in only 126 caps."
UEFA Technical Observer Group

Reaction

Rhian Wilkinson, Wales manager: "It was a tough game. To concede right before half-time is always painful. I made some changes at half-time that cost a second goal, so that's definitely a technical learning for us and it's important that we also take accountability. This is the world stage – the big event – and it's intimidating, it's the first game. But it's what we want and it comes with lessons like this. We've got two more big games and we've got to show up again and learn from how we finished the game, because we really stepped up in the last 20 or 25 minutes."

Angharad James, Wales captain: "It really is an emotional evening for many reasons. We’ve worked incredibly hard to be at this tournament, to be here today and to be seen on the biggest stage. The result didn’t go our way but there are so many good things to come out of today. We held them for over 40 minutes and had opportunities but we weren’t clinical enough. We knew we weren’t going to have the ball as much as them and we just need to be better in those moments."

Jessica Fishlock, Wales midfielder: "It’s a tough result for us to take. They’re a great team, but we’ll be a little bit disappointed that we didn’t reach half-time at 0-0 as I think that would have really changed the dynamic. But we’ve learnt a lot. This is what it’s like playing at the highest level: you switch off for a moment and you get punished by fantastic goals. It’s a lesson for us and we just have to regroup and get ready for France."

Andries Jonker, Netherlands manager: "It have been 4-0 or 5-0 with those [three] shots [against the woodwork], but the most important thing is that we won. After the second goal, you could feel that they lacked the strength and qualities to threaten us. Today's win at least says that we have made good progress since the start of our preparations. We are ready for Wednesday [against England]. There are two finals coming up."

Vivianne Miedema, Netherlands forward: “This game was so important for us. To start the tournament with a win means so much. I’m so glad that we got that. 3-0, with a clean sheet; very happy. It shows the depth of our squad that we can make five substitutions and not get any weaker. Hopefully we can build on this. Wales defended really well and I'm glad my goal helped to start it all up. In the second half, you saw that we can play a bit more, and eventually we also scored two really good goals.”

Jill Roord, Netherlands midfielder: "It was a good game and the win is very important. The way we played and the energy we had together was very good, so we're very happy about this. There are no easy games, especially not at the EURO. Wales were defending in compact style and very well, so it was difficult to get chances. The first goal from Viv was great and the second half opened up a little bit – then we showed what we can do."

Key stats

• The Netherlands have not lost a match in the group stage at the last three final tournaments (W6 D1).
• They have won three and drawn two of their last five opening fixtures at the finals.
• Miedema last netted at the finals by scoring twice against Denmark as part of a 4-2 triumph in the 2017 decider.
• The last time Miedema found the net at a major tournament was at the Olympic Games in 2021, proceeding to score ten goals in Japan.
• Miedema extended her lead as her country's record scorer at EURO final tournaments with her fifth such goal, two ahead of Lieke Martens and Sherida Spitse.
• The 28-year-old's goals at the 2017 and 2025 editions means she joins team-mates Pelova and Daniëlle van de Donk as the only Netherlands players to have scored at two editions of the finals.
• Wales lost only one of their ten qualifying group and play-off matches in 2024 (W6 D3).
• At 38 years and 172 days of age, Fishlock is the oldest player to appear at Women's EURO 2025 so far, immediately ahead of Linda Sembrant (Sweden, 38y 50d), Nadia Nadim (Denmark, 37y 183d), Linda Sällström (Finland, 36y 354d) and Sanne Troelsgaard (Denmark, 36y 323d).
• Fishlock is the second-oldest player to make their Women's EURO debut behind Ukraine's Olena Mazurenko, who was 39y 303d of age against Finland in 2009.

Reporters' views

Mark Pitman, Wales reporter
This was such a monumental occasion for Wales for so many reasons, and while this was always going to be a difficult opening match, Rhian Wilkinson and her squad must take what positives they can from a defensively solid opening half. However, they conceded just before half-time and Netherlands capitalised after the restart. Despite the result, the squad can rest assured that their incredible support will remain firmly in their corner when they go again against France on Wednesday.

Derek Brookman, Netherlands reporter
An excellent result for Oranje, who really kicked on after the break and could have scored considerably more were it not for good goalkeeping and the woodwork. With several squad players getting a run-out, Lineth Beerensteyn once again in action after a long lay-off and Vivianne Miedema reaching a century of Oranje goals, it was a great start to their Group D campaign by Andries Jonker’s side.

Fantasy star performers

Victoria Pelova (Netherlands) – 11 points
Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands) – 10
Daniëlle van de Donk (Netherlands) – 10

Line-ups

Wales: Clark; Green (Barton 64), Roberts, Evans, Woodham; James, Fishlock (Rowe 64), Ladd; Holland (Jones 79), Cain (F Morgan 64), E Morgan (Powell 46)

Netherlands: Van Domselaar; Casparij (Wilms 64), Janssen, Buurman (Dijkstra 81), Brugts (Spitse 71); Groenen, Van de Donk (Grant 64), Kaptein; Pelova, Miedema (Beerensteyn 71), Roord