Team GB faces precarious Olympic qualification path after narrow loss to Belgium

Posted : 01 November 2023

The path to securing a spot for football at the Olympics is always a challenging one, with numerous nations vying for coveted berths. However, the journey becomes even more intricate for England, who are setting their sights on qualifying for the entire Team GB. The recent 3-2 defeat to Belgium, which occurred on Tuesday, has added an extra layer of complexity to their mission. Sarina Wiegman, the manager of the English team, acknowledged the tight situation they currently find themselves in.

Following England's 3-2 loss to Belgium, Team GB now stands on the brink of missing out on a place at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This outcome propelled Belgium ahead of England, taking second place in their Women's Nations League group with seven points, while England trails slightly with six points. The Netherlands leads the group with nine points, and Scotland lags at the bottom with only one point.

Each team has two matches remaining, and the top teams will advance to the Nations League semi-finals. The two finalists will secure qualifications for the 2024 Paris Olympics, alongside the host nation, France, as Europe's representatives. England's destiny holds not only their aspirations but also those of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, all of whom would participate as part of a Team GB in the Olympics. Astonishingly, one of England's remaining fixtures is against Scotland, who have already been mathematically eliminated.

Sarina Wiegman, the England manager, commented on the challenging situation: "It’s very tight... we can only do what we can do, so we know what we have to do. We play at Wembley [against the Netherlands], that’s always very exciting, so we’re looking forward to that. But we also want to show again what we are, and that we can do better, against a top opponent of course, too. We have to win and we have to win by more than one, and then we have to win [against] Scotland, so [the job] is very clear."

The loss to Belgium means that England's fate is no longer entirely in their hands, as Belgium can still top the group even if England wins both of their remaining matches. Wiegman remains focused, stating, "That’s life, and so that’s football too... We’re not panicking or anything. You could see that we were trying hard, we were trying to find the space and we were trying to have different crosses and play a possession game into the final third, but we just missed in the final perfect touch… although we did create chances to really score goals."

Wiegman did express her disappointment in the team's performance, highlighting the need to improve. England's upcoming matches against the Dutch and Scotland will be crucial in determining their Olympic fate. In the midst of their challenges, Wiegman also provided a positive update on the injured player, Alex Greenwood, indicating that she is recovering well and has returned to Manchester City.

Team GB faces precarious Olympic qualification path after narrow loss to Belgium

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