Cymru’s faint hopes of progressing from their Euros group were dealt a blow after losing to the Netherlands.

Wales survived an early scare in the fifth minute when midfielder Jill Roord, formerly of Manchester City, was denied by Wales stopper Olivia Clark.

Wales set out to frustrate the opposition on their major tournament debut, allowing the 2017 European champions the lion’s share of possession but restricting their chances.

Lily Woodham was handed an arguably harsh yellow card for time-wasting, taking too long to throw the ball into play.

Wales looked set to hold the Netherlands to a goalless first half until they were dealt a hammer blow.

A goal from Dutch captain Vivianne Miedema just before halftime saw a resilient start from Rhian Wilkinson’s side count for nothing.

Miedema’s neat footwork on the edge of the box got the better of Rhiannon Roberts before her well-placed strike looped into the corner of Olivia Clark’s goal. Clark had no chance of denying Miedema her century of international goals.

Victoria Pelova doubled the lead shortly after the restart, after a long ball found Danielle van de Donk, who was given ample time to pick out her teammate, who finished calmly.

Wales were living dangerously. Miedema’s rivalry with Roberts was reignited as the Dutch captain found Roord, who hit the post.

The woodwork was Cymru’s saviour again just minutes later, as Jackie Groenen’s long-range effort struck the crossbar, only for the rebound to fall to a blue shirt.

Esmee Brugts’ quick feet saw her break the Wales line and finish from a narrow angle. Conceding three goals in 10 in-game minutes was ultimately Wales’ downfall.

Rhian Wilkinson was dealt a further blow when Ceri Holland, who had only been introduced in the second half, went down holding her hamstring. After some treatment, Holland looked to be okay to carry on, but Wilkinson opted not to risk such an important player, replacing her with Carrie Jones.

In truth, the Netherlands were unlucky not to have scored more. Twice the ball was in Olivia Clark’s net, only to be ruled out for offside.

Lily Woodham made a heroic clearance off the line, too. If Wales can be accused of anything, it certainly isn’t giving in.

Cymru now face an uphill battle to advance from their group and reach the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.

The opponents don’t get any easier, as Wales travel to St. Gallen to take on France on Wednesday.

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’ Women’s European Championship campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this July for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

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