Wiegman concedes England 'not good enough' after Lionesses beaten by Belgium

The Lionesses, who had inflicted a 5-0 rout on the same opponents on Friday, were brought crashing down to earth with a 3-2 loss in Leuven.

England found themselves 3-0 down after just 29 minutes. The returning Tessa Wullaert scored twice, either side of a looping Justine Vanhaevermaet header to put the hosts well in command.

The reigning European champions responded before the break, with Beth Mead fouled for a penalty which she converted to narrow the deficit.

Debutant Michelle Agyemeng made it 3-2 with a stunning volley within seconds of her introduction nine minutes from time, but it proved academic as England surrendered top spot in Group A3 following Spain's 7-1 rout of Portugal earlier on Tuesday.

"We started really sloppy, and they exposed us," Wiegman told ITV.

"Then, you are down very quickly. We conceded three goals within half an hour, which is not good enough. We played a better second half, but overall, it was not good enough.

"We expected this and planned for this and knew it was going to be a different game. This game also had to do with being really focused, and that's what we didn't do the first 30 minutes. That is the biggest lesson we have learned today."

"We started too slow, and we didn't adapt too quickly, and we didn't hurt them enough," captain Leah Williamson added.

"You always have to deal with runners better than we did today. I don't think that should be an area of weakness, and we need to improve it.

It ends in defeat in Belgium. pic.twitter.com/DdkMDX27kW

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) April 8, 2025

"It's disappointing, and we have made it a lot harder for ourselves. We still have two games to go. We should be winning this game. That's why we are frustrated.

"We did not jump up as much as they did. They came out a completely different side to that that played in Bristol [on Friday]. We didn't adapt quickly enough."

Agyemeng's cameo proved a positive during an otherwise difficult outing for the Lionesses.

The 19-year-old Brighton forward, who is on loan from Arsenal, only received her first senior call-up on Sunday following Alessia Russo's withdrawal, and she was thrilled to hit the ground running at the higher level.

"It means a lot to me. I'm really grateful for the opportunity for my debut and to come and score my first goal," she said. "Unlucky with the result, but I think the team put a lot of effort in and, on another day, that's three points.

"It was a great ball from Leah and as soon as I touched it, I just thought: 'hit it'. I'm really grateful and really proud of myself.